State Library Awards Year 2004 Parent and Child Library Services Grants
October 2004
Public libraries across the state will be getting a boost from the New York State Library for child and family literacy programs. New York State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries Janet M. Welch announced today that the New York State Library has awarded $285,000 in 2004-05 state funds for competitive Parent and Child Library Services Grants to 20 public libraries serving 168 library locations across the State.
"Parent and Child Library Services Grants offer important opportunities for families to broaden their horizons through education and literacy programs available through their public libraries. These grants allow libraries to create a wide variety of programs focusing on parents and children learning together and sharing the educational experience," commented Mrs. Welch.
The grant projects will offer library-based reading and parenting classes including storytimes, book discussion groups, computer training workshops, and much more. The libraries will partner with various community education and service agencies during the grant year. This year's programs include: parenting workshops, education and career fairs, an emerging literacy yoga program, bilingual literacy workshops, a kid-created online magazine, in-service training for library staff, and more.
According to Anne Simon, the State Library's Youth Services and Family Literacy Specialist, "These low-cost, high-impact programs not only help local public libraries meet local literacy needs, they also support student achievement."
The following is a list of the public libraries that received Parent and Child Library Services Grant awards:
Allegany Public Library (Cattaraugus County) $6,842 - Homework Help Centers
Allegany Public Library will set up a Homework Help Center for K-12 students in the Limestone's Youth Recreation Department and provide homework and Internet assistance with the help of student volunteers from St. Bonaventure University. The program will be supported by computers with Internet access plus reference books and CD's. Participating students, with the help of the SBU volunteers, will create 3 special programs for their parents to demonstrate what they have learned about safe and proper Internet use for homework. Parents will also be introduced to materials on Internet use, Internet safety and locating reliable web sources.
Brooklyn Public Library (Kings) $27,265 - Choices for Your Future: A Workshop Series for Young Adults/Year Two
A workshop series with information about careers and education will be offered for Brooklyn youth ages 13 to 18. The workshop content was selected by focus groups of teens and parents. The program will culminate in a Choices for Your Future Career Fair.
Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery (Montgomery) $6,603 - The Thing To Do, The Place To Be: Your Library
In collaboration with the Fort Plain Free Library, the Canajoharie Library will provide programs to increase independent reading and extracurricular educational activities for children with a special emphasis on boys in grades 5 through 8. The libraries will develop child advisory groups to help plan the programs. Separate programs will be offered for children and their parents.
Carthage Free Library (Jefferson) $13,222 - Parent/Child Reading Incentive
'Tweens, children in grades 5 through 8, and their parents will attend a series of book and movie discussions at the library. At-risk children will be targeted with the help of the partnering agencies: Mental Health Association, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council, ACT Council, Jefferson County Youth Bureau and the local schools. The project will help youth improve their literacy and communication skills as well as forge connections to their community, their parents and other adults.
The Field Library, Peekskill (Westchester) $11,038 - Parents as Learning Partners/Year Two
Parents with first and second graders will attend workshops focused on the English Language Arts and Mathematical Reasoning New York State Learning Standards. Local schools will help to identify students who are educationally at risk to participate in the workshops. The program will bring the participating children up to the skill levels of their peers and help their parents to assist their children with their education.
Geneva Free Library (Ontario) $15,755 - Wee Read Together/Year Two
The library will build upon Year One activities to provide expanded literacy outreach to four local child development centers. This includes special storytimes at the library and at the partner agencies as well as in-service training for childcare providers. The project will increase and improve the literacy-based programming of the child development centers and increase the visibility of the Geneva Free library in the community.
The Guilderland Public Library (Albany) $16,043 - Reading Connections @ the Guilderland Public Library: Linking Parents and Teens/Year Two
Expanding the program to include both 8th and 9th grade students, the Guilderland Library Young Adult Librarian, Guilderland school librarians, and school counselors will lead book discussion groups for teens and their parents. Communication at home will be increased with the shared experience of the books. An online chat forum will be provided for further parent/teen discussion. Authors of two of the books will participate in the book discussions.
James Prendergast Library Association, Jamestown (Chautauqua) $11,120 - The Write Team (To Excel and Mentor)
Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students with academic concerns will work together with their parents to create an online magazine of poems, stories, and articles. Students who have worked on the project will become literary mentors for younger students. The project will help students meet the New York State Regents Learning Standards, strengthen their computer skills and work to improve student achievement.
