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Every Child Ready to Read Update:

Updated 1/27/12: Ohio Ready to Read is excited to announce its newest resource to support Ohio librarians' early literacy work. The Ohio Early Literacy Crosswalk is designed to help librarians and early-childhood professionals understand how four early literacy frameworks - ECRR1, ECRR2, Ohio Department of Education Pre-K Content Standards, and Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework Outcomes - relate to one another. Take a look and let us know what you think.

The Ohio Ready to Read task force is conducting a survey regarding ECRR usage and needs throughout the state. Please let us know your library's practices and challenges. ORTR will use this survey to guide our future educational offerings and resources. The survey should only take a few minutes of your time, and your feedback is invaluable. The survey can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ortr11. Thank you in advance.

The revision of the national Every Child Ready to Read® @ Your Library® (ECRR) program focuses on five simple practices--talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing--that develop language and pre-reading skills in children beginning at birth. The ECRR2 toolkit is available from the ALA Store.

Saroj Ghoting debuted her new workshop, STAR POWER™, at five Ohio public libraries in August 2011. This workshop, sponsored by Ohio Ready to Read, introduced ECRR2 and explored early literacy in storytimes, library environments, and library programs. STAR POWER™ workshop handouts and materials are available for free download on the Training Opportunities page.

Saroj has also developed several helpful companion resources for libraries adopting ECRR2, including a summary of the early literacy components (skills) (PDF) and a chart showing how the early literacy components and the Five Practices support each other (PDF). More resources are available on Saroj's website.

Please watch this site for updates about ECRR2. Ohio Ready to Read continues to make our existing resources and support available to Ohio public libraries. ORTR trainers are available to provide Fun and Facts of Storytime workshops for your library staff. We will also develop resources to support libraries' adoption of ECRR2.

The intention of Ohio Ready to Read is to encourage Ohio public libraries to provide early literacy services that are responsive to their communities, and to support and facilitate your early literacy work, whatever options you pursue to accomplish it.

Wisdom from the Wiki:

Spotlighting sample resources from the wiki. Check the wiki for more.

• The wiki's new Early Literacy Activities page features easy-to-implement activities and crafts that you can include in your library storytimes, parent workshops, or other programs. The activities are keyed to both the Six Skills and the Five Practices.
• The Existing Programs, Brochures, and Ready-to-Use Ideas page now features links to What's the Big Idea resources for math and science programming and to a workshop called Music and Movement in Children's Activities.

Ensure the success of children in your Ohio community:

• Attend a training workshop to help you build a firm foundation in early literacy. You may request a free Fun and Facts training for your staff! Ready to Read trainers are available to travel to your library and offer this workshop.
• Offer storytimes incorporating the six early literacy skills (PDF) that children need to develop in order to be ready to learn to read.
• Prepare at-risk parents for their role as their child's first teacher through Parent/Caregiver workshops you offer in your community. Resource-packed Ohio Ready to Read Kits for libraries help you prepare for and present your workshops. The kits now include 2nd edition ECRR manuals and brochures!
• Learn and share other effective ways to promote kindergarten readiness. Find tools throughout this site and contribute your own resources to the Ohio Ready to Read Wiki.

Learn more:

PLA/ALSC Every Child Ready to Read® @ Your Library® is a national, research based initiative to give public library staff the training, skills and tools they need to contribute to the school success of young children. ECRR incorporates simple practices to help parents and other caregivers develop early literacy skills in children from birth to age five.

Ohio Ready to Read is a joint initiative of the Ohio Library Council and State Library of Ohio to reach at-risk families on the importance of early learning. Our mission is to share ECRR and other early literacy information with librarians, library staff, child care providers, early childhood educators, children's advocates and political decision makers. We encourage Ohio public libraries to provide early literacy services that are responsive to your communities, and we support your early literacy work.

Krista Tokarz, Cuyahoga County Public Library: KTOKARZ@cuyahogalibrary.org

Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Library of Ohio: jdwyer@library.ohio.gov

OHIO READY TO READ is administered by the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Library Council and is made possible, in part, by federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the State Library of Ohio by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Dayton Metro Library and Columbus Metropolitan Library have provided additional resources to this project.
Every Child Ready to Read® @ Your Library® is a program of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, divisions of the American Library Association.

Copyright 2011 OHReadytoRead.org. All Rights Reserved.