No early literacy initiative for
children can be complete without acknowledgement and focus on the parents that
have brought their little ones into the library. Parents are the main teachers
of their children and it is they who will continue any early literacy work a
librarian will begin once they return home. The goal of a librarian is to
educate parents on early literacy practices and child development so that they
can prepare their children to succeed. Storytime and other early literacy
programs are an excellent time to engage children but librarians should also
engage parents and use the program as an opportunity to educate parents on
early literacy practices. When discussing the use of predictable books in
storytime Giles and Fresne (2015) write “providing a further explanation of a
predictable text makes adults aware of their value to children’s literacy
development,” (p.33). Librarians can explain the value of repetition in early
literacy and how these books develop children’s language. By incorporating small
early literacy asides during storytimes librarians can educate parents on how
to help their children develop literacy skills. Parents who understand the
importance of these books and other early literacy activities will be better
able to include them in their daily life.
But parent education doesn’t have to
stop at storytime. Plenty of libraries have created programs that educate
parents on child development, early literacy, and numerous other topics to help
caregivers successful raise their children. A new practice, called Family Place
Libraries, develops library spaces that encourage family use. Family Place
Libraries hold a five week parent/ child workshop that invites parents of
toddlers to come and interact while learning more about their child’s
development (Feinberg & Schull, 2001). Each workshop starts with an open
play time during which the librarian and a childcare professional, such as a
speech therapists or preschool teacher, talk informally with caregivers,
offering advice and answering questions (Feinberg & Schull, 2001).
Librarians are able to provide important parenting education in an informal atmosphere
that puts parents at ease. The national coordinator
for Family Place Libraries believes in this informal program model, stating “ ‘education
is not always formal—and public libraries provide that community space for
anytime, anywhere learning where librarians can model early learning strategies
and behaviors for parents,’ ” (Kropp,
2015, para. 3). A workshop for parents that encourages informal learning ensures
parents are able to ask questions, observe other parents, children, and
librarians, and become educated on how to best support their child for future
success. Parent/ Child workshops give parents the education they need to succeed.
It takes careful planning and
thought in order to implement an effective parent education workshop in the
library. Librarians need to focus on parents and their needs in order to be
sure the program will be helpful for each parent who attends. C. Everet Koop
(2011) notes the importance of programming to parents in the library by stating
“a solid parent-child relationship sets a firm foundation for all other
programming offered in family literacy programs,” (p.3). Parent education
programs create a solid standing for all the early literacy programs that are
seen in the library. A parent that learns of early literacy practices in a
parent education workshop is able to incorporate them at home and fully embrace
their use in storytimes and toddler programs. Koop (2011) suggests the key to
creating a successful parent education workshop is to ensure that the program clearly
defines goals and outcomes, includes parents in planning and topic selection, builds
on the parents’ current strengths, facilitates a parent support system, provides
information on local resources, utilizes empathetic staff, and meets on a continuous
basis (p.3). A parent education workshop that incorporates these key components
will be able to meet the needs of local parents while connecting them to the
resources and information that they need. By creating an effective workshop in
this manner libraries are able to provide parents with the help they need and to
build a foundation for further learning in the library for both caregivers and their
children.
In developing a program for parents
it is important to focus on the way staff and guest representatives interact with
caregivers. Doctors T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua Sparrow (2003) have developed
a new model, named The Touchpoints Model of Development, for interacting with
caregivers that can improve relationships between parents and childcare
professionals while building a sense of collaboration. In the Touchpoints model
providers must move beyond searching for fault in a caregiver’s parent skills
but instead focus and build on the success the parent has had (Brazelton &
Sparrow, 2003). In addition to this providers should value their relationship
with the parent, focus on the relationship between child and parent, be aware
of their own biases, be able to support a parent’s success, and most
importantly remember that “the parent is the expert on his/her child,” (Brazelton
& Sparrow, 2003, p.2-3). Following this model will allow librarians to
create an empathetic and collaborative environment in their programs that
builds on the success of the parent.
Caregivers will appreciate the efforts of the library and will be more
likely to return to a place where they feel supported and well treated. Further
information on this model is provided in the following video below by Dr. Brazelton
himself.
Libraries play a vital role in
supporting parents in successfully raising their children. By creating programs
that surround parent education we are able to support the parents in our
community to promote early literacy skills and proper child development. In
doing so we create a foundation for future success for all the children in our
libraries.
References
Brazelton, T. B., & Sparrow, J.
(2003). The touchpoints model of
development. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1212433/files/44590489/download
County of Los Angeles. (2016).
Untitled picture of parents and children in the library [Online image]. Retrieved
December 4, 2016 from http://elf2.library.ca.gov/images/programs.jpg
Family Place Libraries. (2011).
Untitled picture of mother and baby reading a book [Online image]. Retrieved
December 4, 2016 from http://www.familyplacelibraries.org/images/mcplmomlayingandreadingtobabyboy.jpg
Feinberg, S., & Schull, D. D.
(2001). Family place libraries: Transforming public libraries to serve very
young children and their families. Zero to Three. Retrieved from http://www.familyplacelibraries.org/documents/zerotothreearticle-1.pdf
Giles, R. M., & Fresne, J.
(2015). Musical stories: Infusing your read-alouds with music, movement, and
sound. Public Libraries, 54(5), 31-34.
Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8164d969-a69d-4854-99b6-672f1bf6d96a%40sessionmgr107&vid=0&hid=101
Kalamazoo Public Library. (2016).
Untitled picture of a librarian at storytime [Online image]. Retrieved December
4, 2016 from Kalamazoo Public Library. (2016). Untitled picture of a librarian
at storytime [Online image]. Retrieved December 4, 2016 from http://www.kpl.gov/uploadedImages/Youth_Services/Kids/Family_Place/family-place-story-place-2014-598.jpg
Koop, C. E. (2011). Family literacy
program – Parenting education. Illinois
Literacy, winter, 3. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=515f10f4-ec1e-4c62-97ce-1ace4ce2a47a%40sessionmgr105&vid=1&hid=101
Lisa G. Kropp. (2015, June 8). Family
Place Libraries recast the librarian’s role in early learning [Web log
comment]. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2015/06/opinion/first-steps/family-place-libraries-recasts-the-librarians-role-in-early-learning/#_
MetroUnitedWay. (2008, November 11).
Dr. Brazelton explains touchpoints/ touches on systems theory [Video file].
Retreived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OzEGgcOJ14
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