Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas

Lily's Book of Adventures

2011-12-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 17, Every Child Ready to Read invited families to join them for their video premiere and release party of the library's children's video, Lily's Book of Adventures and El Libro de las Aventuras de Lili. Families viewed the program on the Discovery Wall and received free copies of the DVD to watch at home and share with friends and family.

The video will play on the City of Dallas cable channel 16 and will be available to watch on Youtube soon. Stay tuned for the Youtube link so you and your family can watch and learn at home! Free copies of the DVD are available from your children's librarian at your local Dallas library and will be distributed at various community events in 2012.

Early Literacy Fun at Bachman Lake Library

2011-12-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

More than fifty moms and children came out to the Bachman Lake Library Family Literacy Day featuring the branch's new touchscreen AWE Early Literacy Station. Library staff demonstrated how to use the new computer and featured several of its literacy-enriched games.

Bachman Lake Library, the Central Library's Children's Center and Bookmarks at NorthPark Center are the only Dallas Public Library locations to offer this high-tech, fun early literacy tool.

The special event also featured a bilingual storytime, holiday craft, free book giveaway from the Every Child Ready to Read program. Family Fun bilingual storytime is offered at the Bachman Lake library every Saturday at 1:00pm. For more information on the program, visit the library's website at http://www.dallaslibrary.org/.

AWE Early Literacy Station @ Bachman Lake Library

2011-12-07T15:01:00.001-08:00

Get your DVD of Lily's Book of Adventures!

2011-12-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

ECRR @ EFS Literacy Day at the Zoo

2011-11-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Every Child Ready to Read joined Educational First Steps for the second year in a row at Literacy Day at the Dallas Zoo. Junior League of Dallas and Dallas Public Library staff assisted nearly 400 families help select free books for nearly 900 children.

As families selected their books, staff and volunteers conducted storytime reading Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! by Karma Wilson and Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. Both books brought zoo animals to life for the families stopping by the Base Camp of the Zoo's "Giants of the Savanna" area.

ECRR at International Book Fair

2011-10-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Public Library hosted the Sixth Annual International Book Fair today. The Book Fair features authors, lectures, storytelling and activities for the whole family http://dallasinternationalbookfair.com/.

Every Child Ready to Read had the pleasure of conducting a workshop for parents and their young children. In conjunction with the season, guests particpated in singing the Five Little Pumpkins with hand motions and created their own five little pumpkin scene.

The book, the song and the activity offer parents fun ways to practice numbers, colors, motions and rhymes with their children. Happy Halloween!

ECRR 4-Part Workshop Series at DISD schools

2011-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Mother Goose Storytime off to a great start!

2011-10-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of families joined our Mother Goose Storytime show for Opening Day at the State Fair of Texas 2011!

Families get to hear some familiar rhymes with a humorous, Texas-twist, our giant reproduction of Eric Litwin's popular children's book, Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes, and an interactive singing of "Bought Me a Cat." Young children and their families are sure to enjoy the shade and entertainment at the Mother Goose Storytime show this year!

Robert Patterson on raising readers

2011-09-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes struggling readers are just readers who haven't found just the right book for them. In an article on CNN.com Wednesday, Robert Patterson discusses the role parents play in helping their children learn to love reading and how the library can be just the place to find that perfect book. Check out the article online at http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/opinion/patterson-kids-reading/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader

By James Patterson, Special to CNN

updated 1:38 PM EST, Wed September 28, 2011

James Patterson says boys can be a little squirrelly when it comes to reading, but they need to be praised and encouraged.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

James Patterson says: Parents, it's up to you, not schools, to find books to get your kids reading
He says get them motivated with books they like; rereading books and reading on tablets is fine
He says there are numerous programs to guide parents; they also need to model reading habit
Patterson: Boys especially need encouragement; movies, video games should push reading

Editor's note: James Patterson's most recent book, "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life" is a No. 1 New York Times and No. 1 Indiebound best-seller. He is also the author of the award-winning "Maximum Ride," "Daniel X," and "Witch & Wizard" young adult series, and is the 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards author of the year. In 2008, Patterson created www.ReadKiddoRead.com, a site dedicated to helping parents find books that will get their kids reading.

(CNN) -- You're reading CNN.com, so maybe this isn't a stress-inducing worry in your house, but for too many kids in this country, reading is a dirty word. Fortunately, we know exactly whom we have to talk to in order to start a much-needed intervention.

Sorry, moms and dads, but it's your job -- not the schools' -- to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them.

Here's some good news: This can often be as easy as teaching children to ride a two-wheeler or to throw a baseball. Case in point: When our son, Jack, was 8, he wasn't a gung-ho reader. Now, I'm sure my wife, Sue, and I have made a half-million mistakes raising Jack, but during that eighth summer of our stewardship, we did something right: We told him he didn't have to mow the lawn (hooray!), but he was going to read every day (boo).

James Patterson

We then told Jack we were going to help him find books we promised he would like: the Mom-and-Dad "Reading Can Be a Joy" Guarantee. We picked out "The Lightning Thief," a book in the "Warriors" series, "A Wrinkle in Time," "Al Capone Does My Shirts," a novel from my own "Maximum Ride" series, and a few others. By the end of the summer, Jack had read half a dozen books that he loved, and his reading skills had improved dramatically.

