As public libraries cope with the effects of COVID-19 across the country, library staff are struggling with figuring out how to continue or adapt early learning programs for young children and families. While many have developed exciting new ways to incorporate early literacy practices into these changing programs and services, we encourage you to consider how you can bring computational thinking into these new and continued efforts to support early learning for families. Though computational thinking may sound too complicated for young children, it can be smoothly integrated into your virtual and screen-less library programs through play-based methods and in developmentally-appropriate ways.

At its most basic definition, computational thinking can be thought of as an “expressive or creative process that helps children and adults create solutions to a problem or complete a task in a manner that could be replicated by others” (Campana et al., 2020). Though traditional literacy and other early learning skills are still vital, computational thinking and related media literacy skills are now necessary to help all ages successfully negotiate the variety of digital and analog information in today’s rapidly changing world. Development of computational thinking skills can begin in very early childhood, helping to foster creative problem solvers capable of solving 21st century challenges. By intentionally incorporating, modeling, and making computational thinking skills accessible in your programs and services during this time and beyond, you can empower and support families in this realm.

While this brief article outlines only a few examples of how you can incorporate computational thinking into the programs and services you may be offering now, additional examples and information on computational thinking for young children in libraries will be available in the upcoming July/August edition of Public Libraries.

Virtual Programs

As libraries move face-to-face programs to virtual platforms, kid’s yoga has found a place in both live and recorded programs. As youth stretch their bodies and move through poses, you can use the opportunity to discuss how yoga poses are named to help support computational thinking skills. How does “cobra” or “boat” pose get named?  How does the shape or movement of your body reflect the name of the pose? Asking these questions prompts participants to think abstractly, focusing on an essential characteristic of the pose name that is mimicked through the positioning of the body. Muncie Public Library reinforces this connection between “boat” pose and the positioning of the body by singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” while in boat pose. Westlake Porter Public Library uses traditional yoga pose names and dinosaur names in “Dinosaur Yoga” video. Using descriptive names, like “T-Rex” for Warrior One pose, may call to mind more clearly how to position your body, distribute your weight, and roar!

Take-home Kits

The take-home kits that many libraries are offering this summer can also be a natural fit for incorporating computational thinking skills. These kits often cover a variety of topics–such as STEM, literacy, and crafts–and a variety of forms–including digital aspects or having it be completely screen-free. One kit, developed by Marathon County Public Library’s Spencer Branch, contained materials for planting a bean seed along with a link to a video of library staff reading Jack & the Beanstalk. A kit like this is ideal for supporting decomposition by encouraging parents and caregivers to help their children figure out or “break down” the materials and the different steps required for planting the seed. Craft kits can also help to support computational thinking such as the birthday coding bracelet kit offered by the Bettendorf Public Library that supports pattern recognition. Additionally, the experiment kits and videos that libraries have been offering, such as those by Schuylkill Valley Community Library, are ideal for supporting logic and evaluation by encouraging parents and caregivers to have their children predict what might happen and evaluate the result of the experiment.

Obstacle Courses

Outdoor play can also support computational thinking for young children and families, even during a pandemic. DIY nature scavenger hunts, Double Dutch jump roping and obstacle courses combine play and the key skills and dispositions associated with computational thinking. The obstacle courses many libraries are creating on nearby sidewalks or suggesting as at-home activities are especially conducive to developing algorithmic design, an important skill that helps children understand the different ordered steps involved in solving a problem or completing a task. For each sequenced step in an obstacle course, rules like jump, skip, or twirl exist that govern how a participant must move to complete the obstacle. While an obstacle course may intuitively support algorithmic design, providing prompts and inspiring caregivers to talk with their children about the steps and rules that make up the obstacle course will help deepen the connections.

In addition to algorithmic design, the course can invite families to become creative with how they move through the sequential steps, possibly developing their own rules to expand upon what was provided or in the absence of detailed instructions. While one obstacle might say “hop” and provide lily pads to jump between, as Coquitlam Public Library’s course does, another might have a simple winding line, like Illinois Prairie District Public Library, that leaves the decision on what movements to use to navigate the line up to the participant. Creativity is an important computational thinking disposition that helps children develop unique solutions to problems. Additionally, by successfully navigating the ordered obstacles from start to finish, children can gain confidence, another computational thinking disposition,in their own abilities.

As shown through these examples, computational thinking can be incorporated into the wide variety of programs and activities, both virtual and screen-free, that you may already be using to connect with your young patrons and families, even during this difficult time. As with other programs and activities for young children, keep in mind that it is important to provide information and scaffolding for the parents and caregivers so that they can be intentional with their support of the computational thinking skills and dispositions that are present in the activity. Finally, as you move forward with developing and offering activities for young children that support computational thinking, consider emphasizing screen-free activities and learning opportunities to help reach across the digital divide and provide more equitable support for families who may be struggling with digital information access or screen fatigue.

REFERENCES

Campana, K., Haines, C., Kociubuk, J., & Langsam, P. (July/August 2020). Making the Connection: Computational Thinking and Early Learning for Young Children and Their Families. Public Libraries.

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The post PLA 2019 Early Literacy Activities Calendar first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Two young brothers eagerly enter the library on a brisk winter morning with a thoughtful selection of books clutched in their hands. They are not returning these books, but have carefully chosen titles from their own collection, and a stack of library books that they are borrowing, to read to their canine friends that visit the Glen Burnie (MD) Regional Library (GBRL) on the second Saturday morning of each month. Tail Waggin’ Tutors, a program that encourages young readers to practice their literacy skills by reading aloud to a trained therapy dog and handler, has pushed both boys to excel in their reading abilities. Seven-year-old Zach, who was eager to learn to read at a very early age, learned about the program at a summer reading event when he was four years old. The program motivated him even more to read early on. His younger brother Tyler, who is five, followed in the footsteps of his older brother by also learning to read at an early age and has been participating in the program since the age of four. They both prepare by consciously choosing books that they think their canine friends will enjoy. This program has motivated both boys to read consistently and has given them the confidence to read aloud. They found a love for reading at a very early age and much of this is credited to their participation in Tail Waggin’ Tutors through the Anne Arundel County (MD) Public Library (AACPL) System.

Canine-Assisted Reading

Children who participate in canine-assisted reading programs are likely to develop confidence in their reading skills and find reading to be more enjoyable.¹ While there has not yet been an extensive amount of data to be found to prove the effectiveness of children reading to therapy dogs at drop-in library programs, a research study conducted by the Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension at the University of California found that school children who read to therapy dogs on a regular basis improve their reading fluency by 12 percent.² Studies that are available on canine-assisted library reading programs have found results for improvements in oral reading fluency and accuracy, along with significant increases in engaged reading time and significant improvements in reading skills, such as the ability to explain, describe, analyze, and infer.³ Children who feel self-conscious reading to an adult or peer are usually very comfortable reading to a therapy dog. Children know that dogs will not judge their reading skills. Reading to a therapy dog can provide comfort, support, and happiness for struggling and self-conscious readers.⁴

Types of Therapy Dog Interactions

There are two different types of therapy dog interactions with humans, Animal- Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal- Assisted Activities (AAA). Both types of therapy dog interactions require a certified animal. The Delta Society, a nonprofit therapy dog organization in Australia, provides the following definitions:

• Animal-Assisted Therapy is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is part of a treatment process. These programs are usually directed and delivered by human health or human services. These professionals have specialized expertise within the scope of practice of their profession. This type of therapy is designed to improve human physical, social, emotional, and cognitive function. The therapy animals may be formally included in activities such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy. Specified goals and objectives are determined for each participant and their progress is evaluated and documented.⁵
• Animal-Assisted Activities provide opportunities for motivation, education, or recreation to enhance quality of life. AAA can be delivered in various environments, such as libraries, schools, or bookstores. AAA are provided by specially trained professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers, along with animals that meet specific criteria. AAA are not usually tailored to individual people or medical conditions. Visit content can be spontaneous and length of visit times vary. Canine-assisted library reading programs typically utilize AAA interactions, due in large part to their drop-in nature. Children attending may or may not attend every program. The dog handler is volunteering and usually not a medical professional.⁶

In canine-assisted reading programs, children choose their own material to read. The general goal is to boost reading skills, along with social skills. Children read for a short amount of time, usually in fifteen- or thirty-minute time slots. The setting is very laid back and comfortable, without observations from a professional measuring the effects and outcomes. Feedback and program effectiveness is provided by the caregivers and the children, along with program attendance rates. Caregivers or children may be asked to fill out a survey or verbally answer questions from the library staff relating to their satisfaction with the program. Surveys and answering staff questions are always voluntary and not mandatory. The use of therapy dogs to aid in reading development has been found to increase enthusiasm and interest in reading, along with improving self-esteem, reducing disruptive behaviors, and has led to improvement in reading and writing.⁷

