3 E's of Early Literacy

Saturday - 3:30 - 4:30
Redwood City

Presenters talked about the negative effects of children who struggle with literacy (death, drugs, etc.). Handouts include he upstart ready to read / 1000 books before kindergarten.

They discussed their 3 "E's" -

E - Educate families - talk about the importance of vocabulary, rhymes, the importance of reading.

E - Empower our families, make it easy for families. Library Cards, outreach in community both with cards and traveling storytimes.

E - Encouragement for families - giving tools and tips, summer reading programs (signed up 11,000 in town of 77,000), also offer a winter reading challenge. Relationships formed with staff and public create a sense of community.

Funding can be difficult, not out of library funds. Used an ELF grant for funding, FOL, Foundation Read Zone grant. Worked with a boy scout, young man read to receive his badge, had collected 30,000 books to donate for kids - he's been on good morning america, 30 under 30 to watch.

Common thread, we all want what's best for children.

Have an early learning environment supplied by burgeon.
Burgeon's facebook page

35 themed book bags (similar to our kits) 50-60 volunteers come to pick up bags (home daycare or preschool is where they head to) to read to children who cannot attend a library storytime. 15 years of traveling storytimes. To date read to more than 250,000 children, more than 50,000 storytimes. Use girl scout troops, high school students, etc.

Volunteers treated as a visitor / not a tutor (never left alone with children / no fingerprinting). Ask for a 6 month minimum commitment (lots of loss for kids). Each site makes the decision of fingerprinting (take the cost). 2 sessions (2 hour training) early literacy, tips how to do it, then when placed (kids pick when / where / site of where they would like to go) - Librarian goes to first site visit (not to critique, but to support).

Outreach librarian - full time - reaches 10 preschools per week. Activities with Quinata college, students teach early literacy and library has for semester. Once a month stories a college.

Used same model for early learner / little learner classes. We struggle to get families - registration, email blasts (too many email. Difference between early / little - weekday / one on Sunday afternoon. get more father's on Sunday afternoon - 2 hour drop in. Curriculum is from very ready to read. Staff member is half time. For consistency - developed bags with recommended activities, bags with hand outs, suggestions for crafts. Instructor can grab a bag and teach a class.

This fall, baby sign class offered (before hours), offered at 9:30 before library is open. Offer a touchpoints class, in Spanish, someone from outside the library teaching class.

58% of 3rd graders in Redwood City cannot read at their level - hence all of the outreach and storytimes. 88% of high school students in San Mateo County cannot read at their grade level.

At Community festivals (at Sheriff's festival) give away 5,000 books. Surveys - do you know your local branch.

Applied for google grant - did not get. Trying to get interactive voice response (one for nursery rhyme, one for storytime (no needing a smart phone). Random text messages with daily tip /story. Difficult to make an assessment with a non verbal child.

If you meet and reach one child you may be saving a life. It's lives that we are dealing with, blessed to come into contact with these families.