Here's a simple but powerful truth that many parents and schools don't act on: The more kids read, the better readers they become.

The best way to get kids reading more is to give them books that they'll gobble up -- and that will make them ask for another. Yes, it's that simple. 1 + 1 = 2. Kids say the No. 1 reason they don't read more is that they can't find books they like. Freedom of choice is a key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics -- terrific! -- as long as kids are reading. Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don't tell them a book is too hard or too easy. "Great Expectations"? Absolutely. "Finnegans Wake"?Well, maybe not. And remember, books can be borrowed free at libraries.

Some schools and school systems are on top of the reading problem. Is yours?

Many schools around the country are successful at getting kids reading. That raises the obvious question: How come so many schools aren't?

There are terrific models for success with reluctant readers, but many school systems and state governments need to set aside their "not invented here" and "we have more important problems than education" attitudes.

The Drop Everything and Read program is a brilliant learning tool used by more than a thousand schools. Drop Everything and Read schools devote one period a day to kids -- and their teachers -- doing nothing but reading, and mostly reading what they want to. The results can be dramatic.

The Knowledge Is Power Program schools in Washington require students to read at least 20 books a year and to carry a book with them at all times. Hooray! The Sun Prairie public schools in Wisconsin stopped buying textbooks and used the money to buy children's trade books. Reading scores improved, because the kids wanted to read. P.S. 8 in the Bronx, New York, has a rotating library of student-published and student-illustrated books. Kids love books written by their peers. One Texas school librarian has a club for fourth- and fifth-grade boys called the BUBBAs. The kids read books such as "It's Disgusting-- and We Ate It!," "Holes," the "Time Warp Trio" series, and the "Joey Pigza" books. Silly, funny, and it works.

Speaking of boys, here's how to get reluctant readers -- er, boys -- reading and loving it.

First, try to understand that boys can be a little squirrelly when it comes to reading, and what's squirrelly about them needs to be praised and encouraged.

Boys should be made to feel all squishy inside about reading graphic novels, comics, pop-ups, joke books, and general-information tomes -- especially the last. GuysRead.com has categories such as "Robots," "How to Build Stuff," "Outer Space, but with Aliens," and "At Least One Explosion." It's a wonderful site for finding books that will turn boys on to reading.

Teachers and school administrators might want to consider this: in many schools, there's a tendency not to reward boys for reading books like "Guinness World Records" or "Sports Illustrated Almanac" or "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll." Too often, boy-appealing books are disproportionately overlooked on recommended reading lists.

Big mistake. Tragic mistake. Avoidable mistake. It's all about attitude. If your kids' school library isn't a boy magnet, the school probably needs to check its attitude.

Where to find books your kids will gobble up.

ReadKiddoRead.com, GuysRead.com, and Oprah.com's Kids Reading List are excellent resources, and they're simpler to use than an iPhone. The American Library Association and the Young Adult Library Services Association have recommendations for terrific books, easily found by searching "ALA reading lists."DropEverythingandRead.com has a "Favorite D.E.A.R. Books" tab on its home page.

Most libraries and bookstores are extremely generous with their time and help. Kids and parents should visit Scholastic and other book fairs. Free or low-cost books for schools are available (while supplies last) at ReadKiddoRead.com, FirstBook.org, andReadertoReader.org.

Reading role models, please apply here.

Let's face it: Most of us don't realize it, but we are failing our kids as reading role models. The best role models are in the home: brothers, fathers, grandfathers; mothers, sisters, grandmothers. Moms and dads, it's important that your kids see you reading. Not just books -- reading the newspaper is good too.

The president and the first lady can be powerful role models if they are willing to pitch in and press the issue from their bully pulpit. In England, the entire country celebrates World Book Day. Every young lass and bloke gets a pound to buy a book of their choice, and most bookstores lower prices for the day. Cheers for former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was an active role model for getting kids reading.

By showing more respect for books, kid-influential organizations such as ESPN, the NBA, and the NFL could help thousands of kids become better readers. I cringe when I hear college-educated sports announcers scoff at books during broadcasts because they're afraid to man up to being readers themselves.

Hollywood studios and stars could inspire kids to read, but often don't. Apparently, some film directors think it's their civic duty to teach kids how to smoke. Magazines and newspapers could call attention to the reluctant reader and literacy problems on a daily or weekly basis. Fast-food chains could put stories in their kids' meal boxes -- most publishers will work with them. Video-game makers could incorporate written stories in their games; maybe it ought to be the price of admission for selling to kids. Many publishers could do a much better job of supplying free or low-cost books to schools in need.

Now, this entire article probably took you only a few minutes to read. Please don't let your effort end here. While you're thinking about it, send your thoughts, or even this piece, to your school principal or librarian. Heck, send it to the White House. If you have the means, offer to buy your local school a few good books. But most important, take your kids or grandkids or students to a library or a bookstore or go online to search for some books right now. If you have better ideas than the ones suggested here, terrific -- please share them with your school, or in the comments section below, or atReadKiddoRead.com.

Your taking action will speak louder than words to kids about the power and glory of reading: First you read, then you get up off your seat and do something to fix the problem.