READ: The First Canine-Assisted Reading Program

The first canine-assisted reading program in the United States began in Utah in 1999. Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) was created by Sandi Martin, a nurse and board member of the International Therapy Animals (ITA) organization. After observing the positive benefits that therapy dogs brought to patients, she believed children could have positive outcomes with the presence of a therapy dog to improve reading skills. The original READ program took place in a library setting with a trained dog and dog handler. Sessions were arranged as fifteen-minute time slots with a ratio of one-to-one dog to-client. The program was so successful that within the first year it was incorporated into the school system.⁸ Following the success of the original READ program, similar programs began to evolve all over the country: Sit Stay Read in Birmingham (AL); Dogs Educating and Assisting Readers (DEAR) in Baltimore; Reading with Rover in Bothell (WA); and Read to the Dogs in Portland (OR), to name a few.⁹ The various programs may differ, such as the age level of the children, length of one-on-one reading time, venue (public libraries, schools, bookstores, or childcare centers), selection of participants (self-selected, parents, teachers, or reading specialists), selector of reading materials, and ability level of the participants.¹⁰ However, they all have the same goal, to assist in developing a generation of young confident readers. While there is a lack of extensive scientific evidence, benefits from these programs are consistent to one another, reporting increases in self-confidence, enthusiasm for library visits, and interest in stories and reading.¹¹

Certified Therapy Dogs are Essential

It is imperative for the success of canine-assisted reading programs to use certified therapy dogs and handlers. Therapy dog organizations ensure that the dogs are suitable and insured. Therapy dogs are insured against lawsuits when they are a member of a therapy dog organization and are in good standing with vaccinations, training, and dues. Their handlers are trained for various situations and follow rules established by the therapy dog organization to protect themselves, their therapy dog, and the clients they serve. All of this is very important for canine-assisted library reading programs to protect the library, dogs, handlers, and most importantly the children participating.¹²

It is common for therapy dog organizations to have training standards in place for therapy dogs and handlers who will be working with children. They may also have their own process and procedure to help libraries establish canine-assisted reading programs.¹³

Therapy Dog Organizations

There are national therapy dog organizations that have specialized programs to train dogs and handlers to participate in canine-assisted reading programs. Local chapters of these organizations exist throughout the United States.

Therapy Dogs International

The nonprofit volunteer organization Therapy Dogs International (TDI) was founded in 1976 in New Jersey. TDI is dedicated to regulating, testing, and the registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers. TDI dogs are certified to visit nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions, and wherever else therapy dogs may be needed. TDI volunteers and handlers are present in all fifty United States and in some parts of Canada. Tail Waggin’ Tutors is TDI’s canine-assisted reading program. The main objective of the program is to provide a relaxed and dog-friendly atmosphere, which allows children to practice the skill of reading.¹⁴ Visit www.tdi-dog.org for more information.

Intermountain Therapy Animals

The mission of this nonprofit organization is to enhance quality of life through the human-animal bond. Since 1999 when the READ program launched, ITA has trained more than three thousand therapy teams (dogs and handlers) to work throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, France, Sweden, South Africa, Slovenia, and Spain.¹⁵ For more information, visit www.therapyanimals.org.

Pet Partners

The nationwide nonprofit organization Pet Partners, located in Bellevue (WA), came together forty years ago to improve human health and well-being through the human-animal bond. The Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program was established in 1990 to ensure that dogs and handlers are well-prepared to participate in AAT and AAA programs for therapy pets. Read with Me is Pet Partners’ canine-assisted reading program that promotes literacy and instills a lifelong love of reading by having children read with therapy animals.¹⁶ For more information, visit https://petpartners.org.

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This column represents the final mining of a batch of submissions about establishing and revivifying the habit of literacy. Our contributors swing through a graceful arc, beginning with a thorough, best practices approach to early literacy, and extending even unto that dark, dark land of adulthood.

Contributors Barbara Ferrara and Cammy Mays describe a solid research-based and comprehensive program for an outward-facing, community-based literacy. Suzy Card demonstrates the open and welcoming attitude that not only makes storytimes a joy but also keeps encouraging parents’ early engagement. (She begins, “Do you ever wonder what the parent of a preschool aged child is thinking?” Just for the record, I recall mostly ruminating about Disney movies and Raffi ditties. It’s not thinking, exactly.) Finally, Karen Andrews gives some concise tips for rescuing parents from lives they imagine are too busy to allow for the opening of
a book.

Most kids are born smart; that’s just DNA. But nurture matters, too, and the common theme through these pieces is the importance of getting parents to model literate behavior. Thanks again to the librarians who keep hammering home that message. The quality of the lives of our children, and our communities, depends on it.

Family Building Blocks

Barbara A. Ferrara, Regional Manager, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library, ferrarab@chesterfield.gov; Cammy E. Mays, Librarian, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library, kochce@chesterfield.gov

In the past three years, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library (CCPL) has shifted storytime and other children’s programs to include activities and dialogue that engage parents and caregivers in the learning experience. In 2013, we surveyed our cardholders, asking everything from “How often do you visit the library?” to “How can the library help you achieve your aspirations?” We discovered 70 percent of our customers use the library for learning. This reflects the national trend toward “turning outward,” introduced by the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and formalized in the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative, which seeks to strengthen librarians’ roles as “core community leaders and change-agents.”¹

CCPL embraces its transformational role. It equips parents to interpret and use information in new, unfamiliar ways. We have experience accommodating for various learning styles and engaging learners of all ages, whether through an early literacy storytime or another program, class, or one-on-one session with a librarian. This transliteracy goes beyond the basic ability to read and write and often includes an understanding of life skills in diverse areas. In the world of today’s preschooler, the ability to work with information and socialize with other children is crucial for school readiness and preparation for a lifetime of learning. Some parents do not possess the knowledge needed to provide enrichment activities for their children; Literacy and Parents and so they discover new materials and techniques at the library. Meaningful storytime activities such as reading, listening, singing, rhyming, and playing have tremendous influence on a child’s development and help in developing prereading skills needed for success at school.²

PLA and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) created the first Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) toolkit in 2004, inspiring CCPL to adopt a new approach to storytime. PLA and ALSC “concluded that public libraries could have an even greater impact on early literacy through an approach that focused on educating parents and caregivers. If the primary adults in a child’s life can learn more about the importance of early literacy and how to nurture pre-reading skills at home, the effect of library efforts can be multiplied many times.”³ With the information gleaned from ECRR and 2011’s updated second edition (ECRR2), CCPL storytimes were retooled to consciously support the tenets of early literacy, “teaching parents and other caregivers how to support the early literacy development of their children.”⁴

CCPL offers fifteen early literacy storytimes each week, including a pajama storytime in the evening and a Spanish-English storytime at one branch. Each storytime is prepared and structured according to one of the following six early literacy skills identified in ECRR: narrative, letter knowledge, print motivation, phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary. These skills are taught by practicing reading, talking, singing, writing, and playing. Storytime presenters provide aside notes for parents and caregivers that emphasize the selected literacy skill. We talk to parents and caregivers before, during, and after storytime to help them understand the emphasized skill. In addition to the oral explanation of the skill, CCPL librarians created printed bilingual Recipe for Reading Success cards for distribution, each defining one of the six skills and suggesting activities that parents and caregivers could do independently (see below). Our goal is to model behaviors and provide relevant information so parents and caregivers can easily incorporate these educational behaviors into their children’s everyday lives.

While ECRR has proven to be a valuable tool for CCPL librarians designing programs that build early literacy, the positive response by parents has suggested that the library can also contribute to development of other school readiness skills. In Virginia, preschool is not universally provided by public schools. Like many jurisdictions, Chesterfield County provides Head Start, the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), and other programs to build early literacy skills for low-income and immigrant families. These programs have proven valuable for many at-risk families, yet help is still lacking for those who do not meet the income requirements of these special programs but still cannot afford to pay for private preschool. CCPL is creating a new program that includes state-approved educational standards for all areas of early development.⁵ “Building Blocks for School Readiness” combines current storytime standards and incorporates these additional standards.

Launched in January 2016, this school readiness storytime is the same length as existing programs yet includes the use of sensory stations, hands-on learning, and innovative technologies. Creating programs focused on learning outcomes has clear relevance to our patrons, including parents of young children. “Building Blocks for School Readiness” uses play-based learning to create an environment for social and personal development, in addition to standard learning areas.

CCPL’s participation in the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights School Readiness Coalition has proven to be a valuable collaboration with local agencies committed to early education, such as school systems, Head Start, VPI, Smart Beginning, and representatives of numerous Chesterfield County departments, such as Youth Services and Social Services. This coalition meets bimonthly and has led to many partnerships. For example, when turnout was low for the school system’s pre-kindergarten registration, CCPL advertised the registration deadline on its website and through social media and flyers. Soon there was a waiting list. In addition to discussing strategies for ensuring school readiness, coalition meetings often include inspiring success stories that validate the impact of the program.

