State Library Awards 2007-2009 Family Literacy Grants
August 2007
Fourteen counties across the State will be getting help from the New York State Library for family literacy library programs, New York State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries, Janet M. Welch, announced today. Ten grants to public libraries and public library systems totaling $600,000 will be awarded to support Family Literacy Library Services programs in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
“New York State’s family literacy grants help public libraries and public library systems develop or expand library services to parents, children and caregivers,” said Mrs. Welch. “All of the programs will reach out to families of diverse cultures and economic backgrounds, providing materials and activities to help them enjoy literacy experiences together.”
The grant programs, which help children develop skills and interests integral to success in meeting the New York State learning standards, will be offered through 91 public libraries and neighborhood branches across the State. Projects range from early literacy experiences for the very young to a community-wide reading event for teens. The libraries will partner with community education and service agencies during the grant years.
The following is a list of the public libraries and library systems that are receiving Family Literacy Library Services grant awards.
Brooklyn Public Library (Kings County) $92,076 – Para los Niños (For the Children)
Brooklyn Public Library will present a series of family literacy and learning workshops, Para los Niños, to help Spanish-speaking immigrant families and caregivers nurture their children’s early learning. A project team will present workshops at nine library branches, working with more than ten community partners. Spanish language and bilingual materials and program kits will support the project.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Erie & Niagara Counties) $92,420 - Get Graphic: Building Literacy and Community with Graphic Novels
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Get Graphic project will engage youth from 14 – 18 with their community. Teens and their parents, educators, librarians, radio and TV personalities, publishers, writers and illustrators will be involved in a series of innovative programs that explore the appeal of graphic novels and their educational roles. Fifty-eight public libraries in Erie and Nioga counties will present programs with an array of community partners, including Erie 1 BOCES, Nioga Library System, The University at Buffalo, Buffalo Public Schools, WBFO radio, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, William S. Hein & Co, and the Buffalo News.
Town of Indian Lake Public Library (Hamilton County) $36,715 – Bright Beginnings
The Town of Indian Lake Public Library, in partnership with the Indian Lake Central School, and Hamilton County Public Health Nursing Services will provide a free, community based, developmentally appropriate pre-kindergarten program for their youngest residents. Four-year-old children and their caregivers will use the library for family centered activities, reading, and interactive learning.
Irondequoit Public Library (Monroe County) $44,102 – Let’s Get Ready to Read
The Irondequoit Public Library will help parents and caregivers prepare their young children to enter school ready to succeed. The library’s Let’s Get Ready to Read programs will provide activities and interactive workshops to teach parents and child care providers how to develop early literacy skills through everyday activities and play. East and West Irondequoit Central Schools, Stepping Stones Learning Center, the Town of Irondequoit, and the Monroe County Library System will help the library reach diverse families.
James Prendergast Library Association, Jamestown (Chautauqua County) $30,599 – Get Me Ready to Read!
The James Prendergast Library Association’s Get Me Ready to Read project will teach proven parenting skills to prepare children to succeed when they enter Kindergarten. Family nights and parent workshops will be hosted by the Jamestown Community Learning Council, the Chautauqua Opportunities Head Start Connections South, the Library Literacy Center of the James Prendergast Library, and the Erie 2-Chautaqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Adult and Community Education Division.
Middle Country Public Library ( Albany, Rensselaer and Suffolk Counties) $70,139 – Family Place Libraries: Learning through Play and Partnerships
Middle Country Public Library, in partnership with the Americans for Libraries Council, will work with four public libraries in New York State (Deer Park Public Library, East Greenbush Community Library, Elmont Public Library, and Voorheesville Public Library) to help the libraries become part of the national network of Family Place Libraries. Family Place Libraries are community hubs for early childhood information, parent education, early literacy, socialization and family support. Core components include developmentally appropriate library collections of books, toys, and multimedia materials and extensive coalition building with community agencies to provide parents with access to strategies for healthy child development.
The New York Public Library, the Branch Libraries (New York, Bronx Counties) $92,420 – Vamos A Leer a Nuestros Niños (Let’s Read to Our Children)
The New York Public Library’s project, Vamos a Leer a Nuestros Niños (Let’s Read to Our Children) will teach Hispanic parents and caregivers the importance of early literacy activities through 120 community-based reading programs in pediatric clinics, doctor’s offices and hospitals. The library’s partner, Reach Out and Read of Greater New York will provide training to the program’s early literacy staff and access through 12 branch libraries to outreach sites in the Bronx and upper Manhattan. The library will produce brochures that reinforce early literacy concepts for a Spanish-speaking audience and increase library collections of Spanish-language children’s titles and parenting books.
Oneida Public Library (Madison County) $88,326 -- Standing Tall
The Oneida Public Library will provide family literacy and parent education that is both library and home-based to families who are economically disadvantaged and have low literacy skills. Partners include the Oneida City School District and ten service agencies. Through individualized and group instruction, as well as interactive family programming, parents will be able to learn the skills they need as their child’s first and best teacher.
Richmond Memorial Library (Genesee County) $31,139 – Giving Reading Opportunities
The Richmond Memorial Library will expand its programming and media campaign, Read to Me…Help me GRO, to educate the community about the importance of preschool literacy. The library will organize off-site story hours, read aloud training and distribution of parenting information to new parents who have low incomes. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eat Smart NY program and the United Memorial Medical Center’s Medicaid Obstetric Material Services Program will help the library extend the program to their clients.
Stephentown Memorial Library (Rensselaer County) $22,064 – Supporting the 3Rs – Rural Reading Readiness in Stephentown, NY
Stephentown Memorial Library, in partnership with the town's K-3 elementary school, will provide educational and cultural opportunities for families with preschool and elementary school-aged children. The library will use its newly added space for class visits, preschool programs, parent workshops and literacy activities.