The purpose of these workshops is to train librarians and early childhood educators in methods which will assist them in their work with parents and caregivers. Storytimes alone aren't enough. Children need parents and caregivers, who are with them daily, to help instill these early literacy skills. Parents and caregivers rely on our support and benefit from the knowledge obtained from the research to help them become their child's first teacher.

The PLA/ALSC Every Child Ready to Read® @ Your Library® workshops are funded by the State Library of Ohio utilizing Library Services and Technology Act funds (LSTA) funds. Sue McCleaf Nespeca will conduct workshops across the state over the next two years.

Early Childhood workshop participants will receive an in-service training form for a maximum of 7 contact hours. Participants should check with employers or licensing authorities for applicability in meeting continuing education requirements. Librarian workshop participants may also be eligible to use this training toward professional certification.

Training will provide an overview of how library staff and early childhood educators can present three parent/caregiver workshops targeted to children's different developmental levels, including:

•  Early Talkers (Newborn to Two-Year-Olds)

•  Talkers (Two- and Three-Year-Olds)

•  Pre-Readers (Four- and Five-Year Olds)

Participants will learn:

•  Current research on early literacy development

•  The role of the parent/caregiver

•  Examples of the development of the six early literacy skills (link to PDF) at each level

•  Techniques to start new community partnerships and to strengthen existing ones

Librarians and early childhood educators will be able to assist parents in gaining the skills they need to help their children come to school prepared and ready to learn to read. For more information, see About READY TO READ.

Click here for Training Schedule

READY TO READ is administered by the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Library Council and is made possible, in part by Federal Library Services and Technology Act Funds, awarded to the State Library of Ohio by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Dayton Metro Library and Columbus Metropolitan Library have provided additional resources to this project.