New York State Library

Supercharged Storytimes for All

The New York State Library, through its Ready to Read at New York Libraries initiative, has partnered with OCLC’s WebJunction to bring the successful Supercharged Storytimes for All (SSA) program to youth services public library staff across the state! Whether you are new to developing and offering storytimes or a seasoned provider with years of experience, this free program will help you to deepen and enhance your services to young children and their families.

The Supercharged Storytimes for All project is supported in part with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Registration

No scheduled sessions at this time. Please check back.

Please be sure to check with your library administration before registering. There is a significant time commitment, and it is important your supervisor is aware and on board. Registered attendees are expected to be at all of the live weekly class meetings unless excused by the trainer, and may only miss one live session in order to get a certificate of completion. If a live session is missed, the work must still be completed. All sessions are recorded and can be viewed, as needed.

Participants should expect to spend an average of three hours per module (this includes participating in the live session and applying what was learned). The application component is what makes this such a powerful professional development opportunity! There are a total of six modules, and they are presented over five weeks.

Upon training completion, participants will receive a certificate for professional development contact hours (one hour of instruction = one contact hour).

Participants are required to register and complete the full training (all six modules).

Format and Curriculum

While on the surface Ready to Read at New York Libraries training and SSA are both early literacy-focused trainings, they are actually quite different. Ready to Read training components explore a wide variety of topics, including community assessment, partnerships and outreach, and early learning spaces. SSA, on the other hand, is deeply focused on the development and delivery of storytimes. Ready to Read is typically offered as in-person training, while SSA is offered in convenient online or blended formats with the added bonus of an active, statewide online learning community.

The program is based on the powerful VIEWS2 findings, which confirmed the effectiveness of key storytime strategies. WebJunction teamed up with early literacy expert Saroj Ghoting to translate the research into best practices and to develop a comprehensive, real-world curriculum for library staff.

SSA training includes the following six modules offered over the course of several weeks in either a live, fully online or blended (online and in-person) format. By spacing the sessions, participants are able to return to their libraries, incorporate what they learned using provided tools and resources, and share with peers in the online learning community. The curriculum was specifically designed to provide participants with a practical and effective “learn by doing” experience!

  • Module 1: Key Supercharged Storytime Components
  • Module 2: Introducing More Early Literacy Components and Connecting with Parents and Caregivers at Storytime
  • Module 3: Background Knowledge: The Sixth Early Literacy Component
  • Module 4: Assessment of Storytime Practice
  • Module 5: Supercharging Storytime Through an Equity Lens
  • Module 6: Growing Your Supercharged Practice

SSA Trainers

Beth Rienti

Beth Rienti is the Public Services Consultant at the Mohawk Valley Library System. Prior to this position, Beth has worked as a Children's Librarian, Youth Services Department Head, Elementary School Librarian and a preschool teacher.

Tonia Burton

Tonia Burton is one of the original trainers from the first round of SSA trainings in 2018 and we are delighted to have her participate again! Tonia began her library career at the Memphis & Shelby County Library System in adult services until a children's services job came up. After completing her MLS at the University of Buffalo, she became the Children's Services Manager at the Brighton Memorial Library for six years where she learned the joys of storytime. In 2012, she looked for a new challenge and moved to the Central Library.

Tonia is now the Children's Services Consultant for the Monroe County Library System and the Coordinator for Rochester Raising A Reader.

Last Updated: August 18, 2023