Children and their parents are the primary focus of CCPL’s storytimes, but teachers, caregivers, and future caregivers also take advantage of our professional expertise and targeted resources. Chesterfield Technical Center teaches a childhood development class for high school students. These students are typically college-bound and interested in pursuing a career working with children, such as nursing, teaching, pediatrics, psychology, or social work. Childhood development students are assigned to a local elementary school and spend time interacting with students during the language arts period. For the past three years, the curriculum has included a visit to our Central Library to learn about library resources that support their knowledge of child development. Students are shown how to create and deliver an early literacy storytime and interact with parents.

CCPL also provides resources to local daycare centers. Each branch offers a monthly storytime for daycares, fostering a relationship with the centers and demonstrating valuable professional tactics as a takeaway for caregivers. A grant-funded training provided by the School Readiness Coalition offers daycare providers resources such as instruction in selecting age-appropriate picture books and access to less familiar library resources such as TumbleBooks. Currently, CCPL is developing a preschool outreach box that will be hand-delivered to local preschools and daycares, and will include a book and activity ideas which can be used in the center, plus library card applications and flyers to send home to parents. CCPL is a community partner that supports local early childhood educators to provide the best resources for children and parents alike.

CCPL contributes to a vibrant community by building relationships with patrons and promoting literacy in the widely diverse range of information they deal with daily. This is our mission statement and our practice. We are transforming information into usable knowledge when we provide early literacy tips to parents at storytime, when we promote state Library and Department of Education resources, and when we create a program inviting kindergartners to practice getting on and off the school bus. The interpretation and application of words, images, and sounds competing for one’s attention can be overwhelming without a trusted guide. We can map out the trail that leads to the treasure trove of information available for learners old and new.

References

1. American Library Association, “Libraries Transforming Communities,” accessed Oct. 30, 2015.
2. Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting and Pamela Martin-Diaz, Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library (Chicago: ALA Editions, 2005).
3. “About,” Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library, accessed Oct. 27, 2015.
4. Ibid.
5. Virginia Department of Education, Office of Humanities and Early Childhood, “Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds,” 2013, accessed Oct. 30, 2015.

Librarians, Literacy, and Connecting with Preschool-Aged Parents

Suzy Card, Youth Services Librarian, Larry J. Ringer Library, College Station (TX), scard@bryantx.gov

Do you ever wonder what the parent of a preschool-aged child is thinking? The way to find out is through taking the time to listen and learn about their family. “Parents or caregivers can be of valuable assistance in helping the child to become literate with a facilitator’s guidance.”1 I lead many programs within our library for preschool-aged children and their families, and over the years I have really had the chance to get to know some of them. By being a helpful facilitator I can ensure that these parents feel confident that they can help their child with literacy.

We make sure that our library has accessible books for parents and their children to enjoy. I am in charge of juvenile collection development, and I often purchase a book because I believe that a particular family will like it and hope that other families will like it too. I put a book on hold because I believe that a certain parent or their child will enjoy reading it. It is always a wonderful feeling when a parent comes up to you later and thanks you for picking out a book that their child can’t stop reading.

We make up lists for different types of books, such as princess, super hero, transportation, and potty books. We also have lists that are called “Read-a-Likes,” where we write out different series or titles that are similar to another book or series. Say, for instance, that every night the parents are reading the Magic Tree House series to their preschool-aged child, a great adventure series that isn’t too long. With our read-a-likes lists, the parents can find similar books to read aloud or help their child read in the future.

Our storytime sessions for preschool-aged children are educational and enjoyable for parents as well as children. During storytime, we use a lot of repetition. We sing many of the same songs week to week, and the parents learn to sing along. The parents who attend storytimes discover how important repetition is for them to use at home to enhance their child’s literacy. Many of the stories we read are not just for the child’s entertainment but are fun for parents, as well. I find that parents will laugh at something their child may not necessarily understand, but if the parent is laughing that usually gets their children laughing, too. This is a great way to set a model for parents that they can use elsewhere. I have had some parents ask where I got certain music, and I am able to recommend sources where they can find songs.

In my preschool-aged storytimes, we do a lot of crafts and the parents are very involved in helping their children finish projects. Craft time is also a great opportunity for parents to interact with each other and make friends. I often hear them telling each other about new playgroups and setting up times to meet. Many parents use storytime as a place where they can interact with other people their age. After the storytime is over, I let the parents stay a little longer if they like to do just that. I also spend that time interacting and talking with the parents to get to know them better.

We also have a monthly family storytime held at night. This gives working parents a chance to come out and interact within the library. Sometimes I see a lot of familiar people, but I also see new faces. Several parents have told me they found out about this storytime from a friend who comes to the library for other events.

Another way our library reaches out to local families is through our community partnership with Head Start. When we go to meetings, we talk about our programming and invite families into the library. We also work with Head Start to plan class field trips for preschool-aged children. When they leave the class trip, we send information about upcoming programs and how to get a library card home with them to their parents. It is great to see parents come into the library later, either to attend events or just to check out books, and have their children recognize us from the school visits.

In all these ways, we are working with parents to help them feel more confident in themselves and in promoting literacy with their children. We hope that our parents enjoy coming here with their children. It is very rewarding to see parents’ smiling faces each week and watch them open up to us more and more. We see that they feel comfortable here and with us. It makes everything run smoother when you can feel that community connection to your parents. And sure, we sometimes get parents upset with some aspect of an event or a storytime. We do our best to find out why the parent is upset and what we can do to help work through it.

Ultimately, we want parents to bring their children to the library again and again. We want them to take home tips and ideas for new ways to help their children with literacy. But we also want them to feel like they have friends and to feel comfortable here. By working closely with the parents, we can learn what their and their children’s needs are and take the steps to fulfill them. And when we have successfully done this, we learn a lot about what a preschool-aged parent is thinking and how we can make sure that their library visits are pleasant ones.

Reference

1. Myrna Machet and Elizabeth J. Pretorius, “Family Literacy: A Project to Get Parents Involved,” South African Journal of Libraries & Information Science 70, no. 1 (2004): 39–46.

Lafayette Public Library Adult Summer Reading

Karen Andrews, Adult Services Librarian, Lafayette (CO) Public Library, karena@cityoflafayette.com

Two years ago, for the summer of 2014, we revamped the adult summer reading program at Lafayette (CO) Public Library (LPL). We did this in response to feedback from parents who were at the library to sign up their kids for our children’s summer reading program and said that they themselves did not have time to read or would not have time to participate in our reading program. The children’s librarian Melissa Hisel and I had both attended a Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy conference where the keynote speaker explained that the number one predictor of a child’s success with reading is seeing their parents or caregivers read. For us, hearing parents tell us they did not want to sign up for the reading program was a red flag that we were failing in something very fundamental. We were failing to provide a program that encouraged adults not only to read to their kids but also to read for their own pleasure and enjoyment.

The old program had adults register and then submit titles of finished books and write reviews. We did weekly drawings for
prizes of books, coupons to the farmer’s market, and gift certificates. In 2013, our participation had improved over the previous year, in part due to our offer of a coupon to a local coffee shop just for signing up. We had also remodeled our library so that the children’s area and adult fiction shared the same floor. This changed the location of the sign-up for summer reading. Previously, we had registration for the children’s program sequestered in our children’s area, and the adult registration was upstairs in a separate area. In 2013, due to the library remodel, all of the signup locations—preschool, children, teen, and adult—were located in one central spot. This allowed us to at least approach parents about signing up, however, we still received a lot of verbal feedback that parents had no time to participate in the program.

In 2014, we looked to the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins (CO) as a model but decided to keep it as simple as possible: one activity card and one final drawing for seven gift baskets and a grand prize of a tablet. Participating adults just had to sign up and enter completed library activities suggested by our activity card. They could enter up to forty activities over the course of two months. Each activity counted as an entry into the drawing for the gift baskets and the grand prize tablet. Take a look at a sample of the activity cards (at left) so that you can see our suggested activities.

This new model also gave us a good way to introduce the program to parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, as the Early Literacy reading log is also activity based. This allowed us to say things like: reading to your child counts as an activity, being seen reading by your child counts, and you can do activities together. We also had the tablet and gift baskets prominently placed near the sign-up table so that the adults could see what the prizes were. This, in addition to the coffee coupon, gave them an extra incentive to sign up. We have trained staff to mention to parents that modeling reading is the best way to ensure that their kids enjoy reading. Parents get this and have embraced our new activities-based program. Participation has increased by 31 percent in just two years.

Being able to just begin the conversation of reading with parents has opened up new possibilities for us to provide readers’ advisory services to the whole family. And that further encourages reading as a family activity. By centralizing all reading program sign-up locations, advertising exciting raffle prizes, supplementing the number of activities adults could count toward raffle entries, and educating parents about the benefits of reading with and in front of their children, LPL increased awareness and participation in its adult summer reading program.

The post PERSPECTIVES | Literacy and Parents first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Imagine shopping for groceries with your toddler. Suddenly, your phone lights up with a text: “Play with math. Go on a shape hunt…use geometric terms to describe what you find.” You turn down the aisle and begin hunting for circles on cereal boxes with your toddler.

