The South Carolina State Library welcomed Public Library Association certified trainer and Early Literacy specialist Susan Bard to conduct a series of workshops for South Carolina's children's librarians, preschool teachers, childcare providers and those who work with young children.
Ten regional training sessions took place in Anderson, Spartanburg, Florence, Charleston, Jasper, and Marlboro counties at public libraries and at the State Library over a week and a half period. Sessions included Music and Movement for the Young Child, Everyday Literacy (Every Child Ready to Ready basics), Babies, Bubbles and Books, and Story Time Applications of Every Child Ready to Read and reached over 150 attendees.
The goal of these EveryDay Literacy sessions is to help incorporate literacy activities into daily routines for parents, caregivers and teachers. The additional goal is that library staff, educators, and childcare providers are better prepared to assist children in building their early literacy skills that make them ready to learn and ready to read. Parents and caregivers learn the importance of spending quality time with their children and library staff members are better prepared to work with caregivers to develop educational opportunities and making literacy skills a part of everyday life.
This past year, the State Library introduced the South Carolina Day by day Family Literacy Activity Calendar, distributing nearly 14,000 free of charge to those who work with young children and who promote family literacy activities in their communities. Participants were also provided a calendar and instruction on how to incorporate the easy activities into a classroom or home setting.
According to Jessica Willis of the Florence County Library, "Before the Music and Movement Workshop, I included song and dance in my story times with young children because it was fun. Now I know that song and dance are just as important to a child's development as stories." She also stated, "It makes my job so much more rewarding to realize that as we sing and dance and have fun together we are also forging new pathways in their brains that will help them with learning in the future. I would recommend this workshop to anyone who works with small children."
For more information, contact Denise Lyons, Director of Library Development, at 803-734-6061 or dlyons@statelibrary.sc.gov.
