The South Carolina State Library is pleased to announce the launch of a family literacy activity calendar called South Carolina Day by Day. The calendar is designed to be a tool that families, caregivers, educators and librarians can use at home and in the classroom to further develop early literacy skills that help young children become prepared for school or do better in school. The goal is to provide families and caretakers a full year's worth of activities so the calendar is to be used more like an activity book than simply a calendar. The calendar includes lists of recommended books which encourage all to use their local public library. Craft projects are designed to utilize simple items that are easily found in the home.
The Calendar is a project of the South Carolina State Library, working in partnership with many agencies and organizations, and primarily funded by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The State Library is the project coordinator and will handle distribution of the calendar. The original artwork depicts sights and scenes of South Carolina painted by artist Helen Correll of Spartanburg County. You may have seen her other work, most notably the posters for the Jamboread Festival held by the Spartanburg County Public Library. The design was created by Colleen Coletta, a Columbia based graphic designer. Many different elements were included in the design to spark creativity and enthusiasm in children and families.
South Carolina Day by Day is a perpetual calendar, meaning that the calendar is undated and has no date-specific material so it never becomes outdated. The calendar starts with September because that is the time that most children are getting back to school and programming begins. A preview was introduced at a recent Literacy Leaders Awards Event sponsored by USC's School of Library and Information Science and the South Carolina Center for Children's Books and Literacy, both program partners. Many agencies such as the South Carolina State Library Foundation, Reach out and Read, South Carolina Department of Education, Education Oversight Committee, The Humanities CouncilSC, SC DHEC, and South Carolina First Steps to Kindergarten Readiness and many others are all partners. Soon calendars will be distributed through a variety of events at public libraries, agencies, and daycare centers so families most in need of quality, fun, and educational resources will have them. Later this year, there are plans for introducing an online interactive web version.
For information on how to purchase calendars, visit DayByDaySC.org. We will continue to seek partners and funding opportunities so that all South Carolina families and caregivers will have an opportunity to benefit from this resource. If you are interested in being a partner in this effort, please contact Denise Lyons at dlyons@statelibrary.sc.gov or call 803.734.6061.
