Shaker
Library
Meet Miss Wendy
She’s a local celebrity who takes her
interactive show on the road 35 times
each month, 11 months of the year. She
reached about 4,000 highly enthusiastic
fans in the past year alone. She has been
performing locally for more than a decade
and, although many adults have never
caught her act, preschoolers are fierce
devotees.
Meet Wendy Simon (“Miss Wendy” to
her fan base), the Library’s Early Literacy
Specialist for the past 13 years. Each week
she makes the rounds of every licensed
Shaker Heights toddler, preschool, and
pre-K classroom with her special blend of
magic and early literacy education skills.
Last September, she added the Monarch
Center for Autism to her outreach schedule.
A Lomond resident, Simon received
a bachelor’s degree in Art and Elementary
Education from SUNY College at Buffalo,
New York. She earned a master’s degree in
Health Education in Maternal and Child
Health Education from the University
of Michigan, where she also earned a
master’s degree in Social Work.
“I use my art background to create
props to draw children into the stories I
tell,” she says. “I use my parenting, early
18 SPRING 2018 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
childhood development, and social work
skills to effectively engage families and the
community in early literacy activities.”
According to Beth Price, executive
director of the Early Childhood Enrichment
Center, “Wendy has been an important part
of our literacy program for a long time. The
children look forward to the time Wendy
spends in the classroom reading books,
flannel stories, and playing her ukulele. Her
enthusiasm for literacy is contagious for
both the children and teachers.”
Miss Wendy proclaims that she has
“the best job in the world.” It combines her
four favorite things: children, books, art,
and music. There are many different ways
to tell a story and, as an experienced early
childhood educator and child development
specialist, Miss Wendy packs hers full of
exciting interactive experiences.
She creates brightly colored, felt
flannel boards to help the stories pop, and
her draw-and-tell techniques, puppets,
oversize books, and other tools help
children to focus and follow the story.
Rhymes, stories, and songs play an
important role along with music and some
silly fun to help little ones learn the letters
of the alphabet, their shapes, and the
sounds they make.
Miss Wendy is always prepared to
think on her feet. At the start of one
program, a boy asked her, “Did you bring
your Uncle Alley with you today?” With
only the slightest hesitation, Miss Wendy
replied, “Yes, I brought my ukulele today.”
Last July, when Get Ready!, a
kindergarten readiness program of Carol
Nursery School, held its graduation, Miss
Wendy presented a special story time
and provided each “graduate” with a new
book, generously funded by Friends of the
Shaker Library.
Miss Wendy ends each visit with a
magical watering can and these words
of encouragement: “You all were great
learners and listeners today. Whenever
you learn new things, like today, your
brain grows and you get smarter. So keep
learning every day! Keep getting smarter!
And keep watering your brain!”
Early Literacy at the Library
Early literacy doesn’t mean teaching
children to read and write at a very young
age. It’s about providing the building
blocks for future reading and learning.
Early literacy actually starts at birth.
While every parent or guardian is a
child’s first teacher, Shaker Library serves
as a community partner and an important
resource for early literacy information and
experiences such as:
• Story times for different ages from birth
though five years
• Activities to make and take at Main
Library’s Early Literacy Station
• The Play and Learn Station on the Main
Library second floor, staffed by a teacher
from partner agency Family Connections,
for parents, caregivers, and children
• Early literacy outreach and special
annual events
Library staff take pride in helping
readers find the perfect book to match a
child’s age and interests, and strive to offer
services to enrich a child’s daily life.
Literacy Programs
for Youth
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about Shaker Heights Public Library,
visit our web site at shakerlibrary.org.
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