Liberty Public Library (Sullivan) $10,088 - Opportuniteen: Career Resource Center and Workshops
The library will create a job, college and career-oriented resource center targeted to young adults and their caregivers. Internships will be provided for at-risk youth through the partnerships with The Center for Workforce Development, Sullivan County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Liberty Central School District and community and business volunteers. The program will offer workshops to assist families in strengthening teens' academic performance and developing career and educational goals.
Mahopac Public Library (Putnam) $7,904 - Reading Readiness Through Yoga
Preschoolers and their parents or caregivers will be introduced to yoga as a means to improve the children's attention span. Each session, led by a certified yoga instructor, will integrate children's literature and simple yoga postures and relaxation exercises.
The New York Public Library, The Branch Libraries (Bronx, New York, Richmond) $32,690 - Children Together: Developing Inclusive Programs for Children & Their Caregivers/Year Two
Children's Librarians will be attending workshops on how to include children with special needs in library programming. Focus groups of children with special needs and their parents are helping to develop ideas for the workshops. The children's collection will be further augmented with books for and about children with special needs.
Olean Public Library (Cattaraugus) $11,494 - Investigation Stations/Year Two
Three-, four-, and five-year-old children will develop early literacy competencies with the hands-on, interactive investigation stations. The stations have been developed using the Multiple Intelligence theory and address multiple learning styles. In Year Two, the stations will be developed at a new site, nearly doubling the participation of year one. The library will create a manual for replication and expansion of the project.
Ossining Public Library (Westchester) $4,750 - Rimas y Ritmo/Year Two
Latino parents with children up to age four will attend a 5-week program of music, stories, and rhymes in Spanish and English. The library is collaborating with three area preschool programs to provide these services. The second year will place more emphasis on attracting working families to the library programs.
Patchogue-Medford Library (Suffolk) $30,019 - The Learning Connection: A Partnership for Literacy
The Patchogue-Medford Library, collaborating with four community organizations and the local school district, will provide enhanced services to Spanish-speaking families. These services will include a Saturday morning homework club staffed by a bilingual teacher, translated materials, library visits for English as a Second Language students, bilingual kits of read aloud stories, and other materials. Project goals include improving family literacy and actively helping parents to become involved with their children's education.
Patterson Library, Westfield (Chautauqua) $9,480 - Science Happenings
The library will collaborate with the Westfield Academy and Central School and the Westfield Recreation Commission to expand the opportunities for students and parents to engage in co-operative activities using science as common ground. The program will include field trips, science stations, and speakers, and the library will update its science book collection. Through these books and activities, the program will promote literacy and strengthen the reading skills of the students involved.
Poughkeepsie Public Library District (Dutchess) $10,849 - Las Familias y la Biblioteca/Year Two
The library is creating a comprehensive support system of services and programs for low-income Spanish speaking immigrant families with young children. Parent/Child Workshop sessions will be facilitated by a bilingual resource professional. A bi-lingual computer-literacy program will provide parents and youth with basic computer skills.
Queens Borough Public Library (Queens) $25,237 - All Kids Are Special
This project will improve the availability and quality of programs, materials, and other services to children with special needs, their parents, and caregivers. Training on delivering programs to special audiences will be provided to the children's librarians. Children with reading delays will read aloud to therapy dogs.
Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Community Library (Albany) $13,965 - Romp and Read, An Outreach Project to Families with Young Children/Year Two
Low-income families with young children will be introduced to rich language and play experiences that develop children's literacy skills with a program that reaches out to community locations in this library's very decentralized 140-square-mile service area. New locations will be added in Year Two and publicity will be expanded to attract new families. Weekly story programs and materials will be made available for parents that cannot get to the library.
Reading Room Association of Gouverneur (St. Lawrence) $13,538 - Gouverneur Library ARCH Program: A Reading Child's Happy
A literacy-rich program series for low-income families with children in grades K-3 will be offered at the library to model language arts activities. Literacy kits will be prepared for families to extend the learning day at home. The kits will include books, games, videos, music, and parent idea sheets.
Richmond Memorial Library, Batavia (Genesee) $7,102 - Partnership For Parenting Proficiency
The library will collaborate with Cornell Cooperative Extension Association, the Dispute Settlement Center and the Genesee/Batavia Courts to reach families who have had problems within the justice system. Through workshops that teach adults successful parenting techniques and storytime sessions for children, the project will develop parenting skills, improve literacy and encourage families to become lifelong learners.