Early Learning Support

Libraries Developing Early Learning Skills in Young Children

The early years are a key time for brain development. Public libraries are uniquely positioned to provide free, high quality, and intentional early learning opportunities for pre-school aged children. The Washington State Library has been a partner in several important projects that can help public libraries provide programs that effectively help young children learn to read and develop the skills they need to be successful in school and in life:

• All Aboard for Kindergarten—The Washington State Library, in partnership with Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and other early learning partners, collaborated on this project that develops a statewide ready-for-school program libraries can use to help parents and other caregivers (such as Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care (FFN Care)) to equip their children with the skills they need to enter school ready to learn.

Additional Early Learning Resources:

• Early Achievers Overview webinar, November 14, 2017—An overview of Early Achievers, a tool to help families find quality child care and share the Department of Child Care/Early Learning's efforts to promote literacy in early learning programs.
  • Presentation slides 
  • Early Achievers Bookmarks 
  • Early Achievers video
  • Early Achievers Impact Videos
     
• Project VIEWS2 Research
   
• Sensory Story Time: Programming for Children with Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder and Other Special Needs, October 3, 2017—How one small town library developed a storytime program that was welcoming for children with special needs and their families.
   
• Let's Talk About Race in Storytimes, January 9, 2018—Storytime is the perfect place to model an open and welcoming environment for your whole community. No one should feel left out or erased from a larger narrative by never being able to see themselves or their race reflected in storytime. How can we as librarians practice talking about race and model inclusion for our community? How can we work in training our storytime colleagues to not be afraid of delving deeper in creating an affirming and inclusive storytime environment? How do you gain institutional support that social justice advocacy should be included in storytimes? At this webinar, we will have a conversation in hopes it will lead to practice in tangible ways to model storytime inclusion. Presented by Jessica Anne Bratt, Grand Rapids Public Library.