On February 6, the Pewaukee Public Library hosted a new event designed to provide early literacy training, library awareness, and encouragement to child care professionals. This program was made possible by an Early Literacy grant from the Waukesha County Federated Library System with some help from the Pewaukee Kiwanis Club. A total of thirteen people, plus several library staff members attended.
I promoted this event with letters sent to area day cares, emails, and personal invitations to child care providers who attend our programs. We also had information posted in the library and on our web site and Facebook page.
We began the evening with a delicious pizza and salad dinner delivered by our local Rosati’s. The dinner was free for participants and was very generously paid for by our local Kiwanis group. The library also provided beverages as well as Rice Krispy Squares (homemade) and chocolate for dessert. Most participants were attending right after work and really appreciated the meal.
After introductions, I gave a short talk that highlighted the six early literacy skills and five practices from Every Child Ready to Read 1 and 2. I also emphasized the importance of early childhood experiences in setting the stage for future learning and the special place that day care professionals have in ensuring a child’s academic success. I did have some of my favorite books on display and modeled dialogic reading for the group. While I spoke, the participants enjoyed the meal.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation by Stuart Stotts. Stuart, who has done multiple keynote addresses at Early Childhood conferences, was absolutely marvelous! He gave a terrific presentation that had participants singing, laughing, sharing and learning together. Stuart shared information about brain development, the importance of singing with children, and the critical nature of quality care in the early years. We all learned some great songs to use in our work with children, and, best of all, came away eager to implement the ideas.
All the participants seemed to enjoy and appreciate the evening and I did have several ask if we planned to do it again next year. I would like to if the funding is available and I am hopeful that this year’s participants will “spread the word” to their coworkers. All children need quality early literacy experiences, not just those lucky enough to visit the library’s story times and I hope this event will make a difference.