This kind of interaction, in which a caregiver “plays” with their child in a way that promotes early childhood literacy, is exactly what Jessica Ralli, coordinator of early literacy programs, and Rachel Payne, coordinator of early childhood services, at Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), seek to promote through “Ready, Set, Kindergarten (RSK) on the Go!” a texting campaign that complements BPL’s face-to-face early literacy program, “Ready, Set, Kindergarten!”

Why Texts?

The idea was born out of a New York Times article[1] that cites a study[2] that found preschoolers whose parents received early literacy tips via texts did better on literacy tests than children whose parents didn’t receive early literacy tips via text[3]. Since 88 percent of American adults own a cell phone[4], texting is an effective outreach method. Also, since unlike other technologies there is virtually no digital divide based on ethnicity, income, or education level[5], texting is an effective means of confronting the thirty million “word gap” that exists between children from the wealthiest and poorest families[6]. It’s also easy; breaking down complex tasks into bite-size pieces[7] allows caregivers to incorporate tips while cleaning, driving, grocery shopping, and so on.

The Pilot

To get a sense for how it felt to be on the receiving end of a literacy texting campaign, Ralli and Payne signed up for other NYC campaigns such as Pre-K on the Go, Talk to Your Baby, and City’s First Readers. To determine how many texts to send, they conducted an informal survey of RSK participants and found a majority preferred to receive one text per week (as opposed to two or three). They solicited participants the old-fashioned way—approaching them in person and asking them to sign up. The program now has hundreds of participants.

The Content and the Cost

Ralli created sixty-five texts set to go out at different times according to the RSK curriculum, each based on one of five areas of the RSK program (Reading, Writing, Singing/Rhyming, Playing, and STEM/Science/Math) and rotating through a five-week cycle. As for the cost, Ralli and Payne got lucky; they were able to pilot their program using BPL’s existing SMS vendor (also used to notify patrons about overdue materials and holds). Thus, the pilot was cost-free.

The Technology

Because the use of texting for social outreach has increased, the number of SMS vendors is growing, and although the rapidly expanding membership of the RSK on the Go! program makes using a new SMS vendor inevitable, Ralli and Payne are content to take a wait-and-see approach. “We want to see what develops technology-wise,” says Ralli.[8]

Ralli would like a vendor that allows potential users to join with keyword, as well as one that enables two-way communication. “A more sophisticated platform would enable us to get feedback from participants,”[9] she says; for example, asking parents what tips they tried, how well they worked, and the ability to tailor texts to the child’s language or developmental stage.

Some SMS vendors allow for real-time editing, a desirable feature because texts can be modified to complement specific library activities or events.

Texting and Libraries: The Trend

BPL is not the only library with an early childhood texting campaign. Dayton Metro Library (Ohio), Frisco Public Library (Texas), Darien Library (Conn.), Oak Park Public Library (Ill.) all have texting programs.

Conclusion

Already used for refugee assistance, rape support, natural disaster relief, AMBER Alerts, school and workplace closings/emergencies, SMS technology is proving an effective means of social outreach. That libraries would be quick to adopt this technology makes perfect sense.

References

[1] Motoko Rich, ^“To Help Language Skills of Children, a Study Finds, Text Their Parents With Tips,” New York Times, November 14, 2014.

[2] Benjamin York and Susanna Loeb, “One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers,” The National Bureau of Economic Research, November 2014.

[3] Jessica Ralli and Rachel Payne, ^“Brooklyn Public Library’s Texting Initiative for Early Literacy,” School Library Journal, July 13, 2015.

[4] Kathryn Zickuhr and Aaron Smith, “Digital Differences,” Pew Research Center, April 23, 2012.

[5] John Hoffman, “OMG! You’re Not Using Text Messaging to Reach Constituents?” Nonprofit Quarterly, August 22, 2012.

[6] Laura J. Colker, “The Word Gap: the Early Years Make the Difference,” Teaching Young Children 7, no. 3 (no date)

[7] Ann Schimke, “A New Medium for Early Literacy Tips: Texting,” Chalkbeat, January 8, 2015.

[8] Jessica Ralli, coordinator of early literacy programs at Brooklyn Public Library, in an interview with the author, April 25, 2016.

[9] Ibid.

The post Brooklyn Public Library’s Ready, Set, Kindergarten! Texting Initiative first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Children from low income communities use an average of thirty million words less than their affluent counterparts and experience a “drought in heard words” by age three, putting them at a huge language disadvantage long before they even enter school.[1] Early language development is vital to early literacy skills. Verbal interaction with a baby can have a huge positive effect on language development. Whether a parent or caregiver talks, sings, or reads, “neural connections of all kinds are strengthened with the baby’s rapidly growing brain.”[2] New and improved storytimes are addressing these needs.

Library storytimes traditionally focused entirely on children—now, they focus on family literacy and modelling strategies that parents can use to develop early literacy skills. Today’s storytimes emphasize education as much as entertainment and offer suggestions for re-enforcing key concepts and skills at home. Sara Feldman, president of the American Library Association, said, “Such early-literacy efforts are part of a larger transformation libraries are undergoing to become active learning centers for their communities—offering services like classes in English as a second language, computer skills, and career counseling”.[3]

The Public Library Association (PLA) and Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) concluded that a dual approach, early literacy and parent/caregiver education, would provide maximum benefits: “If the primary adults in a child’s life can learn more about the importance of early literacy and how to nurture pre-reading skills at home, the effect of library efforts can be multiplied many times.”[4] So, it’s no wonder that parents of the under-five set are competing for the limited number of seats at storytime at their public libraries. If, as current research suggests, there is a “word gap” between low income families and middle/higher income families, then New York City’s five borough ‘s public libraries, The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library, are certainly trying to fill in that gap.

The New York Public Library just added forty-five children’s librarians to support storytime and designated twenty of its eighty-eight neighborhood branches as “enhanced literacy sites”—they will offer storytime as often as four times a week and distribute fifteen thousand “family literacy kits” that include a book and storytime schedules. In Queens, forty-one library branches are adding weekend story times to meet the demand. In Manhattan, the 67th Street branch holds storytime outdoors during the summer when it can have as many as two hundred people. And in Brooklyn, some branches distribute tickets to storytime because of space and popularity. Unlike other New York events, the libraries have yet to see storytime scalpers. City-wide, storytime attendance rose to 510,367 people in fiscal year 2015, up nearly 28 percent from 399,751 in fiscal 2013.

Other efforts in this arena include:

• ALSC has launched Babies Need Words Every Day: Talk, Read, Sing, Play, which provides shareable resources for parents to bridge the thirty million word gap. Eight visually appealing posters (available in English and Spanish) deliver simple, effective rhymes, games, and other suggestions for parents to communicate with their babies. ALSC also provides a recommended list of books.
• United for Libraries sponsors Books for Babies, a national literacy program that provides parents of newborns with a kit containing a board book for baby and baby’s first library card. Most importantly, the kits (in English or Spanish) emphasize the important role parents play in a baby’s early language development and reading tips and information from nationally-recognized educational organizations.
• The PLA/ALSC initiative, Every Child Ready to Read @ your library (ECRR) was published in 2004 and has updated and expanded to a second edition in (2011). Teaching parents and other caregivers how to support the early literacy development of their children is the basis of Every Child Ready to Read @your library^®.[5]

“It is clear that reading and being exposed to books early in life are critical factors in student success,” Anthony W. Marx, president of The New York Public Library, said. “The library is playing an increasingly important role in strengthening early literacy in this city, expanding efforts to bring reading to children and their families through quality, free story times, curated literacy programs, after-school programs and more.”[6]

References:

[1] Maya Shankar. “Empowering Our Children by Bridging the Word Gap,” The White House [Blog], June 25, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[2] Ibid

[3] Winnie Hu. “Long Line At the Public Library,” The New York Times, November 1, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[4] Every Child Ready to Read @ your library: Read, Think Grow. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[5] Every Child Ready to Read @ your library: Read, Think Grow. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[6] Winnie Hu. “Long Line At the Public Library,” The New York Times, November 1, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

Resources:

Order/download free ALSC posters.

ALSC’s talking points for librarians

Books for Babies kit contents

Order a Books for Babies kit.

Order Every Child Ready to Read tool kits, manuals, brochures, PowerPoint presentations, and posters.

