The benefits of reading throughout a child’s development are well documented, and the Shaker Heights Public Library is committed to bringing those benefits to its youngest customers.
Early literacy doesn’t mean instruction or teaching; it means encouraging the development of skills through the enjoyment of books, positive interaction between babies and their parents or caregivers, and literacy-rich experiences. To the library, early literacy means helping to raise readers. In addition to its many story times and programs for babies and toddlers, another way the library serves emergent readers is through visits to daycare centers and preschools by Early
Literacy Specialist Maura Dunn.
Dunn divides her time between this Early Literacy Outreach Program and the library’s Children’s Room, where she collaborates with other Youth Services staff on programs and events for young children and families.
All children should encounter books that present the variety of cultural traditions and family structures that make up our community.
“Our early literacy work has the greatest impact when we focus on supporting those who spend time with young children every
day – educators, childcare workers, and families of young children,” says Dunn. “As the early literacy specialist, I aim to be a resource for those doing the hard work of instilling young children with the skills and confidence to become readers.”
A typical month of outreach fi nds Dunn visiting each of the library’s participating community partners serving approximately 200 children from two to fi ve years old. Dunn visits childcare centers and preschools within the Shaker Heights City School District and delivers a library story time experience to children along with a rotating collection of books designed to appeal to young pre-readers.
A typical story time involves sharing two or three children’s books, songs, and rhymes. Movement and number activities are regularly included, and each session is intentionally planned around the Six Literacy Skills: print motivation, print awareness, letter knowledge, narrative skills, phonological awareness, and vocabulary.
“Story time visits are intended to be interactive literacy experiences that also help to bring awareness to the library’s role in our community,” Dunn says.
In 2019, the Library received a $15,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant to establish an Early Literacy Outreach Collection featuring diverse children’s books selected for the childcare centers and preschools.
“All children should encounter books that present the variety of cultural traditions and family structures that make up our community,” says Dunn. “We continue to expand this collection to meet the diverse needs of the students and families we serve, as well as to meet requests of the teachers and childcare providers.”
In the summer months, the Early Literacy Outreach Program expands to local camps, including the Shaker Recreation Department summer program. Dunn visits the camps to promote books, reading, and joining the library’s Summer Reading Program, which offers reading incentives and prizes to appeal to all age groups.
