Talk about inspiration! I attended a fabulous program, which highlighted a panel of early literacy librarian experts. They talked about their wide variety of experiences developing collaborative partnerships in their community. Here are 3 of my quick takeaways:
- If you can train other community partners to extend your reach and support the goals of promoting literacy and school literacy, your impact multiplies.
- Our role as early literacy advocates should be to partner with local social service agencies to work together to break the cycle of illiteracy. Seek out homeless shelters, food banks, and other childhood agencies and connect with their professionals.
- Start up a conversation with parents and caregivers! Sometimes a quick 5-10 minute convo that includes a few early literacy tips is more meaningful and accessible to at-risk families, rather than offering librarian-led lecture style presentations about early literacy. Make it personal and get to know their children individually.
What tips do you have for maintaining successful and meaningful early literacy partnerships in your community?