The post The Hottest Show In Town: Storytime @ your library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

With many school library closures, the public library might be the only such place that our young male patrons experience. School librarian Helen Cox says that having objects that inspire curiosity—like chess sets, gyroscopes, 3D puzzles, kaleidoscopes—really does help foster an environment that boys like. In fact, she says that in her thirty years of experience working with students, boys respond well to a ‘scholarly environment.’[1] Cox also states that comics, pop-ups, 3D illusions, and jokes, as well as “the gross and the gory, the horrific, toilet humor, and action-packed adventures” should be highlights in the collection.[2]

For programming and even more collection ideas, let’s take a look at an organization that boasts a membership of over 2.5 million young boys as well as a record-high attendance at three of their high-adventure camps: the Boy Scouts of America.[3] How can the public library tap into that number? When asked how libraries might engage with scouts, Nancy Welton—Scoutmaster Troop 4, Thunderbird District, Grand Canyon Council (AZ)—stated, “Scouts actively seek truth and knowledge in all they do, so continuous learning through reading will only help them even more during their Scouting journey and into adulthood.” [4] Libraries provide meeting spaces, tours, merit badge book collections and some staff may even serve as the reading merit badge counselor.

If you take a look at BSA’s merit badge offerings, a total of 136, and specifically their most frequently  earned badges, you might glean some programming and collection ideas for your library. In order to get a cleaner picture of the statistics, let’s take away the thirteen Eagle-rank required badges and those popular offerings often found at summer camp or merit badge roundups. The remainder is merit badges that scouts chose to complete on their own. The following merit badges represent the next chosen in order of popularity: art, chess, mammal study, shotgun shooting, climbing, Indian lore, space exploration, pioneering, geology, and photography, basketry, aviation, and orienteering.[5]The list continues, but you get the picture. The merit badges that gained the most in popularity over the last year include game design, sustainability, programming, search and rescue, and cooking. Any one of these can easily tie into library programs and collections.

If you decide to pursue programming for males, don’t be surprised if you spark the interest of females who might be just as interested. And never exclude a patron based on their gender. Timmins Public Library (Ontario, CA) did just that but soon reversed its decision to exclude girls from a robotics program. In fact, many of the STEM and Makerspace programs have great appeal to both boys and girls.

Jon Scieszka, author and advocate with Guys Read, cites one of the reasons that boys struggle with reading is that they “don’t have enough positive male role models for literacy. Because the majority of adults involved in kids’ reading are women, boys might not see reading as a masculine activity.”[6] So if we can get Dad into the library, perhaps we can also help to create that male role model that our boys so desperately need.

If you’ve found success in reaching boys in your community, let us know by commenting below.

References:

[1]Helen Cox,. “Boy Story: Do you really want guys in your library?” School Library Journal, September 1, 2010.

[2]Ibid.

[3]“2014 Report of the Treasurer and Consolidated Financial Statements,” Boy Scouts of America, accessed February 11, 2016.

[4]Nancy Welton, text message interview with author, DATE.

[5]Bryan Wendell, “2014 merit badge rankings: Which were the most and least popular?”Scouting Magazine, March 25, 2015.

[6]Jon Scieszka. “Guys and Reading,” Guys Read [blog], accessed February 11, 2016.

Resources and Further Reading:

Brookfield Library programs reach out to men: Fantasy football one of the new “bro-grams” started this year

Culinary Literacy Center: Free Library of Philadelphia, Event Listing

Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library’s Manual for Showing Young Guys That Books Can Be Fun And Men Like to Read

Getting Boys Into the Library by Mike McQueen

For the Love of Reading

Check These Out at the Library: Blacksmithing, Bowling, Butchering

The post Man Up: Attracting the Male Patron first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Most dogs in these programs are therapy-certified, meaning they have passed an obedience and temperament test. Additionally, the dogs have previous volunteer experience and receive regular veterinary care.

To begin a program, it is a good idea to contact libraries who have run programs before and also local pet therapy organizations who may know individuals who are interested in volunteering with their pets. In addition to dogs, some programs have also worked with cats and/or rabbits, so it is definitely possible for other types of therapy animals to participate. Because the therapy teams are volunteers, it seems that the costs for these programs are relatively low, which is excellent. Several organizations, including Tails of Joy, Library Dogs, Paws for Healing, Reading with Rover, and All for Animals have additional suggestions for ways to begin and fund reading to dogs programs.

As Mary Margaret Callahan notes in an article about therapy dogs in American Libraries by Timothy Inklebarger it is very important to make sure the therapy teams have insurance, conduct background checks on volunteers, investigate whether a therapy dog program is covered by the library’s insurance policy and whether any additional insurance needs to be purchased.^[3] The article also states that it is also important to check local ordinances to ensure that therapy dogs are permitted in libraries. Additionally, it appears to be a good idea to designate a separate area for the reading to dogs program so that individuals with allergies and/or asthma, animal fears, or any other concerns can still browse the collection during the animal reading program.

The results of these programs have been very positive and their popularity is increasing. I believe similar programs could also be explored for ELL (English Language Learning) students and adults working to improve their literacy skills.

Sources:

[1] Ron Claiborne, and Wendy Brundige. “Study: Reading to Dogs Helps Children Learn to Read.” ABC News. August 18, 2010. Web. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/study-dogs-children-learn-read/story?id=11428770. Accessed January 7, 2016.

[2] Pat Bailey. “Reading to Rover: Does it Really Help Children? Veterinary school says ‘yes.’” UC Davis Dateline, April 16, 2010. Web. http://dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.php?id=12612. Accessed January 7, 2016.

[3] Timothy Inklebarger. “Dog Therapy 101.” American Libraries, December 22, 2014. Web. http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/12/22/dog-therapy-101/. Accessed January 7, 2016.

Resources:

Tails of Joy

Library Dogs

Paws for Healing

Reading with Rover

All for Animals

The post Kids Reading to Dogs in Libraries first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), in preparing an initiative to help young children get ready for school, asked: What better place for families to find exciting—and free—resources for early learning than at the public library? Indeed, where else could they ask the question? Bah doo bah doink!

Transforming Family Life

How can a library experience transform family life? Let’s look at two real-life examples that bubbled up in a Library Café discussion program. “It’s amazing how much I have learned about tractors!” said Lyndsay Edwards of Westminster, Maryland. “When my first son was only six months old, we began attending the Read and Play programs at the library. I loved spending time with him while librarians showed me how to read, sing, and play with my newborn. Now my son is four years old and his brother is one. We attend library activities regularly. I’ve learned how to pick out books that get my sons excited about reading, which is how I’ve become an expert on tractors. It’s always nice to get out of the house for an hour and spend time with other parents and their children. It is a social opportunity for both of us.”¹

Another mother told her library story, “Being homeless a few short years ago I got into the routine of bringing my children into the library each day. One day before we got to the library Miss Sue [from the check-out desk] was walking down the street on her lunch break. She greeted us, ‘Hello, how are you? Will we see you in the library later today?’ She talked to us as if we were any other family that goes to the library.” The mother smiled, continuing, “That conversation was a turning point in my life. I began to think of myself in a more optimistic and confident way. In time, I was able to get out of a troubled marriage and move into an apartment with my children.”²

As Edwards added, “The library has provided me with a safe place to take my two boys where they can learn and grow. We look forward to our visits where we can explore the train, play with the puppets, choose new books, participate in storytime, and make new friends. It is a weekly routine for us and something I will treasure for years to come.”³

The Maryland Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) partnered with MSDE to apply for and receive Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant funding. Two public library projects are featured in the grant and serve Title 1 neighborhoods: Library Family Cafés and Family Info Centers. These projects were designed to strengthen the ability of community partners to connect at-risk families to library services.

Library Family Cafés

Library Family Café discussion programs are loosely based on an engagement model used by Illinois’ Strengthening Families model (Love is Not Enough Parent Cafés), but they focus discussion on the excitement of learning—as opposed to more social work-type topics, such as how to discipline your child. They sometimes offer meals or snacks. Each library designs their café programs to fit their community needs. For example, some libraries set up activity play stations in the storytime room where parents and children go from station to station at their own pace. Librarians visit with families one on one during this active play time and enjoy informal conversation about learning and early literacy. Other libraries create informal discussion time during Every Child Ready to Read @ your library workshops with the goal to spark curiosity. One of the universal questions asked—no matter the format of the “café” —is: “What more can the library do for you and your family?” In this way, librarians can listen and respond to each family to help develop exceptional customer service, improve their relationship with the community, and tap its potential.

Library cafés invite parents for a deeper discussion about learning for themselves as adults and learning for their children. For example, parents can discuss the progression of how children develop writing skills. Babies enjoy squeezing playdough, which strengthens their fingers and hands as a first step toward the process of writing. Then it’s step-by-step—children begin to scribble, make letter- and number-like shapes, then advance to making letters and numbers. Parents have ah-ha moments in the informal and fun café atmosphere and are excited to share their observations and ideas. Parents are learning from librarians—and learning from each other.

Family Info Centers

Every library system has identified one or two or more branches to feature a Family Info Center or kiosk of information specific to early literacy, early learning, and community partner brochures. Local early childhood councils are eager to include their printed promotional handouts in the info center. These centers are usually a simple wall mount or table top brochure holder or literature display rack. Every Child Ready to Read @ your library toolkit offers ready-to-use parent brochures and handouts on early literacy that are ideal for the centers.

