The State Library of Ohio is pleased to offer this special program, through which libraries have an opportunity to apply for LSTA grant funds to expand their collections to include more Ohio book award winners and Ohio authors, incorporate programming, and expand community engagement and awareness of the state’s rich literary offerings and award programs. Early literacy-related projects eligible for this grant may include:
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a national campaign to encourage parents and caregivers to read aloud with their children for 15 minutes every day. Read Aloud offers a variety of free downloadable items including posters, parent handouts, bookmarks, and reading trackers.
Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps, and Libraries is a FREE professional development course offered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
On October 21, 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it has issued revised recommendations for children’s use of screen media. The announcement acknowledges the ubiquitous role of media in children’s lives. Among the AAP recommendations:
AWE is offering a multi-state group purchase special rate on its Early Literacy Station™ and AfterSchool Edge™ systems through December 15. All Ohio public libraries are eligible to participate, and there is no minimum purchase per library. The discounted prices are $470-570 off AWE’s regular prices for these products.
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a national campaign to encourage parents and caregivers to read to their children daily, for the many educational and developmental benefits that reading brings. The goal of Read Aloud is to make reading aloud, for at least 15 minutes a day, the national standard in child care.
Digital Media Training is coming to a library near you! Attend this FREE one-day train-the-trainer workshop and learn how to be a Media Mentor for families with young children.
Registration is open for the 2016 Ohio Library Council Convention & Expo, September 28-30 at Kalahari Resort, Sandusky.
New parent/caregiver tipsheets are available for Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) 2017 & 2018 titles! CTRO is a reading initiative encouraging Ohioans to read and share books together and to 
discover Ohio's authors and illustrators.
Free parent/caregiver tipsheets are available for each CTRO featured picture book. Sized to tuck into the book or hand out at storytime, the tipsheets feature simple activities to engage young children in talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.
Download and share these tipsheets, or write your own tipsheets for new picture books, books you share in storytime, or books that are popular with families at your library.
Are you looking for tips, techniques, and best practices for planning and producing online/virtual storytimes? Two recordings from webinars originally presented in summer 2020 are now available for free, anytime viewing via the Self-Paced Online Courses and Recorded Webinars page of the ORTR website! One is from the Ohio Library Council and the other is from WebJunction.
Find more self-paced learning opportunities for early childhood programming: ohreadytoread.org/recorded-webinars
COSI Connects provides engaging STEAM content daily through videos, documents, and hands-on science that students, teachers, and families can use at home. Content is tied directly to State of Ohio Learning Standards.
COSI Connects is for families and children anywhere in Ohio. It is free, and membership is not required. Activities are available for all age groups from early childhood through adults, and you may browse by age group to find just the early childhood activities.
The State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce the launch of the Day By Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar website. Day By Day Ohio is a tool that families, caregivers, educators, and librarians can use at home, at the library, on the go, and in the classroom. With a perpetual calendar featuring songs, activities, book suggestions, and videos, Day By Day Ohio offers resources to further develop early literacy skills that help young children prepare for, and to do better in, school. Children enjoy fun, positive learning experiences like Day by Day Ohio that support school success and, ultimately, lifelong learning. Share Day By Day Ohio with families and community organizations: http://DayByDayOH.org.
Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR), a national parent/caregiver outreach initiative, empowers public library workers to share early literacy knowledge with the caring adults in young children's lives. It was first rolled out in 2004, and is very familiar to children's services specialists. But what if you're a new children's librarian or specialist and you're hearing about ECRR for the first time? You've come to the right place!