Readers 2 Leaders in West Dallas

2011-09-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

A new non-profit has joined the mission to help spread the joy of reading and improve family literacy in West Dallas. "Readers 2 Leaders is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to train, equip, encourage and support families in West Dallas in developing and strengthening the reading and language skills of their children to help them to succeed in school, increase their self-confidence, learn to enjoy reading and become life-long readers, learners and community leaders." from www.Readers2Leaders.org

Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas has partnered with Readers 2 Leaders to provide parent workshops to engage parents and children in literacy-based activities. The Discovering Books workshops was held Saturday, September 10 from 10am-12pm. Parents worked with their children to create books about things they like from magazines. Making books helps build print awareness.

A Letters & Words workshop is scheduled for Saturday, September 17 from 10am-12pm followed by their grand opening event at 1pm, and a Stories & Sounds workshop is scheduled for Saturday, September 24 from 10am-12pm.

Workshops are held at the Readers 2 Leaders building located at 2223 Singleton Blvd, Suite 140, Dallas, TX 75212.

For more information visit www.readers2leaders.org

ECRR @ Dallas Receives Grant From Dollar General

2011-08-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

We have just been notified that our program has been chosen to receive a 2011-2012 Dollar General Youth Literacy grant! Dollar General provides funding for organizations endeavoring to help children that are struggling with reading.

Thanks to this generous grant, we are happy to announce the expansion of our program to include emerging readers! In addition to our traditional Every Child Ready to Read workshops that help parents prepare their children for school with pre-literacy activities, we will now offer workshops for parents of children that are already in school and having trouble learning to read.

Help for emerging readers has been a long expressed need. Parents want the best for their children, but when it comes to reading intervention, it is hard for most to know exactly what to do. We want to empower parents with the confidence and skills they need to help their children be successful in the classroom.

The program will start out small this year with workshops being conducted at select DISD schools. We hope to be able to make our emerging readers program a long term part of our goal--the library fully meeting the literacy needs of our great community!

Mother Goose is Coming to the Texas State Fair, Ya'll!

2011-08-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Big Tex

Howdy! It's almost time for the 2011 State Fair of Texas (we can almost smell the corndogs!). This year, the Every Child Ready to Read program will be back and better than ever with their Mother Goose show.

So what's new with the show you ask? Thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Atmos Energy, we are so excited to bring you Mother Goose with a southern flair! Our show will be a rootin-tootin good time. Mother Goose will share her traditional nursery rhymes with a modern country twist. She will also entertain you with singing, puppetry, and our favorite storybook!

Be sure to stop by the Oak Farms Activity Center, right across from the Back Yard Circus. Mother Goose will be there performing every day at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 5pm.

Check out the State Fair of Texas website for up to date information about the big event.

2011 Dallas Mayor's Back to School Fair

2011-08-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

On August 4, ECRR @ Dallas reached thousands of people at the Mayor's Back to School Fair at Fair Park. What is that you ask? The back to school fair is an annual event for low income families that serves as a back to school one stop shop. The lines were long, but the air conditioning was cold and the benefits were plenty. Children were treated to free dental cleanings, haircuts, backpacks, school supplies, immunizations, books, and toys all provided by businesses and organizations of the community.

dallasnews.com

In order to receive their free school supplies, families had to visit one booth from each of five categories. ECRR manned the Dallas Public Library booth in the City Services category and was very popular. We passed out information about our program, "I Love My Library" coloring sheets, and "Read to Me" stickers (which always make kids smile). We also helped about 100 people apply for their very own library cards. DPL's librarians even entertained the crowd with 3 showstopping storytimes.

We at ECRR want to wish all students and teachers out there a fabulous school year! Remember, making time to read together for pleasure is still important even on busy school nights. It is important for kids to associate reading with fun, relaxing times and not just with homework.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110804-hundreds-line-up-early-for-mayors-back-to-school-fair-at-dallas-fair-park.ece

ECRR Goes Hollywood!

2011-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Barnyard set from Lily's Adventures Book of Adventures

Lights, camera, action!!!

The Every Child Ready to Read team has been hard at work this summer on a fabulous new video project aimed at exponentially increasing the number of people we are able to reach with our message. The video will include the same information that we spread at our workshops, but in the format of a fun, lighthearted children's program that families can enjoy watching together. Both an English and a Spanish version will be filmed.

In Lily's Book of Adventures, a little girl has lost her cat, Peaches. She and her friends at home must go into her Book of Adventures to search for Peaches by following a string of the cat's favorite yellow yarn. Along the way, she meets friends from all over that help her find her cat, while teaching her a few literacy skills to boot.

Outer Space set from Lily's Book of Adventures

The team has been having a wonderful time working on this creative project, trying their hands at script writing, costume design, and even acting! Yesterday they filmed the English version of the video and are now practicing their Espanol for the Spanish version that will be filmed in two weeks.

The ECRR team plans to have both versions ready to show in early September. Plans for distributing the film are still being made but we will keep you all posted!

ECRR in the Dallas Morning News!

2011-07-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Africawala, program coordinator with Nora Nagel, children's librarian at workshop at Park Forest Branch Library

Early-literacy program gives Dallas parents the tools to help children read

By Jacy Marmaduke, staff writer

Children don’t need private school, computer programs or miracles to learn to read, according to an early-literacy program established by the city of Dallas. They just need parents who care.