Engaging Families—Four Tenets

How can libraries partner more effectively with parents, schools, and others to help a community thrive, especially while treading the convoluted pathways of politics, bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, and naysayers? Like Benjamin Franklin’s Junto, a group of likeminded aspiring artisans and tradesmen who “formed . . . a club for mutual [self] improvement” to enhance their community,⁴ the library celebrates human creativity, curiosity, and courage.

Library staff members establish relationships with families (low needs and high needs) in order to offer services and opportunities to support family learning. A model of effective practices and guiding principles has emerged over the years and were encapsulated into four tenets within Maryland’s early literacy guidelines:

1. Parents are their child’s first teacher.
2. The public library is a family’s resource for learning—children and adults alike.
3. Library staff members strive to bring out their best as professionals and the best in all families—through dignity, respect, and creating opportunities as a jumping-off place for learning.
4. Libraries shine by serving children birth to five when in collaboration with parents and caregivers (high needs and low needs) and with other agencies and organizations.

One of the brilliant aspects of libraries engaging families is development of the caring, benevolent nature of the parent or caregiver as the child’s first teacher. Library activities nudge grown-ups to develop the interests of young children that can lead to skill development—peekaboo (nonlinear thinking), stacking (problem solving), banging (music), giggling (humor), jumping (self-assurance), frogs (science), and drawing (self-expression). Libraries in Maryland—and across North America—offer myriad opportunities for parents and children to enjoy lifelong learning. Librarians are developing effective practices to support parent enthusiasm for their child’s learning. They are training grown-ups to be attuned to their child’s play and conversations for clues to their interests.

Libraries Supporting Community Goals

Margaret Williams, executive director for the Maryland Family Network, said, “Our mission is to inspire parents to be their best each day. Library programs offer parents and children time together when library staff can model what parents might do at home. Librarians can teach parents how to share books and have fun with age-appropriate activities. They can demonstrate how children can become positive participants in groups through storytimes.”⁵

When librarians strive to listen to parents and caregivers, identify needs, and design services responsive to their individual community, a library is more likely to reinvent itself in ways to stay relevant. For example, many libraries offer play and learning opportunities to families through early literacy storytimes, special parent and child activity programs, interactive resources, café discussions, and large or small play spots inside and outside library buildings.

The Maryland Early Childhood Family Engagement Framework—based on a national Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework model—put forth seven common goals that all partners in the early childhood system can embrace to develop appropriate strategies.

Goal 1: Any initiative should promote family well-being.
Goal 2: Family engagement should promote positive parent-child relationships.
Goal 3: Community resources should support families as principal educators of their children.
Goal 4: Innovative strategies inspire the educational aspirations of parents and families.
Goal 5: Effective practices should support families through the care and educational transitions of early childhood.
Goal 6: Networks should connect families to their peers and to the community.
Goal 7: Through opportunities that engage and inspire parents, community partners support the development of families to become leaders and child advocates.

Williams added, “Libraries offer families—all ethnic and income groups—a place to go for tips on finding good books and how to read aloud. Librarians can assist parents in finding information on what they need or what interests them as lifelong learners—anything from job hunting to discipline for children to how to handle a death in the family. Storytimes and other programs create a safe atmosphere for families to have fun and socialize together.”⁶

Low-needs families support high-needs families through modeling and conversations during programs and café discussions. Library staff can create the proper atmosphere for this important work.

“Through programs and activities, such as Every Child Ready to Read, or in the library café discussions, we are offering a learning structure for parents to think about how to be their best. For example, we give tips to parents encouraging them to ask questions of their young children when they are in the grocery store (what is the name of this fruit) or driving in the car (let’s sing “the wheels on the bus” song),” explained Rachel Wright, the children’s services manager of the Cecil County (MD) Public Library.7

Librarians can also contribute to the family engagement effort by understanding that it can apply to children older than five. “Recently I was sitting in the Children’s Room watching a nine-year-old boy teach his grandmother how to play the online game Minecraft,” said Amanda Courie, youth services coordinator, Caroline County (MD) Library. “They were building a birchwood house together, and suddenly came across some squid! She was open and curious. I could see how much the grandson enjoyed being the expert and giving his grandmother a glimpse into a world in which he is right
at home.”⁸

“Seventy-seven parents and children showed up at our first library café,” said Barbara Graham, youth services coordinator, Wicomico County (MD) Library. “We partnered with the Judy Center, the early learning division at our local school system focused on Title 1 areas. Many of the families had not been to the library before. All staff were on deck including our library director, staff, and volunteers to meet and greet families, guiding them through the evening’s activities. Our volunteer coordinator happens to be a culinary arts school graduate and prepared a special array of refreshments. Every Child Ready to Read’s five practices were at the heart of our activities—activity stations were set up in the library with one take-home activity and one activity per practice (talk, sing, read, write, and play).

Our goal was to create a pleasant experience with the hope that parents would want to come back. We believe we’re moving in the right direction because we had several children who didn’t want to go home.”⁹

With a bit of grit, goodwill, and piggledybop, the family engagement concept can transform library services.

References and Notes

1. Remarks shared at Early Childhood Consortium Breakfast Celebration, Carroll County (MD), Apr. 30, 2013.
2. Remarks shared at Library Café program, Carroll County (MD) Public Library, Nov. 13, 2012.
3. Remarks shared at Early Childhood Consortium Breakfast Celebration, Carroll County (MD), Apr. 30, 2013.
4. Shaw, Peter, ed. The Autobiography and Other Writings by Benjamin Franklin (New York: Bantam Books, 1982), 53.
5. Margaret Williams, phone interview with authors, May 27, 2014.
6. Ibid.
7. Remarks shared at Maryland Library Association conference program with Rachel Wright, May 9, 2014.
8. Amanda Courie, email interview with the authors, June 2, 2014.
9. Remarks shared at Maryland Library Association conference program with Barbara Graham, May 9, 2014.

The post Just Good Practice: Engaging Families with Young Children first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

NaNoWriMo, as it’s affectionately known, challenges writers seventeen and older around the world to complete at least 50,000 words in November.  Many libraries host writing events for writing groups participating in the event.  However, NaNoWriMo has also developed the Young Writers Program (YWP) for younger writers and educators.

Where to Begin

How can you integrate the NaNoWriMo YWP into your library’s literacy program?  Start by registering as an educator on the website.  Once you’re registered, you will have access to myriad resources created especially for the event.

If you’re targeting a specific age group, like teens, check out the workbooks NaNoWriMo has created for middle and high school writers.  These books contain tips for tackling some of the greater obstacles of NaNoWriMo, like self-editing.

These are great resources if you’ve taught classes at your library but never taught writing before.  What better way to teach it than by doing it with your writing group?  The workbooks, which are downloadable, even include contracts that can be signed by participants, affirming their commitments to the YWP and their chosen word goal.

NaNoWriMo has always injected humor and a dose of reality in its goal-setting.  The middle school workbook contains two sheets of chore coupons that can be exchanged with family members in order to motivate your young writers to hit their daily targets.  The high school workbook, instead, contains a customizable calendar.

These workbooks are used in conjunction with a set of lesson plans tailored for multiple grade levels.  The lesson plans are detailed and even contain links to Common Core standards.  While these lesson plans are a great start, don’t forget to vary your curriculum.  As a librarian, you know you can never have too many resources.  When I taught writing, I utilized Linda Rief’s Read, Write, Teach.  Even though I was an English teacher, as a natural writer, I struggled to translate my process into the classroom.  Having a structured writing curriculum helped.

The Virtual Classroom

Your next step if you are going to teach writing to ten or more community members at your library is to order your classroom survival kit.  This clever kit allows you and your community of writers to track progress publicly.  A little competition hurts no one, and that’s part of what motivates the NaNoWriMo community.  Don’t forget to put yourself on the list!

Give yourself a button and declare every day of November: “I Novel.”  Make sure your participants get one.  They may even end up with more than one depending on your state.  In California alone, there are 419 classes registered with the YWP.  In Idaho, there are forty-five, a relatively large number for such a small population.

These classrooms are registered through your educator account.  You can connect with your students through this classroom, share announcements, and track their progress.  Your writers will be writing at home, hopefully even connecting with writers throughout the world.  Anyone in the YWP can start a Word War with anyone else.  This competition should be encouraged as a motivator, especially toward the end of November.

At the Library

When you’re not teaching lessons, clear out computer labs and lounge spaces for free writes.  This is when your writers get to practice silencing their inner critics.  Time these free writes for an added kick in the competition.

If you’re hosting writing events in October in anticipation of NaNoWriMo, integrate writing critiques.  Not only are these a great way to teach the writing process, they are also a great way to teach social and communication skills to youngsters, especially during Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.  This can prepare your students for myriad situations, including possible publication of their work.

Who knows?  You may have the next Christopher Paolini among your young writers.

