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Early Childhood Literacy Training
for Library Staff:

  • Developing strong Early Childhood Literacy skills is an important part of children's healthy growth (Fasick & Holt, 2013).

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  • The following is a research-based, 12-month, plan for library staff about literacy training.

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  • Monthly training programs in ECL are required for all library staff​​

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  • "I don't work in the Children's Department. Why am I required to attend these monthly ECL training workshops?"

    • No matter where you work in the library, be it the reference section, circulation, teens, or management: your patrons of various ages are coming to you because someone fostered their early childhood literacy skills and helped to grow a life long library patron. You need to understand how you too can help create future life long library users. A child may not know that you do not work in the Children's section and ask you for assistance. Since you will be familiar with how to foster ECL skills in children, you can assist these young patrons in a way that benefits their ECL development. If we all work to develop lifelong readers and library users, we must all start by building a strong ECL foundation in our youngest patrons.

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  • The staff workshop topics will support the monthly ECL workshop topics being taught to caregivers by the Children's Librarian. This allows all staff to be prepared to answer any related questions and to create displays, resources, and programming across departments that support the monthly ECL focus.

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  • Each workshop takes place the second Tuesday of every month, from 1-2 pm, in Meeting Room Two.

READ ON!

READ ON!

The Monthly Workshop Topics for Staff Are:

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January: What are "Early Childhood Literacy" skills and how can I support their growth as a library staff member?

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February: How our library services and programming support early Childhood Literacy

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March: Customizing ECL skill development to your library department

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April: How can different library job roles support ECL skills in children's lives? 

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May: How to create and host ECL activities for the different ages and stages of development 

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June: How to create a collection, service plan, programming, and physical

space that supports representation of historically excluded peoples

                                                                                     June's Featured Title:

July: How to encourage and develop critical thinking skills in young children

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August: How to demonstrate and foster a love of reading in library patrons

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September: Making reading fun and not a chore for children, teen, and adult

patrons

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October: How to design and implement storytimes and programs that are

supporting the development of ECL skills

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November: Ways to incorporate ECL skills into different environments

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December: Dealing with roadblocks: What to do when children, teens, and

adults don't like to read?

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Important Details:

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  • At the first workshop, management will provide staff with a notebook, pen,

       ECL information packet, as well as monthly handouts.​

  • When not in use, staff should store these resources together in the accessible, designated, work location determined by department heads, as well as bring all of these resources to each workshop.

  • ​If a staff person misses a workshop, they must meet with their department head and the Children's Librarian to obtain the information and handouts they missed.

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Staffing:

  • The Children’s Librarian creates and hosts this program.

  • The Children's Library Technicians assist the librarian in setting up the meeting room, collating and creating the ECL folders and handouts, and assisting the librarian in the workshops.

  • This time slot has been carefully chosen after analyzing library usage statistics to determine a time when the library usage is slow.

  • As all library staff are required to attend the workshops, those not scheduled to work during that time are approved for additional pay and/or schedule flexing. Staff should speak with their department heads to obtain written authorization for schedule changes. 

  • During the workshops, three additional staff members (1 for circulation and phones, 1 for the children's room and 1 for reference) from a different library branch whose meetings are at a different time are authorized to provide coverage in our branch.

  • Staff may sign up to provide coverage at other branches for their ECL workshops at the sign up sheet in the break room.

 

Budgetary Information: The library has allocated budgetary resources in order to provide staff with notebooks, pens, information packets, and handouts. The library has also allocated additional pay, overtime approval, and coverage options for library staff who are not scheduled to work during the monthly ECL workshop time. 

Infographic by Laura Carpenter

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