Seeing the Difference



Writing activity



Every time a library staff member visits one of our Jump Start Reading program sites, we are amazed at the progress the children are making with early reading skills. We target program sites in low income, high risk neighborhoods and many of the children we serve cannot demonstrate any pre-literacy skills. However, after only two in a half months of working with the children, caregivers and parents, there is a recognizable change in the children's knowledge and interest towards books and reading.



Connie Ellington facilitating parent workshop



JJ is a three year old student at one of our Jump Start Reading Sites. He was very reluctant to participate in the library program and he was always the last child to sit down for story time. When Connie Ellington, the "Library Lady" (the name the children use affectionately) came to visit on this particular day, JJ had a surprise. JJ asked if he could read a book to her today. He selected three books from the books shelf. He demonstrated several of the pre-literacy skills used in the Every Child Ready to Read curriculum. He modeled reading, he held the book and turned the pages properly, he pointed to the words on the pages and he talked about the illustrations. Through our department encounters, we learned that many students enter kindergarten without the ability to demonstrate these pre-literacy skills. Since JJ's daycare teachers and parents are learning these skills with him, we hope he will continue to learn long after the program ends. The Jump Start Reading program supports the long term learning experience by giving JJ books to take home to begin or enhance a home library and the daycare center that JJ attends will receive fifty books to continue the reading experience. The parents and children also participate in a library tour allowing parents to see all the free resources offered at and through the library. They can have tools and support to continue to be their child's first teacher.



Learning that print represents words



JJ is one of many children who receives literacy support form the library. Child care providers and parents are learning the five simple activities (talking, singing, reading, writing and playing) that they can use to help children get ready to read. Most importantly, JJ is receiving skills and tools that will help him succeed in school and beyond!

Guess Who’s Coming to Día?

This year’s featured author for “El día de los niños / El día de los libros” (Day of the Child / Day of the Book) celebration is Alma Flor Ada. Ms. Ada is an internationally known speaker and the author of numerous children’s books such as Gathering the sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English, The Gold Coin, The Lizard and the Sun and many more. This year’s Día celebration is focusing on families reading and the five best practices to get children ready to read. Given Ms. Ada’s gifts as both a prolific children's book author and a respected scholar of bilingual education, she is the perfect featured guest for this year’s celebration.

 

Ms. Ada will have several appearances in Charlotte:

April 26, 2012  3:30 UNC-Charlotte (Black Box)

April 27, 2012  4:00 Black Forest Books and Toys
April 28, 2012  12:00 ImaginON 
 
Visit Alma Flor Ada’s website at http://almaflorada.com.  For more information on “El día de los niños / El día de los libros,” visit http://dia.ala.org.
 

More Than Cookies!

Keeping the Read to Me, Charlotte book shelves stocked is no easy task. With eight community book shelves in high traffic areas, we replace books often...but that is our goal.  We want all children to have access to books, especially in their home. Parents should have books on hand and read to their children everyday. One local Girl Scout Troop is helping to keep the shelves full. Troop leader Gina Brundick, led her Junior Troop in collecting 147 books. The scouts collection effort was in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts. They also collected an additional 200 books from scouts attending the Mother/Daughter Christmas Tea on December 3, 2011. We are thankful for the work of these scouts, their parents and all of our community volunteers. Calling all scouts, the challenge has been issued. To host a book drive for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library contact Amy Kukla, Family Literacy Coordinator at 704.416.4399.

Welcome Back

DSC_0180, a photo by CMLibraryInAction on Flickr.

Welcome Back Faye! Faye Brown is back with her library and outreach friends...at least for a little while. Faye Brown retired from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in March 2010 after many years of service. Faye is bringing her expertise and experience to our early literacy and adult programs while outreach staff members are on leave. Faye's efforts are appreciated and needed and we commend her for the fabulous intergenerational program she planned for Veteran's Day.

In Her Own Words



Intern Carmella Morrison working at the Job Help Center



Our summer outreach intern, Carmella Morrison, reflects on her first month working at the library.

