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BookPartners
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Reading
aloud to children builds
essential skills
for learning to read.
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The Child
Care Working Group launched BookPartners, a drive to provide
high quality, engaging books in child care and early education
programs. The early childhood years, from birth through age
eight, are the most important period for literacy development.
And the single most important activity for building understanding
and skills essential for reading success appears to be reading
aloud to children.
For the child:
It's a way to develop skills crucial to learning
to read:
- Awareness and appreciation
of sounds and words;
- A knowledge of word
meanings; and
- An understanding that
printed words have meaning.
For the teacher/caregiver:
Books provide the tools
so that teachers may:
- Draw children's attention
to letters and words.
- Talk about stories.
- Help children learn to answer
questions and explain things, follow directions, and pay
attention to visual details.
- Teach concepts such as measuring,
days of the week, facing fears, appropriate behavior,
prediction (cause and effect).
- Focus on vocabulary development.
("Vocabulary" is more than words. It's hard to read words
or sentences that you don't ordinarily hear or use.)
Being read to results
in helping children reach their potential in
school, beginning in Kindergarten, through:
- Improved listening skills
- Increased attention span
- Improved vocabulary
- Improved sentence structure
and grammar
- Developed problem solving
skills
You
can become a BookPartner, too!
BookPartners matches
business and groups as partners with child care and early
education programs throughout Greater New Orleans for the
purpose of providing young children with high quality, engaging
books in preschool classrooms.
The way BookPartners works:
First: A business or group
decides on the amount they would like to dedicate to
the purchase of new books for a program.
Second: They pick a program. They may want to choose
one with whom they already have a relationship. They may
want to invite employees to nominate the programs their
children attend. Or, we can provide a list of programs in
their area. If they want us to recommend a program, we would
be glad to do that.
Third: They let us know their plans. Three options are:
- We will provide them with
a list of recommended books and a list of participating
bookstores who will offer a discount. They buy the the
books and present them to the program.
- We buy the books, deliver
them to the partner, and they present the books to the
program.
- We buy the books and present
the books in their name to the programs.
You are invited to become a partner
in this exciting new effort to prepare young children for
success in school. It's very simple; contact the Child Care
Working Group from the information below.
Contact the Child Care Working Group:
Fleur M. McCrocklin at 504-586-8509 ext. 26 fmccrocklin@agendaforchildren.org
Books Available
for BookPartners
BookPartners has
benefited from the support of the National Council of Jewish
Women (NCJW), Greater New Orleans Section in creating libraries
for young children. Due to their generosity, we have some
excellent books to distribute. Scholastic Book Fair has matched
the gift from NCJW.
If you are a Class A Center licensed by the State of Louisiana
or a registered Family Child Care Provider, and your program
receives Child Care Assistance payments, you may be eligible
to receive free books. Directors, teachers, and caregivers
may apply by submitting a brief written request. One page
is fine but the limit is not rigid. Tell us about yourself.
Describe your program and the number and ages of children
for whom you care. Why do you need books? Do you have a library
or reading area? How would you use them in your curriculum?
How would you use books to enhance literacy development of
the children?
The Family Child Care Provider or the center director must
sign the request. Send your request to the address below.
It will be reviewed and a decision made. You will be notified.
This offer is for programs located in Orleans Parish. The
supply is limited.
Children's Services Collaborative
1720 St. Charles
New Orleans, LA 70130-5224
For information on any of these initiatives,
contact us at:
Phone: 504-586-8506 ext. 26 Fax: 504-586-8522
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