August, 1999

STATE LIBRARY AWARDS 1999 PARENT AND CHILD LIBRARY SERVICES GRANTS

State Librarian Janet M. Welch announced today that the New York State Library's Division of Library Development is awarding 20 Parent and Child Library Services Grants totaling $300,000 to 112 public libraries and neighborhood branches. "These low-cost, high-impact programs will assist parents in becoming the first teachers and nurturers of their children and help children enter school ready to learn, said Welch."

Local libraries submitted 51 applications requesting a total of $907,883. State funds will provide parenting information and literacy services to teen and low-income parents and library resources and programming to English-as-second-language families. Partnerships include a rich variety of community groups such as doctors and medical service providers, local school districts, child care providers, home schooling families, children’s authors and illustrators and much more. Projects are funded through June 30, 2000.

The State Library's Coordinator of Statewide Library Services, Carol Ann Desch commented, "Selecting projects to fund from the limited dollars available for this popular and highly competitive State program is always a challenge for our staff and outside reviewers. We're proud that this year's grant projects serve a remarkable diversity of families and children from birth to teenage with a broad array of library services."

Anne Simon, the Division of Library Development's program officer for parent and child library services said, "Public libraries reach the broadest community audiences of any educational institution and do more for preschool and school-age learning than is generally recognized. The grants we awarded this year enable the selected libraries to initiate important and innovative programs that they previously lacked the resources to carry out."

The Governor and Legislature funded the Parent and Child Library Services Grant Program for the first time in 1993. The grants are awarded to libraries that provide innovative programs to help children do well in school, use the public library as an integral part of learning throughout the school years and involve parents in their children's education from an early age. Priority is given to programs that encourage preschool, after-school, weekend and summer learning programs for children. Preferred programs also utilize museums, public television, historical societies, environmental centers, libraries and other cultural resources.

The New York State Library's Division of Library Development provides leadership and support to some 7,000 libraries and library systems throughout the state. The Division strives to encourage and facilitate cooperation and sharing of resources so that all New Yorkers will have access to quality library services. The Parent and Child Library Services Grants are awarded and administered by the New York State Library's Division of Library Development. The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department and is located in the Cultural Education Center of the Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany, New York.

For further information on the Parent and Child Library Services Grant Program, contact Anne Simon, Division of Library Development, New York State Library at asimon@mail.nysed.gov or at 518-486-2194 or visit the New York State Library's Web Site at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/parchld/

A list of New York State public libraries receiving Parent and Child Library Services grants follows:

ANDOVER PUBLIC; BELFAST PUBLIC; BELMONT LITERARY & HISTORICAL SOCIETY; COLONIAL LIBRARY, Richburg; FRIENDSHIP FREE; (Allegany County); ADDISON PUBLIC; AVOCA FREE; DORMANN, Bath; WAYLAND FREE (Steuben County) - Get Excited About Reading (G.E.A.R.) - $39,755
The G.E.A.R. project partners will train library workers in small and rural libraries to provide literature-based programming for child care providers and families with children in child care, as well as expand existing library resources and connect child care providers and parents with public library literacy-based services.

BETHLEHEM PUBLIC LIBRARY, Delmar (Albany County): Homework Connections All Around - $8,296
The local public and parochial schools, home schooling families and the Upper Hudson Library System will work with the public library to develop a training video about the role of parents as a homework coach and facilitator. Brochures and workshops teaching parents the "Big 6 Skills" approach will supplement and publicize the video. Copies of the video will be made available to library systems statewide.

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY, BUSHWICK, MAPLETON AND RYDER BRANCHES (Kings County): 1-2-3 Read! - $33,223
The public library will engage multi-lingual families with children in grades 1-3 in reading and writing programs to enhance literacy skills for both parents and children.

BROWNVILLE-GLEN PARK LIBRARY (Jefferson County): PALS (Parents And Library Systems): Playing To Learn - $5,532
Working with Head Start, local schools, Jefferson Community College and home schooling families, the public library will create home-use kits that promote whole language learning experiences for parents and children of educationally and financially disadvantaged families. Workshops, displays and expanded library hours will be offered to promote the kits and increase the number of library cardholders.

FREEPORT MEMORIAL LIBRARY (Nassau County): Home Education/Library Connection - $6,740
The public library will use workshops, an expanded Parent/Teacher collection and access to technology-based resources to bring home schooling families into the public library.

HAMMONDSPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY, PULTENEY FREE LIBRARY (Steuben County): Seeds for Literacy Program - $10,000
Two public libraries, in collaboration with the Hammondsport Central School District, will offer an intensive library-based kindergarten readiness program. The school district will provide pre-program and post-program testing to study the effects of the library programming on the students’ school performance.

