Ohio Ready to Read

We have a problem in Ohio. And Ohio's libraries are
part of the solution.

Last year, over one third of Ohio's 130,000 kindergarteners arrived on their very first day of school not prepared to succeed as learners. The Ohio Library Council and the State Library of Ohio have teamed up to make sure that all of our children are Ready To Read.

Public libraries need to reach out to these children. We need to work with our community head start programs, our churches, our hospitals, our clinics, our daycares, our parents and grandparents. We need to find everyone everywhere who is touching the lives of our children and help them make a difference.

The research is compelling. The savings from investing in early education reaps tremendous long term benefits for children, families and communities.

Our immediate goals:

Every Ohio library will have at least one staff person trained in Ready To Read Basic Skills. This training will be provided, at no charge, through a grant by the State Library of Ohio.

Every Ohio library director or their designee will complete a half day workshop, provided at no charge, on Developing Community Partnerships to provide Ready To Read outreach services.

Every Ohio library will have at least one staff person trained in The New Story Time, also provided at no charge.

The State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Library Council have created Ready To Read to help address the early literacy needs of Ohio's youngest citizens. Ready To Read is a major ongoing statewide initiative that will disseminate early literacy information to public library staff and trustees, early child care providers, educators, children's advocates, parents, and political decision makers.

Young children need to have specific skills in place before entering school so they will be able to learn to read. The Ready to Read initiative will train librarians and early childhood educators in the use of these methods to train parents of children ages birth to five. Attendees will learn about the six early literacy skills as well as the importance of dialogic reading techniques in working with parents and their young children.

Ready to Read will incorporate assistance and resources from state agencies and other community partners to accomplish these goals.

Sign up to attend a READY TO READ workshop or a community partnership workshop. For more information contact program coordinators:
Lynda Murray Ohio Library Council lmurray@olc.org	Ruth Metcalf State Library of Ohio rmetcalf@sloma.state.oh.us

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.