The post NaNoWriMo a Great Way to Teach Literacy first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Of the children surveyed, 51% were currently reading a book for fun, and an additional 20% had recently completed one. Significantly more girls than boys identified in the former category. The other 29% of students admitted to not having read for pleasure in a long time. Surprisingly, when compared to these numbers, only 46% of children felt pleasure reading and developing skills in this area are important, compared to 71% of their parents.

Scholastic also looked at the differences between “frequent” (5-7 days a week) and “infrequent” (less than one day a week) reading. Today, 31% of the children polled identify as frequent readers, down from 37% in 2010. The two demographics responsible for this drop are boys of any age, and readers over the age of 8.

Perhaps the biggest reason behind the drop in reading frequency among older readers is the increasing prevalence of other activities, such as sports, extracurriculars, and most notably, spending time using devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Unfortunately, the report notes that many children have found activities they prefer, preventing them from reading as much as they did when they were younger. One positive finding was that children are far more likely to enjoy reading—and thus take part in it more frequently—when they are given the freedom to choose their own books.

If reading frequency is dropping as kids get older, how can public libraries help combat this trend? One obvious solution is to encourage children—and their parents—to choose books they would like to read for fun. Older kids (ages 12-17) also noted they were more likely to read if they had a good understanding of their reading level. This makes reader’s advisory more important than ever; not only is it important for librarians to help young patrons find books and topics that are of interest, it is also vital to bear the appropriate reading level in mind.

The study additionally shows a positive correlation between how regularly parents read and whether their children will become frequent readers. The prevalence of books at home is also a strong indicator of a more avid reader. Because so many adults cannot afford to purchase reading material for their families, this makes borrowing from the library critical.

Although it can be somewhat disheartening to see that pleasure reading is on the decline for children, libraries are in a powerful position to help stop this slide. By promoting our youth collections and sharpening our reader’s advisory skills, we can get kids and their parents more excited about reading. How do you motivate the young readers in your library?

Sources

[1] Scholastic, Inc. “Kids & Family Reading Report.” 5th Ed (2015). Accessed May 1, 2015. http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/.

The post Scholastic Publishes Fifth Edition of Kids & Family Reading Report first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Previous years’ selections included Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris (2012), Duck on a Bike by David Shannon (2013), and Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard (2014). The selections are based on the book being a great selection for the age group, its availability in English and Spanish, and the capability of the publisher to provide enough copies of the book with special information on the program, the website information for literacy tips, and sponsor logos printed in the book. Once a list of possibilities is created, librarians and educators vote to narrow it down. Then, the public votes for the winner.[2]

The One Book 4 Colorado website also provides childhood literacy tips for parents. Covering the important early literacy aspects of read, write, sing, talk, and play, they also give specific tips for parents based on their child’s age from birth to eight. One of the really neat things is that in most of the age groups, a video demonstrating one of the suggested parent-child activities is embedded.[3]

During the 2014 giveaway, the Library Research Service surveyed participants to delve into the impact of the program. Sixty-four percent of caregivers said they “spent more time reading with their child after receiving the book” and that “their child was more interested in books and reading.” Sixty-two percent said “their child talked more about books and reading.”[4]

As the manager for the children’s department of Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD), Colorado Springs, Colo., Nancy Maday had this to say about the program: “One Book 4 Colorado is a great way for the children of our state to have a book of their very own.  It also publicizes the value of reading to our children.  In Colorado Springs, the largest school district was inspired by One Book 4 Colorado to provide a book for the preschool children who are not 4, so that everyone at school gets a book.  Distributing the books through the public libraries and Reach Out and Read clinics makes the books accessible for all children and allows us to promote our library programs at the same time.”[5]

As an employee of PPLD, I’ve had the opportunity to give some of these books to children coming into the library. Having children visit and collect books they are excited to check out is always a fun experience to see. Being able to hand them another book that they get to take home and keep forever just adds to the joy of the job!

References

[1] Colorado State Library. One Book 4 Colorado Project History. n.d.

http://www.onebook4colorado.org/about/project-history/ (accessed April 15, 2015).

[2] —. One Book 4 Colorado FAQs. n.d. http://www.onebook4colorado.org/about/one-book-4-

colorado-faqs/ (accessed April 15, 2015).

[3] —. One Book 4 Colorado Make a Difference: Read to a Child. n.d. http://www.onebook4colorado.org/make-a-

difference-read-to-a-child/ (accessed April 15, 2015).

[4] Library Research Service. “Library Research Service.” More than 75,000 Books Given Away During One Book 4 Colorado in 2014. February 11, 2015. http://www.lrs.org/2015/02/11/75000-books-given-away-one-book-4-colorado-2013/ (accessed May 8, 2015).

[5] Maday, Nancy, interview by Becca Cruz. Manager of Children’s Services (April 15, 2015).

The post One Book 4 Colorado: Free Books for Early Literacy first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As librarians, we actively strive to accommodate everyone as much as is reasonable. As children’s librarians, my colleague Kristy Spreng and I are well aware of the need to expose children as early as possible to literacy-rich environments. There seems to be an unending creation of task forces, initiatives, and committees formed to find ways to assist families in educating their children. We wanted to take action, so we resolved to make a radical change in how we provide service to babies and their caregivers by rethinking the layout of a small section of our children’s area. We wanted to be able to point to a specific place for parents to visit, for professionals working with families to refer, and for babies to play and learn. We also wanted to take better advantage of babies’ rapidly developing social, intellectual, physical, and emotional skills, placing special emphasis on pre- and early literacy. After visiting several notable libraries whose children’s departments are award-winning and certainly on track with providing excellent service, we still didn’t find any such area.

Babies’ brains are developing more rapidly in the first two years of life than at any other time.² Most child learning initiatives, however, do not formally provide guided learning for children until about the age of three. What are we waiting for? We consulted with Dr. Kim Kiehl, designer of the “Little Kids Space” at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio; other child development specialists and researchers; local school personnel; and families with babies and toddlers. We then set up a prototype play area and observed its overall use and function. At our request, the Loudonville Public Library’s (LPL) Friends group purchased an enclosed play mat large enough to hold an adult. We observed how the parents did (and did not) interact within this structure. We also noted that, although functional, it was unattractive and felt like an afterthought. The colors were too vibrant, and the interior was simply meant to enclose, not inform or enrich. As we recognized these limitations, we greatly expanded on our idea of a simple place for babies. It should be respectful of infants, neutral in color, soft and inviting, include pre- and early literacy elements, and provide a level of comfort for adults. We wanted the area to look intentional, permanent, and aesthetically pleasing.

Backed by LPL’s board of trustees, administration, and staff,we called out to the community to help us fund our project. With strong financial support from several organizations, foundations, and the community at large, we hired a variety of consultants and construction specialists to help us turn our vision into reality.

For the Babies and Toddlers

Realistically, the needs of babies, toddlers, and caregivers within the library setting are quite simple. We envisioned a clean and comfortable area for both the baby and the caregiver. The area should allow the baby to move about and be free from constraints. We would need to be careful to avoid overstimulation, yet offer a space that is interesting and gently educational. And, optimally, there should be a computer for adult use and relevant parenting materials available. If these basic needs are overlooked, or haphazardly met as an afterthought, optimal library service is difficult to accomplish. As long as we were rethinking all of this, and in keeping with such initiatives as Every Child Ready to Read @ your library, the PLA/ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) parent education initiative, we focused on fostering the development of pre- and early literacy skills. Every element in the area was carefully chosen to address these needs and goals.

We removed a few pieces of furniture and turned a corner of the children’s department into an enclosed permanent play area. A padded, curved bench seat was installed to form an enclosed yet airy corner in which the baby could play. The bench allows an adult to be seated while interacting with the child, especially when the caregiver is unable to sit on the floor. A soft, padded mat covers floor and windowsill. Installed discreetly within the mat, only accessible from beneath, are three large “discovery” pockets filled with seeds, marbles, and corn. The babies encounter these tactile pockets while crawling around. This interior space is large enough to include adults as well as several babies at one time, thus supporting multiple social interactions. The padded surfaces are covered in durable hospital grade vinyl and very easy to maintain. The overall use of neutral colors is soothing and calming.

And, of course, we want books! We regularly observe infants turning pages and otherwise manipulating books as objects of exploration as early as six months of age. By around eleven months, we witness babies paying attention to the printed page. They actively follow an adult’s pointing finger and are lifting flaps, touching pages with intention, absorbing vocabulary words, and anticipating the next page. So, through grant funding, we purchased and housed a large selection of non-circulating interactive board books that are readily available to little hands as well as big ones.

The bench also contains carefully detailed custom designed alphabet blocks mounted on compelling vertical spinners. Inviting touch, the consonant blocks are deeply engraved on two sides with upper and lower case letters, and the remaining two sides contain a picture and corresponding word. The vowel blocks are shaped like the letter itself. The artwork was chosen to reflect our geographical area. For example, we used the letter “Q” as in quail, “M” as in mosquito, and “Z” as in zucchini. Since we know that children learn words as much by shape as by letter, we boldly used lengthy words.³ The blocks promote letter awareness, visual perception, fine motor skills, eye–hand coordination, and cause and effect.