The mission of Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas is simple: Teach parents to prepare their children for literacy.

“By the last workshop, [all the parents] can tell you, ‘Yes, I know it’s important for me to help my child learn to read,’” assistant coordinator Luz Ramirez said. “But in the beginning, a lot of them don’t even know what the library is for.”

The program was established as part of a national program in 2008 by the Dallas Public Library and former Mayor Tom Leppert, and it facilitates workshops to help parents teach preschoolers essential skills.

Among other places, events happen at libraries, museums and Fair Park, where a story time session is planned during the State Fair.

Program intern Nora Nagel said it doesn’t matter that many attendees come from disadvantaged backgrounds and may not speak English. The program provides picture books in English and Spanish for no charge.

“We focus on what they can do for free,” Nagel said. “The message is: You can help your children at home. You have the resources.”

Ramirez conducts some workshops in Spanish to make the program more accessible. Co-workers say her presence draws Spanish-speaking parents who may feel that preparing children for literacy is too difficult to juggle among other responsibilities.

“They see that the kids want to keep reading, but there’s not enough time,” said Hilda Padilla, a mother of five who attended her first workshop last month. “They’re not realizing how important this is. And when they do realize, it’s too late.”
Program coordinator Jasmine Africawala said public schools have proved unable to achieve full literacy, and because of limited funding for public education, programs like hers are necessary to “fill in the gaps,” she said.

Africawala and Ramirez said the response to the program from parents has been enthusiastic. They’ve each received more than one hug at the end of a workshop, and the final moments of each event are a cheerful chorus of “thank you” and “gracias,” they said.
“I’m surprised every time by how positive they are,” Africawala said. “It makes us feel like we’re doing something right.”

Africawala said full literacy in Dallas can be achieved if programs like Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas continue to thrive and the city makes a coupled effort.

“It’s not only an attainable mission, it’s a necessity,” Africawala said. “Reading is the only tool we have to pass on history. It’s that important.”
A calendar of events for Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas can be found on the Dallas Public Library’s website — dallaslibrary.org — but coordinator Jasmine Africawala encourages Dallas residents to contact local libraries to request a workshop.

What Will Your Jesse Bear Wear?

2011-06-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here at Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas, one of the biggest messages that we hope to drive home to parents is that you don't have to have vast amounts of money or resources to create activities that will help your young children be successful readers and learners when they get to school. To prove our point, our full workshops include an activity that can be done with inexpensive items like paper, crayons, scissors and glue.

Yesterday, we conducted a Stories and Sounds workshop. For our activity, Jasmine read Nancy White Carlstrom's Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? to inspire a fleet of Jesse Bear puppets. We provided a few basic art supplies to a group of moms and toddlers and had them work together to create paper Jesse Bears on popsicle sticks and then make their own Jesse Bear outfits with colored construction paper.

Connecting a book to a fun activity is always great for print motivation (getting them to want to read). Encouraging the children to use their puppets to act out the events of the book, or any events they like for that matter, does wonders for building their narrative skills. When we planned this activity, we had those specific skills in mind. During the course of the workshop, however, we noticed another important skill set developing in our tots that we had not even thought of.

In working with their parents to complete this activity, the children were also being taught how to use scissors and glue. As parents, doing supervised activities at home with your children that practice using these two key school supplies is more important than one might think at first glance. When children get to school, they will find that a large portion of their educational activities require them to cut and paste. These skills are best taught one on one and a teacher with a classroom full of children can accomplish a lot more educational goals if he or she does not have to worry about whether or not students have the technical skills to complete assignments.

Something to think about!

Reading on the Road?

2011-06-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today, the Every Child Ready to Read program participated in a storytime at the Dallas Museum of Art's First Tuesday event. If you have never been to one of these events, it is a program where the museum offers free admission all day and has dozens of organized activities and performers to entertain your whole family. Today, the museum was particularly crowded. I had to park four levels down. Did you even know there were four levels? Anyway, the museum was filled with parents and children obviously having a brilliant time, which was later explained to me to be because school has just let out and parents are looking for ways to entertain their brood. You just can't beat an event that is educational, fun and FREE!

The theme of the event today was Road Trip USA, which got us thinking about ways families can take advantage of any long summer car rides with their children and help them develop the important early literacy skills they need to be ready to read!

Road trip activities:

Audiobooks: Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time on long car rides and can also help children develop their narrative skills. Families can listen to the books together and also spend time talking about what they have heard. Talk about a captive audience!

ABC game: This game requires players to identify letters on roadside sides in alphabetical order. For example, a player might see an exit for Mockingbird Lane, and identify the "a" to begin. Competing participants can see who can find the most letters and get through the alphabet fastest, or a single player can simply see how many miles it takes them to complete the alphabet. This game helps children with their letter knowledge as well their awarness that print is everywhere!

I Spy: This is a classic game in which one player chooses something that they are able to see, while the other player tries to guess what it is by asking "yes" or "no" questions. This game is a great vocabulary builder.

