An SLJ reader’s daughter peruses our Early Learning-focused July issue, which featured the iconic Sesame Street character, Big Bird, on the cover.
Pictures of the Week: A Future Librarian Enjoys SLJ’s ‘Early Birds’ Cover Story
By on September 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
Are Learning Apps Good for Babies?
By on August 9, 2013 9 Comments
Rachel G. Payne, coordinator of early childhood services at Brooklyn Public Library, offers advice for parents.
Secrets of Storytime: 10 Tips for Great Sessions from a 40-year Pro
By on August 8, 2013 1 Comment
Storytime is the premium service for children in public libraries across the country. For many youth librarians, it’s the most treasured part of their job. A storytime veteran shares her best practices.
Design to Learn By: Dynamic Early Learning Spaces in Public Libraries
By on August 1, 2013 3 Comments
A design revolution is reinventing the children’s room in public libraries and changing the way young children learn. This new breed of literacy-packed play spaces in libraries is inspired by children’s museums and the developmental theories that drive them.
Early Learning Grants for Public Libraries | Resources
By on July 23, 2013 Leave a Comment
Libraries are in prime positions to take advantage of President Obama’s recent call for an increase of funding and attention to for early childhood education. Early learning has been an integral part of public libraries’ services to children for decades, and the recent increase of grant-funded programs can further extend children’s librarians’ reach into their communities. Wondering where to start? SLJ has compiled a list of grants for libraries seeking new ways to finance early learning initiatives, big and small.
Must-have Board Books for Early Childhood Collections
By on July 22, 2013 5 Comments
A selection of tried-and-true titles that babies and toddlers adore.
Give ’Em Chalk: Hands-On Learning Is Fun and Builds Literacy Skills | Editorial
By on July 22, 2013 Leave a Comment
The most exciting time for a kindergarten teacher is when a kid looks up and says, ‘Hey, I can read!’” Fostering early literacy is the focus of our very first theme issue. We’re also debuting a new look, with some significant improvements to the all-important reviews section.
Pictures of the Week: Michelle Kwan Helps Kick Off ‘Let’s Read! Let’s Move!’
By on July 17, 2013 Leave a Comment
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted the first Let’s Read! Let’s Move! event of 2013 on Wednesday, July 10, at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C. Along with Rep. John Kline of Minnesota; Sam Kass, executive director of Let’s Move!; and Michelle Kwan, member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and Olympic figure skater, the celebrity guests read to a group of students. Kwan then led the children in a session of fun, physical activities.
Read, Play, Grow!: Enhancing early literacy at Brooklyn Public Library
By on July 8, 2013 7 Comments
Research has long supported the importance of play in early literacy, yet many parents remain mystified about how to engage with young children in fun activities, particularly at the pre-verbal stage. Enter the library.
STEAM at the Library Supports Literacy, Common Core | ALA 2013
By on July 5, 2013 Leave a Comment
Do you know STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)? From hosting “parties” with traditional building blocks to using science kits with young children, ideas for STEAM programming in libraries were shared at a recent panel at the ALA (American Library Association) annual conference.
The Early Bird: How Sesame Workshop is adapting its revolutionary educational content for devices
By on July 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
A peek behind the scenes of Sesame Workshop, which is negotiating the digital shift with care. The venerable brand has conducted more than 76 tests over two and a half years to understand how children, ages three to five, adopt and adapt to touch devices in their learning.
Colorado Librarians Launch Bell Picture Book Awards Program
By on June 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), an advisory group to the Colorado State Library, is launching the Bell Picture Book Awards, with the first honorees set to be announced on February 5, 2014. The program is designed to celebrate books that foster adult-child engagement around the early literacy practices of read, write, sing, talk, and play.
Two Thirds of Parents Don’t Read to Their Kids Every Night, Reveals Poll
By on June 21, 2013 2 Comments
Only one in three parents of children ages eight and under reads stories to their kids each night, according to a new survey by the literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s.
IMLS Says Libraries Key to Early Learning
By on June 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading today unveiled a new report on the role of museums and libraries in early learning, and issued a call to action for policymakers, schools, funders, and parents to include these institutions in comprehensive early learning strategies.
Tad Hills Talks About Rocket Writes a Story
By on July 31, 2012
SLJ caught up with author-illustrator Tad Hills about Rocket Writes a Story (Random, 2012), which follows a loveable dog as he tries to write his own book, and is the sequel to the bestselling picture book How Rocket Learned to Read (Random, 2010).
Pictures of the Week: Family Place Workshop in Goleta, CA
By on July 24, 2012
The Goleta Library in Goleta, CA, part of the Santa Barbara Public Library System, celebrated a Family Place Workshop on June 1. Hunter Tattle explores his artisitic talent at a fingerpainting activity.
The Neglected Ones: Children of undocumented immigrants seldom receive the services they need | First Steps
By on July 1, 2012
ETots: a Public Library iPad Program for Preschoolers
By on May 30, 2012
Print Books, Basic Ebooks may Top Enhanced Ebooks at Fostering Literacy, Says Study
By on May 29, 2012
Mind Readers: Thinking Out Loud Can Raise Children’s Comprehension Skills | First Steps
By on May 1, 2012
It’s toddler storytime: let the rumpus begin! Toddlers bound quickly into the room. One hurdles mom’s legs while waiting for the opening song. Some hop, others roam, and a few practically climb our unflappable colleague Janie. Even after getting most of their wiggles out, many toddlers continue to float around the room—until Janie begins to read one of her favorite books, Owl Babies (Candlewick, 1996) by Martin Waddell.