HEMPSTEAD PUBLIC LIBRARY (Nassau): Helping Parents and Children Make the Library Connection - $13,858
A series of programs for parents and children, to be held first at the Salvation Army Day Care Center and then the public library, will introduce parents and children to library materials and services. The library will tie these programs in with the services of the library’s Adult Learning and Job Information Center.

HENRY WALDINGER MEMORIAL LIBRARY, Valley Stream (Nassau County): Focusing on Teens: A Library/School Cooperative Venture - $6,500
Special programs of interest to teens and their parents will use library resources to promote dialogue and understanding on topics of interest to families of teenagers, such as peer pressure, academic achievement, gangs, substance abuse, etc.

JAMES PRENDERGAST LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Jamestown (Chautauqua County): Page Turners: Books To Read And Discuss - $15,099
Using community role model adults and parents as well as children’s authors, the library will provide lively activities that give children ages 8-14 who have lost interest in reading an enjoyable experience with books.

KING MEMORIAL LIBRARY, Machias (Cattaraugus County): Infants And Toddlers Get Ready To Learn - $7,318
The Get Ready to Learn library storytelling and materials program will be expanded to include children birth to age 3 through outreach services to parents and babies at outreach locations such as W.I.C sites, Early Head Start and a local Parent Resource Center.

MASTICS-MORICHES-SHIRLEY COMMUNITY LIBRARY (Suffolk County): Reach Out and Read - $18,553
By teaming with the medical community, the library will nurture early literacy of young children in at-risk families through storytime programs at community health center locations, enhanced with training videos for parents and reading "prescriptions" from health center workers.

MIDDLE COUNTRY PUBLIC LIBRARY, Centereach(Suffolk County): Parents and Children Using Technology Together (PACTT) - $14,267
Technology training for parents and children together will be used to promote parent and child literacy skills development for a target audience of educationally disadvantaged parents and those whose primary language is other than English.

NEW HARTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY (Oneida County): NHPL/NHCS "Family Webucation" Program - $5,087
A public library/public school partnership that includes home-schooling families in the New Hartford area will provide Internet training, related library research skills in print and electronic media and promote greater parental involvement in the educational process for middle-school children (grades 6-9). The State Police will assist in teaching families about safe use of the Internet for young people.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE BRANCH LIBRARIES (Bronx, New York and Richmond Counties): Picture This! Using Children’s Books To Develop Creativity - $25,875
Artists and illustrators of children’s picture books will be at the core of workshops for preschool through second grade children and their parents to stimulate intellectual development, creativity and self-expression. A brochure recommending family art activities and picture books to supplement the workshop activities will be distributed to families at NYPL’s 75 branches and shared with the Brooklyn and Queens Borough Public Libraries.

OLEAN PUBLIC LIBRARY (Cattaraugus County): Books, The Best Medicine For The Mind - $12,510
Building on the success of the Boston Medical Center model, Reach Out and Read, will include a partnership of local medical groups, the County health department, Friends of the Library and the Olean Area Community Literacy Partnership to provide activities that develop parental skills in reading to their young children.

ONEIDA PUBLIC LIBRARY, CANASTOTA PUBLIC, MORRISVILLE VILLAGE; (Madison County); CAMDEN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, VERNON PUBLIC (Oneida County): Great Start Grows - $15,663
Four more libraries will join the Great Start program initiated by the Oneida Public Library to provide families at risk and teenage mothers with literacy and parenting skills programming. A Family Ties Network Resource Center will be developed at the Oneida Library to provide ongoing outreach support to library and family coalition partners.

PATTERSON LIBRARY, Westfield (Chautauqua County): Computer Ready: Preschoolers & Parents Computing Together - $7,659
Technology-based kindergarten readiness skills at the public library will be promoted through a partnership with preschool program and child care providers and W.I.C. and Even Start programs.

PATTERSON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Patterson (Putnam): Lifelong Learners: Parents And Children - $24,000
To support the Regents’ higher learning standards for middle school students, a series of parent/child workshops will enable parents to help their children reach their academic and personal potential by building on personal assets, developing communication skills and promoting academic excellence.

TOMPKINS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, Ithaca: Babies and Books Belong Together - $8,970
Building on the successful Project First Book program of the Family Reading Partnership of Tompkins County, this project will provide incentives for families to bring their babies to the public library for a welcoming orientation program.

UTICA PUBLIC LIBRARY, C. W. CLARK MEMORIAL, Oriskany Falls; KIRKLAND TOWN, Clinton, (Oneida County); FRANK J. BLASOE, Herkimer (Herkimer County): Developing Middle Ground - $21,095
Four public libraries will cooperate and use technology-based activities to attract middle school students and their parents to use the library. Staff training to develop the special skills needed to work with early adolescents will be a key component of this project.

Last modified on August 9, 1999/kmc
For questions or comments contact Anne Simon.
URL: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/parchld/99awards.htm