Books to get your children excited about the trip:

Measuring with Sebastian Pig and friends : on a road trip

By: Jill Anderson

Sebastian Pig and his friends are taking a road trip to lots of exciting places! Read along with them as they learn how to measure using inches, feet, yards, and pounds, as well as centimeters and meters. This math book with the delightful character, Sebastian Pig, provodes an easy and fun way for young readers to reinforce and practice measurement skills.

The Berenstain Bears on the road By: Jan Berenstain

The Bear family breaks in its new car by taking a trip to Great Grizzly National Park

Car smarts : activities for kids on the open road By: Edwin Sobey

Put an end to "Are we there yet?" once & for all! Here are dozens of fun activities for kids of all ages, all of which can be done in the backseat during long car trips-using just a pencil, some paper, & a little ingenuity. And every one teaches science. Some of these activities-like creating the ideal dashboard instrument panel-encourage kids to use their imagination. Others involve the powers of observation, unlocking the secrets of the car & the world just beyond its windows; acceleration, car fluids, bridges & tunnels, road conditions, electricity, weather. In the process, kids will have fun (and keep out of their parents' hair) while learning about conceptual physics, land forms & geology, energy, navigation, & more.

Are We There Yet? By: Dandi Daley Mackall

That great American tradition, the family car trip, gets its due in this picture book packed with verse as bouncy as a rumble seat on Route 66. Families will chuckle over the familiar bugaboos of long-distance driving-punctuated, of course, by that universal backseat refrain. Sis and little brother spar, Mom and Dad belt out golden oldies, pup can't keep his fleas to himself . . . and how did that underwear get out the window, anyway? It's enough to give the most patient passenger ants in the pants! With rhymes that roll right along and funny, exuberant illustrations, this read-aloud is a perfect addition to any summer-vacation book bag. Illustrated by Shannon McNeill.

Olivia Takes a Trip By: Ellie O'Ryan

Olivia is thrilled to go on a road trip with her family, in this fun story based on an episode of the hit TV show "Olivia." Full color. Level 1 Reader.

For information about more educational, fun and FREE events happening all summer long, check out the DPL event calendar.

Sibling Storytime: How to kill two summertime birds with one stone!

2011-06-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

School's out for summer!!!

Release from homework and tests can be very exciting for children, even if it only lasts a few months. However, the New York Department of Education estimates that the average child looses about a month of instruction over the course of just one summer break. That is why it is so important to encourage children to read all summer long!

Many library systems, including the Dallas Public Library, offer summer reading programs with fabulous incentives for children to spend time each week reading. We at Every Child Ready To Read @ Dallas would like to encourage you to put those young readers to work this summer by having them read to your smaller children. Your bigger kids get to practice, and your smaller ones get to benefit from the unmatchable early literacy activity of being read aloud to. It's a win-win for all involved! You might even find that the older children find more motivation to read to their younger siblings than they would to read by themselves.

Have fun, and let us know how it goes!

Children's Access to Books

2011-05-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas program has two main goals:

#1 Educate parents on the importance of early literacy and how they can help their children

#2 Provide free books to children and increase their access to books

Although the former sometimes seems more important that the latter, studies have shown that a child's access to print material alone can make a substantial impact on their future literacy.

A recent editorial in The New York Times, talks about this and surveys the status of these issues in several large, urban areas in the United States.

From the article:

It’s often assumed that families without books lack interest in reading. But that is not necessarily the case. "When poor people, even those at low literacy levels, have a little extra money, they will buy inexpensive books," explains Susan B. Neuman, a professor at the University of Michigan, who specializes in early literacy development and co-authored the study in Philadelphia. "But some families have so little disposable income, they can’t afford any books." This is bad news for their kids. Around the world, one thing that has been shown to be a consistently powerful predictor of academic achievement is a home library.

Every Child Ready to Read currently purchases books at substantially discounted prices from First Book Marketplace and Scholastic Literacy Partnerships. These companies make it possible for the program to continue achieving its goals in the Dallas community.

ECRR also accepts donations of gently used childrens books to distribute at our workshops, as well. Please contact us at ECRR@dallaslibrary.org or 214-671-8291 to schedule a book drive or drop-off.

Attend our next training!

2011-05-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Junior League of Dallas

2011-05-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas program depends on the generosity of community sponsors, including the Junior League of Dallas. Thanks to the support of the Junior League of Dallas, the ECRR program has several dedicated and motivated volunteers to assist in reaching more and more parents and children every year.

Check out this video featuring Junior League volunteer Tila Foss as she discusses the impact she makes helping the ECRR program reach families about reading and early literacy!

Road to Reading @ Jesse Dawson State Jail

2011-04-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas has partnered with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department and social justice agency, Dallas Can Do Better! to begin the Road to Reading program at Dallas County jails.

This past Saturday, April 23rd, we joined families outside of the Jesse Dawson State Jail as they waited to visit incarcerated loved ones. Lines during visitation hours flow into the parking lot and consist of 100 or more people at all times. Many of those waiting in line are children.

The goal of the Road to Reading program is to provide books for children to read as they wait in line. We also provide Dallas Public Library stickers and information on the Every Child Ready to Read program. We were amazed by how well we were received by the families, children and jail staff. Sibilings huddled together to read Dr. Seuss's I Can Read with my Eyes Shut and Rumpelstiltskin.

