This month, the Early Childhood Program and Services Committee started its four-part webinar series. They are all free! The first webinar titled “Ages and Stages in Early Literacy Programming,” covered best practices in early literacy programming at different developmental stages for children ages birth to five years old. If you missed it, not to worry, you can access an archived version of it here! All archived webinars are free for ALSC members, and $25 for non-members.
The second webinar in the series titled “Early Literacy Spaces at the Library,” will take place on January 5th at 3pm EST. No matter if you have a large space to dedicate to early literacy at your library, or if you think you have too small of a space to have a dedicated early literacy section at your library, this webinar will have tips and tricks to spruce up your space to encourage ECRR2’s five practices: Reading, Talking, Singing, Writing and Playing. By the end of the webinar, you will learn how to alter the physical environment of your children’s space to foster early literacy skill building and learn simple, but effective ways to transform your space, no matter how small, into a developmentally appropriate and print rich environment. Interested in registering? Click here!
At 12pm EST on February 21st, the Committee will be taking your library programming on the road! The third installment in the series titled, “Early Literacy Outside the Library Walls,” will focus on how to create effective, long-lasting relationships with a variety of community partners. We will cover topics such as, how to create buy-in from potential partners, and best practices to take your reading, talking, singing, writing and playing outside the library. These strategies will help your library better engage with your community and empower parents and caregivers to be their child’s first teachers. Interested in registering? Click here!
The final installment in the series titled, “Early Literacy and STEAM,” will take place on March 2nd, 3pm EST. This webinar will discuss research that details the importance of the connection between STEAM and early literacy. You will learn fun ways to incorporate STEAM into your existing programming, and find inspiration to create new STEAM focused programming to engage young children and their families. Through providing STEAM programming at your library, you are playing a critical role in meeting a national priority to offer year-round STEAM focused participatory learning opportunities with substantial learning outcomes. Interested in registering? Click here!
Remember, all of the webinars are free, and if you’re interested in the webinars, but are unable to attend on the dates offered, you can access the archived versions of the series here, after each webinar takes place. Each webinar will last approximately one hour. The Early Childhood Program and Services Committee hopes to see a lot of webinar participants in the New Year!