We included a large mirror in the play area. Not only does the mirror introduce more light, it reflects faces, intrinsically interesting to babies. It fosters the development of self-identity.⁴ The inclusion of a pull-up rail supports balance and gross motor activity, and is especially helpful for children with certain forms of developmental delay. The placement of the mirror also reflects the color and excitement of the board books without overwhelming the area.

Along the wall adjacent to the mirror, we installed three mildly interactive units. The first unit contains a simple, interchangeable, Velcro-friendly panel currently covered with a piece of white-tailed deer hide. The panel invites touch, curiosity, and conversation. It also allows us the opportunity to add a bit of diversity to the area by switching up the tactile element. The second unit is a custom-built set of colored rollers. The rollers are deeply engraved with the corresponding color word. The smooth rollers respond to touch and also help the child self-soothe.
Built by local artist Colleen Sandusky, the third interactive panel is a simple device designed to engage the toddler in many ways. By pressing any of the four small panels on the board, a corresponding colored shape lights up. The four panels are defined by the color coordinated outline of left and right hands and feet, and labeled “left” and “right.” So, in the process of play, this device is teaching eye–hand coordination, cause and effect, body awareness, color, shape, handedness, peripheral exercise, and print awareness. It also subtly invites the adult to help teach these concepts.

For the Caregivers

A frequent issue arises for parents who need to accomplish computer-related tasks at one end of the building where the “unattended” or problematic toddler doesn’t belong. We found a solution by installing a workstation. The seating is positioned so that the caregiver can face into the play area. This allows the adult to monitor play activity while conducting necessary computer tasks.

The general area also includes a “mommy nursing corner” with glider rockers that are designed for the comfort of nursing mothers and safety of little children. The chairs are located in such a way that a parent can observe toddler play while nursing a new arrival. We strategically relocated the parenting magazines and books to this area of the library, making them easier to browse and access, and installed magazine racks with toddler materials within toddler reach. We found that relocating our collection of nursery rhyme books within this area caused an immediate increase in circulation. For further parent-led play, toys, puzzles, and games are also available upon request.

We Built It and They Are Coming

A common frustration among librarians is how to reach those who do not currently use the library and are mostly unaware of all that we offer. These are often the people in our community who need our services the most. So, perhaps most importantly, the construction of this area sends a solid message to the generally underserved public that babies and their caregivers are respected and are deserving of public library services unique to their needs. This message of acceptance and welcome, as we are already seeing, is enticing former non-users to discover the library. And they are spreading the word!

The effort to reach non-users is furthered by the work of the LPL children’s staff in collaboration with county agencies. We actively serve on the Family and Children First Council of Ashland County. Our presence on this council aligns the library with children’s service entities such as Help Me Grow, Job and Family Services, the Ashland County Health Department, and other county service agencies. These agencies are encouraging their clients to visit the library and discover the play space.

Historically, children have not always been welcome in libraries. Thankfully, this type of thinking has radically shifted over the last several decades. As technology has advanced it has provided us with a deeper understanding of how babies and toddlers learn. We now know that in infancy the child is rapidly acquiring language skills, including the syntax of the written word. So, the earlier a child is exposed to healthy, literacy-enriching environments, the better.⁵ Although the idea that “children should be seen and not heard” in the library is an outdated stereotype, the reputation of “hush” in the library persists, perhaps more intensively for the traditional non-user. Parents with babies and toddlers are keenly sensitive to how unpredictable children can be in their behaviors, and to how others may react to unexpected outbursts. Creating a dedicated space for their children speaks to our acknowledgement of this normal, not-necessarily-quiet scenario and even invites it. For the staff, creating such a space helps to contain the noise, paraphernalia, and general fluster of activity, thus offering real solutions to known issues. For us, the end result has been better rapport among staff, families, and the general public.

Children, babies in particular, are just developing the skills they will need in order to be readers. We should not expect them to visit the library in the same way as active readers. Instead, we should be inviting them as “do-ers” in the library. They should be presented with opportunities to engage socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. We also know that play is the avenue in which this happens. We envision a truly baby friendly place for every library.

For the Librarians

A common lament among professional children’s librarians is that our position is not seriously valued. Perhaps it is because children’s librarians are not expected to be educated in child development or because we have not been sufficiently advocating for ourselves. We have already seen changes in library service to babies in recent years such as providing lap-sit story times, board books, and play areas, but much more can be done. The construction of a research-based, intentional play space such as we have detailed herein can potentially move children’s libraries and librarianship significantly forward.

As librarians utilizing this space, we are moving out from behind the desk and interacting more with parents. We are actively playing, modeling board book exchanges, and relating with babies. Programming is changing to allow for spontaneous group activity and expanding to include such topics as making baby food, cloth diapering, and how to foster math skills in the kitchen. We are also offering more educational programming in collaboration with area agencies such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio State University Extension Office, and the Ashland County Health Department.

You Are Invited

As previously cited, researchers have long reported that most learning is accomplished within the first two years of life. Creating an aesthetically, permanent, and developmentally appropriate place for the most vulnerable and avid of learners in a public library setting is long overdue. We strongly believe that the creation and implementation of the Early Literacy Play Space brings awareness of the library as a valuable entity and welcoming place for patrons at the very beginnings of life. It puts librarians squarely in tandem with other children’s services professionals. And it meets the needs of babies and their families. Since its construction, we have been very gratified to see that the many problems we identified and the rather lofty goals we hoped to meet are beginning to be realized. We encourage you to consider crafting a similar space in your library.

References

1. Grover J. Whitehurst and Christopher J. Lonigan, “Child Development and Emergent Literacy,” Child Development 69, no. 3 (1998): 848-72.
2. Charles A. Nelson, Michelle de Haan, and Kathleen M. Thomas, Neuroscience of Cognitive Development: The Role of Experience and the Developing Brain (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons, 2006).
3. Bernard Lete and Joel Pynet, “Word-Shape and Word-Lexical-Frequency Effects in Lexical-Decision and Naming Tasks,” Visual Cognition 10, no. 8 (2003): 913-49.
4. Maria Legerstee, Diane Anderson, and Alliza Shaffer, “Five- and Eight-Month-Old Infants Recognize Their Faces and Voices as Familiar and Social Stimuli,” Child Development 69, no. 1 (1998): 37-50.
5. Kimberly Kopko, “Research Sheds Light on How Babies Learn and Develop Language,” Cornell University, College of Human Ecology, Department of Human Development Outreach & Extension, accessed Nov. 8, 2013, .

The post Babies in the Library: Creating a Truly Baby-Friendly Early Literacy Play Space first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

For those who are not already familiar with this wonderful resource, Storyville @ Rosedale is a free, museum-like service that encourages children and caregivers in the County and beyond to explore the interactive exhibits featured in a unique townscape. The townscape features a variety of seven innovative activity areas that include:

• a baby garden consisting of manipulative toys, mobiles, and board books,
• a fully stocked children’s library,
• a theatre, complete with changeable marquee,
• costumes, and props, and other unique play and learning areas,
• appropriate reading materials placed at each learning area for children at different reading levels.

This internationally-recognized concept was fully funded by the Foundation for BCPL. Storyville @ Rosedale was this volunteer organization’s most ambitious undertaking since the Foundation’s inception in 1999. This project opened its doors in February 2008 for BCPL to provide an especially rich and magical opportunity for preschoolers and adults to participate in emergent literacy activities.

Back in 2005, in order to make Storyville a reality, the Foundation set out to raise the over $700,000 in funds required for construction of the project. Donations were received from a number of businesses, community organizations, and individual citizens. Additionally, $250,000 were allocated in the State of Maryland’s capital budget for fiscal year 2008, thanks to the efforts of the state legislative delegation for the Eighth District of Maryland, where the Rosedale branch happens to be situated.

Recognizing the success of Storyville @ Rosedale, Baltimore County Government provided the majority of the funding to construct Storyville @ Woodlawn, which opened in March 2010. The Foundation for BCPL contributed another $250,000 in funds toward the construction of this new Storyville on the west side of Baltimore County. The Foundation’s commitment to these projects is ongoing in that the organization continues to raise funds to support necessary upgrades for both Storyvilles.

Storyville @ Rosedale has been a resounding success. According to library director Jim Fish, “more than 350,000 visitors have benefited from Storyville at Rosedale in its five years of operation.” Having seen firsthand the positive impact that Storyville has had for the community of Rosedale, I am convinced that is has indeed changed lives for people living in communities nearby. Libraries absolutely play a central role in the life of each and every community that they serve as vividly proven by Storyville @ Rosedale.

More importantly, the addition of “outside of the box” library services like those offered at both Storyville locations helps to ensure the continued relevance of public libraries.  Even as technology takes reading and information sharing in new directions, seeking out unique, value-add ways to promote early childhood literacy can only help to sustain libraries across our nation.

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