A 10-year old boy was standing in line with his grandmother. I asked him if he wanted a book to read while he waited in line. He said, "no" and slowly moved closer to his grandmother. I insisted that I'd find him a book about something he liked. I asked if he liked baseball. He smiled and nodded. I went back to my carton of books and didn't have any about baseball, so I grabbed a book about funny, scary stories. He loved it! In fact, he returned to our station several times to exchange the books he'd finished for some new titles. He continued to do this up until he and his grandmother were next in line to enter the jail. When he was alerted that it wasn't their turn quite yet, he jumped up and down with excitement that he could continue reading his book!

ECRR @D will return to the Jesse Dawson Jail on Saturday, May 7th from 9-1pm to bring more books to the children as they wait in line.

If you are interested in volunteering for this program or donating books to support it, please contact Jasmine Africawala at ECRR@dallaslibrary.org or call 214-671-8291.

ECRR Workshop Series @ JFK Learning Center

2011-04-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

What an exciting few weeks at JFK Learning Center! Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas partnered with Liz Osayande-Davis to provide early literacy workshops for parents and their preschool children!

Discovering Books Workshop, April 1, 2011

Parents and their children explored different types of books that engage their senses and offer an interactive book experience.

In this picture, a mother interacts with her child using Fisher Prices' My Little People School Bus, A Lift-the-Flap Playbook. Parents also learned about foam books, bath books, sing-along books and the importance of emotions on print motivation.

During the same workshop, parents learned activities for print awareness, including puzzle-making using cereal boxes. Parent and child worked together to cut the front of cereal boxes and parents watched as their children reconstructed the images.

Letter & Words Workshop, April 8, 2011

Parents and children engaged in a literacy-based craft intended to reinforce letter knowledge and vocabulary by encouraging conversations about food, eating and going to the grocery store.

Attendees were provided with grocery store ads, scissors, glue sticks and construction paper. They created "visual" grocery lists and had their children assist them in choosing which groceries to get. Parents were encouraged to do this at home, take it to the grocery store and further enforce the vocabulary and connections between words and real-life.

Stories & Sounds Workshop, April 22, 2011

The last of the workshop series focused on phonological awareness and narrative skills. The workshop opened with families singing their favorite traditional Spanish nursery rhymes, including Pimpon, Los Pollitos, Tengo una Muneca and Cucu Cucu. The book and CD set, Pio Peep by Alma Flor Ada & Isabel Campoy provided music for these traditional rymes. Families created egg shakers and shook them to the beat of the songs.

The last activity of the day was to read Caperucita Roja/Little Red Riding Hood by Francesc Rovira, practice dialogic reading and create popsicle stick puppets to retell a story. Parents dug into their imaginations and the children went wild with their new creations.

It was a thrill to work with these 20 moms, provide them free books to take home and new ideas on reinforcing literacy skills.

ECRR@D Wins National Award

2011-04-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

On April 5, 2011, the Every Child Ready to Read received a $10,000 grant from Better World Books and the National Center for Family Literacy.

The award will be used to produce an early childhood home instructional video for families unable to attend conventional library workshops. Find out more about the award here.

March Madness!

2011-03-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

March has been incredibly busy here at Every Child Ready to Read. In addition to the 55 workshops we will be conducting this month, we are also partnering with Dallas Independent School District's Home Instruction for Parents with Preschool Youngsters (DISD HIPPY) program. The DISD HIPPY program provides intensive, long term (30 week) instruction to hundreds of families with 3-5 year olds. ECRR is proud to partner with the HIPPY program in promoting early childhood literacy.

ECRR is also partnering with the Dallas Arboretum to help celebrate the return of Spring. As part of the Dallas Arboretum's Dallas Blooms! event, ECRR and the Dallas Public Library are sponsoring children's storytimes on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11-11:30. Please join us for Mommy and Me Monday's and Tiny Tots Tuesdays from March 7th - April 19th.

In addition, ECRR will also be hosting Dr. Anne Van Kleeck, Professor of Language Science at the University of Texas- Dallas. Dr. Kleeck is an expert on childhood language development, and the importance of book sharing with children. Dr. Kleeck will be at the the J. Erik Jonnsson Central Library Auditorium on Saturday, March 26 from 10 - 12 . Please RSVP to 214 671-8291, or ECRR@dallaslibrary.org

Good Article about infant brain development.

2011-03-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

11 Facts every parent should know about their baby's brain.

This article briefly covers some great facts and tips about the most effective ways to help parents connect and teach their infants.

Highlights:
Babies learn best through interaction- this is why TV and DVD are not effective in teaching infants.
Music is an important part of infant development-however, it should be the primary focus when it is used, not just background noise.
Babies can be overstimulated as well- make sure that although they have rich verbal lives during most of the day, that they also have peaceful time to rest.

Text4baby- pregnancy and newborn care tips delivered to your phone for free!

2011-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

We just came across this and thought we would share it. Text4baby is a free service that sends pregnancy and newborn care tips through text messages to your phone for free! Available in English and Spanish, text4baby sends one text message a week with age and developmentally appropriate tips, phone numbers and other resources.

We can provide you with some free tips too! Our Born to Read workshops are designed specifically for new and expecting parents. They cover the importance of reading as a health issue. Providing a literacy rich environment helps promote brain growth and development!