While being in this internship, I have a wonderful opportunity to work with almost all the staff in the Outreach Department. I have also worked in the Job Help Center, and the Spangler Children’s Library in ImaginOn. With each experience, I learned a little something more about how the Outreach program helps the community by providing library resource outside of the Library.



Job Searching at the Job Help Center



One program I was fascinated with was one where the staff goes out to Spanish speaking families’ neighborhoods and tells them about the Library’s resources. They also provide children with early literacy skills. I had the opportunity to go to this program at the Latin American Coalition with staff member Veronica Corral. She had story time with the Spanish speaking families, and engaged their children in early literacy activities. Learning these skills will allow the children to be better prepared when they enter school. I was able to read a book to them as well.



I also love working in the Job Help Center. I help people with whatever question they may have about their resume, job application and job searching inquires.



I really do believe in this internship. My goal is to be involved in projects that support social capital and community building. I am going to enjoy reaching my goal and I am definitely going to have fun doing it. The staff members are really respectable and sweet people. I love what they are doing for the community.





Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library...Again

The American Library Association researched based curriculum, Every Child Ready to Read at Your Library® has been updated. The expanded 2nd version; ECRR 2 incorporates simple practices designed to help parents and  caregivers develop early literacy skills in children from newborns to five. The curriculum has changed form six building blocks to five simple practices, which includes talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing and developing  language and pre-reading skills in children.
The new edition also includes fun with science and math. ECRR 2 still stresses the importance of parents being their child’s first teacher and it promotes the library as a resource for developing early literacy skills in children from birth to age five.
The new ECRR 2 will be used in our Spangler, Jump Start Reading at Home Program. The curriculum is scheduled to be used with our third group of Spangler participants beginning June 2011.  Outreach staff Jump Start facilitators participated in a day-long workshop and webinar on the new curriculum and they are prepared for the roll out! Check us out soon, we will have information and pictures on the new curriculum a long with parents and caregivers reaction to the new curriculum.

Jump Start Reading at Home Print Motivation

When the county car pulls into the parking lot of the Park Apartment Clubhouse, parents and children know it is time for Miss Veronica and the library program. Twenty-three children and their mothers gathered in the activity room to hear stories and participate in music and reading activities that encouraged interest and enjoyment of books. The building block for this session was “Print Motivation.” According to the American Library Association, Every Child Ready to Read program, “Children who enjoy being read to will want to learn how to read.” It is a challenge to measure enjoyment but the clapping, smiles, laughter and program participation lets Miss Veronica know that her audience enjoyed the stories.

During this session, families enjoyed the stories; The Squeaky Door by Margaret Read McDonald, Whose Nose? by Jeannette Rowe and Jump Frog Jump by Robert Kalan. Parents also received information on Spanish language computer classes offered at our Hickory Grove location. As the program ended, parents and children helped Miss Veronica carry her material to the car and they prepared for their next session, which will include a visit to their neighborhood library.

Outreach for Refugees

Every Wednesday, Amy Kukla reads aloud to refugee children while Refugee Support Services of the Carolinas connects their parents to information about Medicaid, food stamps, schools, and other resources to help them become self-sufficient and empower them to thrive in the United States. But Amy has done more than just keep the kids busy. She has worked to teach skills to prepare them for school here in America, and has seen some remarkable transformations already.

The children were not always as engaged in the storytimes as they are now. According to Rachel Humphries of Refugee Support Services, when Amy first started working with them, the kids were too afraid to participate at all. They wouldn't go near or even look at her. In her first session, Amy sat down and sang sing-along songs by herself.

But gradually, both the children and their parents began to warm up to her as she began to gain their trust. At last week's storytime, little ones climbed in her lap as she read aloud. More than just a fun distraction, Amy's sessions teach the children concepts they'll need to know when they enter school, such as the names of colors, how to handle a book, and how to behave and participate in a storytime. Parents learn about the important role they can play in their children's education, and of the tools and resources the library offers to help them achieve success.

Of course, the kids also get to pick up some fun cultural knowledge along the way, including learning English words for the sounds animals make, classic nursery rhymes, and even how to do the hokey-pokey!