About Ohio Ready to Read
Ohio's public libraries enhance kindergarten readiness.
According to the July 2007 report "Giving Children a Chance: Strategies for Implementing Ohio's School Readiness Agenda", the result of the work of the School Readiness Solutions Group created in 2005 by the State Board of Education, nearly one third of Ohio's 130,000 kindergarteners arrived on their very first day of school not prepared to succeed as learners.
Public libraries support at-risk children by working with parents and grandparents, caregivers, Head Start programs, daycares, clinics, hospitals, and other agencies invested in the success of young children. The savings from investing in early education reaps tremendous long-term benefits for children, families and communities.
The State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Library Council created Ohio Ready to Read, an ongoing statewide initiative, to help address the early literacy needs of Ohio's youngest citizens.
Our mission is to share Every Child Ready to Read® @ Your Library® and other early literacy information with public library staff and trustees, parents and caregivers, 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. We support and facilitate your early literacy work, whatever options you pursue to accomplish it.
Ohio Ready to Read activities are planned and implemented by a task force of the OLC Children's Services Division. Current task force members include:
- Krista Tokarz, Chair, Cuyahoga County Public Library
- Elaine Betting, Lorain Public Library System
- Marianna DiGiacomo, Stark County District Library
- Natalie Fields, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
- Marisa Glaviano, Westerville Public Library
- Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Library of Ohio
- Maria Simon, Wood County District Public Library
Kathy Shahbodaghi, Columbus Metropolitan Library, participates in an advisory role. The Ohio Ready to Read task force also acknowledges those who have previously served on the task force, the original regional coordinators, all wiki contributors, and all Ohio librarians and library staff who support this statewide effort. Special thanks to Justin Isaac, who redesigned and thoroughly updated the ORTR website and ORTR wiki, and Victoria Windsor, who researched, designed, and created the Ohio Early Literacy Crosswalk, both in 2011. Justin's and Victoria's participation was made possible through Kent State University School of Library and Information Science Master's Practicum assignments at the State Library of Ohio. They each produced excellent, lasting work to benefit ORTR and children's services librarians around Ohio.
Young children need to have specific skills in place before entering school so they will be able to learn to read. Ohio Ready to Read trains librarians and early childhood educators on how to educate parents of children ages birth to five in early literacy skills and concepts. Training attendees learn about the six early literacy skills (PDF) and the importance of dialogic reading techniques in working with parents and their young children.
Ohio Ready to Read incorporates assistance and resources from state agencies and other community partners to accomplish its goals.
For more information, contact:
Krista Tokarz, Cuyahoga County Public Library: KTOKARZ@cuyahogalibrary.org
Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Library of Ohio: jdwyer@library.ohio.gov