To sign up for text4baby, either visit http://www.text4baby.org/index.html or Text BABY to 511411.

The previously promised new and exciting things!

2011-01-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last month, we promised that ECRR has lots of new and exciting things planned for the new year. As always, we will deliver! You've probably noticed the redesigned ECRR website already- if you have not visited yet, be sure to visit http://www.dallaslibrary.org/ecrr. There, you will find parent resources, activities related to the six skills, and information about upcoming events and workshops.

We are also rolling out some changes to our workshops. In addition to our 45 minute to 1 hour full workshop, we will begin to offer it as part of a four part workshop series. After the initial workshop which will provide an overview of the six skills, each of the next three workshops will focus on 2 skills. The Discovering Books Workshop will focus on Print Motivation and Print Awareness, the Stories & Sounds Workshop will focus on Narrative Skills and Phonological Awareness, and the Letters & Words Workshop will focus on Letter Knowledge and Vocabulary. By only focusing on 2 skills, we can focus on doing more activities with parents and caregivers. Doing these activities with a trained facilitator builds confidence in the parent, while also making the workshops fun for any children who attend!

We are also developing a program for "emerging readers," designed for parents whose children have begun to read, but are having some trouble. More details to come on that exciting project!

Holiday Happenings from ECRR!

2010-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are upon us! In between family gatherings, travel, and stress, it can feel like there's little time left for literacy and literacy activities. However, the hustle and bustle of the holidays present an especially good opportunity to introduce and reinforce early literacy skills. Long trips in the car are the perfect time for travel games, which can stimulate minds and keep children from being bored. Have children point out letters on liscense plates, restauraunt signs, car colors, or other sights they might see while on the road.

Holiday shopping is another great way to develop children's print awareness. Help children make their own shopping lists, with cut out coupons and pictures to help them find items in the store. Another fun activity is to point out items that start with the letters in the child's name. Hopefully this will make some of those particularly stressful moments in the holidays be not so stressful!

With the end of the year approaching quickly, we'd like to give thanks to our wonderful staff, volunteers, and community partners who have helped us reach over 32,000 children this year!

Next year will be even better. We'll be back in January new and improved website, which should offer creative activities, songs, and games to help your child learn to read. We also have some exciting new initiatives and curriculum changes planned to make workshops more fun and educationa for the whole family. In addition, the children's center at the J. Erik Jonsson Library (Downtown Dallas) will be re-opening early next year as well.

And finally, Happy Holidays from the ECRR Team!

December 2010 Newsletter

2010-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Audelia Road Workshop!

2010-12-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

ECRR has an exciting December coming up. First, There is a workshop coming up at the Audelia Road Library on Thursday, December 9, 2011, from 6:30 to 7:30. This workshop will be a fun and interactive way to learn in-depth knowledge about early literacy, and different activities, songs, and games that will help your children be ready to read. There will also be free books for audience members, so please, come join us! Kids are not only welcome, but encouraged to attend!

ECRR will also be at the "Holidays at the Market" celebration at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Dallas on Saturday, December 11, from 9-1. There will be information for parents, and a fun craft activity for the children. In addition, Santa will be there!

2010-11-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

International Book Fair!

2010-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 23, Every Child Ready to Read hosted an Artsmart workshop at the Dallas Public Library's International Book Fair! The International Book Fair is a chance for the public to appreciate and meet various local, national, and internationally known authors. Authors came from as far away as Cuba, Mexico and Bulgaria, but there was also a strong contingent of local authors from the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. In addition to children's activities such as the Artsmart Workshop, there were panel discussions, author meet and greets, and other exciting events.

At the Artsmart workshop, children and their parents learned about early literacy, and how different activities can help develop the six early literacy skills. The best and most important activity for early literacy development is book sharing and storytime. However, there are other activities, which are also helpful to early literacy development, such as dancing, singing, and arts and crafts activities.

Arts are a critical componant of Every Child Ready to Read's early literacy program. Well designed art activities teach children valuable early literacy skills without knowing that they're learning! At this event, children sang and danced to the Hokey Pokey, and made puppets with paper, crayons, and popsicle sticks.

These puppets can be used to develop a variety of skills. Telling a story with puppets makes it more to hear the story, increasing a child's print motivation. Puppets are also a fun way to introduce dialogic reading, a style of reading which transforms storytime from a passive activity to an active one. The easiest way to introduce dialogic reading is to simply ask questions about the events, characters, and pictures in the story. These can be about what a character is doing or feeling, or how it relates to an experience in a child's life. Make sure that these questions require a response that is not a simple "yes/no" answer. They can also be used to introduce narrative skills, and more advanced concepts such as dialogue, plot, and setting. Dialogic reading is one of the most powerful tools that parents and early childhood educators have to prepare children for literacy.

Note: if you want to do the activity at home, the craft is available at the following website: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/scarecrow/

ECRR@ The State Fair of Texas!

2010-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

This year, the Every Child Ready to Read program is at the State Fair of Texas! Every Child Ready to Read is hosting Mother Goose Storytime every day at the State Fair. Sponsored by Atmos Energy and a grant from the Texas Comission on the Arts, the Mother Goose Storytime is a fun (and educational) experience tailored for children from two to second grade. Located in the Schepps Dairy Children's Activity tent near the Chevrolet Main Stage on International Boulevard, Mother Goose Storytime is really at the center of the fair.

Mother Goose Stroytime has four performances per day, at 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 5:00. The State Fair of Texas runs every day from September 24 to October 17 at Fair Park in Dallas.

Mother Goose is performed by Margaret Clauder of MCP shows, who has performed at schools and libraries across the North Texas area.

So if you make it out to the State Fair of Texas, be sure to visit us
at Mother Goose Storytime - hundreds already have!

To whet your appetites, here's a short video of Mother Goose in action!

Festival Time!

2010-09-22T13:41:00.001-07:00

As the beginning of fall quickly approaches, Every Child Ready to Read has been very busy! In addition to our regular schedule of WIC and Parkland Health Clinics, Every Child Ready to Read has also been present at a number of community events, festivals and fairs. Last Saturday, September 18, Every Child Ready to Read was present at two different community festivals- The West Dallas community pep rally for education, and the House of Healing Hands' community health fair.

At the pep rally for education, put on by the Dallas Faith Communities Coalition at the Lakewest YMCA, parents and their children enjoyed bean bag chairs in the shade while listening to storytime with Dallas Public Library children's librarian May Shen. Parents also heard about helping their children get ready to read and recieved a free book as well!

At the House of Healing Hands' community health fair, Every Child Ready to Read braved a sunny Saturday to provide information about early literacy and a craft for children to complete that helped build literacy skills.

Every Child Ready to Read is available for community events and festivals, particularly those aimed at children and families.

ECRR's Art Smart at Tulisoma!

2010-09-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of August 28, the 8th Annual Tulisoma Book Fair took place at the African American Museum at Fair Park in Dallas. The Tulisoma Book Fair is dedicated to the African American Experience in the Southwest, and features a variety of fun and educational events for the whole family. This year, activities included a poetry slam, guided tours of important historical places in the area, and various talks by leaders in the African American community.

Also appearing was Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King Award. The Coretta Scott King Award is given by the American Library Association to authors and illustrators in recognition for the best African American children's story published that year. Mrs. Nelson won for her book "Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal." She attended and spoke at a children's breakfast on the morning of Saturday, August 28th. Immediately following the breakfast, Every Child Ready to Read conducted the "Art Smart" workshop, which is an expression of our belief in the important role that arts and crafts have in supporting early childhood literacy.

To this end, Every Child Ready to Read facilitated an arts and crafts activity that helped children develop letter knowledge. Letter Knowledge is the ability to know and distinguish letters based on their shapes and sounds. The children made refrigerator magnets with foam letters and shapes. Because they had to pick out the letters that spelled their name or another favorite word, it also meant they had to distinguish the "right" letters from the "wrong" letters. They also had to associate them with the proper sounds, and put them in the proper order. These sorts of exercises and activities help develop the minds of children and get them ready to read!

Volunteering

2010-08-19T08:37:00.001-07:00

In addition to Dallas Public Library staff, Every Child Ready to Read also uses volunteers from the community to accomplish its mission of reaching parents and caregivers at various sites throughout the City of Dallas. This summer, Every Child Ready to Read was lucky to have two volunteers from the Americorps Vista Program. The Americorps Vista program connects community members with organizations that enhance education and fight poverty.

The VISTA volunteers were awesome. In addition to helping out around the office, preparing materials for workshops and other events, they also conducted a number of workshops themselves. Together, they conducted 35 workshops, reaching over 235 parents!

Unfortunately, the VISTA program was for the summer only, and we were sad to see them go. However, Every Child Ready to Read's partnership with the Junior League of Dallas is starting up again for this year! The Junior League of Dallas is community service organization for that connects young women with organizations seeking volunteers. Junior League members perform 60 hours of community service from August through May, while also having full time jobs and families! We look forward to working with them in the year ahead.

But volunteering with Every Child Ready to Read does not have to be that much of a committment! We're always looking for volunteers who are excited about helping parents prepare their children for reading and school. Spanish and Bilingual speakers are especially needed! Even if its just for a few hours a month, we could really use your help! To recieve more information about volunteer opportunities, email us at ECRR@dallaslibrary.org or call us at (214) 671-8291.

Rocket Fiesta Palace

2010-08-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Rocket Fiesta Palace normally serves Dallas's Latino community as a place to host weddings and quinceañeras. But on Monday August 9th, it transformed into a center for early literacy!

Every Child Ready to Read taught a Spanish language workshop to excited parents and children about getting their children ready to read and ready to go to school. The workshop, which lasted about an hour, kept the attention of both parents and children through the dynamism of Every Child Ready to Read bilingual facilitator Luz Ramirez, and a fun craft activity that captivated both children and their parents.

Parents and children participated in bookmaking, (which we have discussed before) which combines a number of important skills that children need before kindergarten. In addition to Print Awareness, the knowledge of how books work, depending on what parents and children decide to put in the book, children can also develop their vocabulary, by identifying and organizing objects and concepts (such as feelings). If there is a logical progression to the book's contents, it also helps the child's narrative skill, which is the ability to follow a story that has a beginning, middle and end. If the book is organized by letters, it can also help with letter knowledge.