Early Readers Now
As the Early Readers Now program transitions into its second year of D.C. LEARNs management, new ideas, which build upon the foundation of promoting school readiness in young children, will be implemented with several significant outcomes in sight.
The pilot year of Early Readers Now, 2006-2007, focused primarily on volunteer recruitment and management for the one-on-one Book Buddy model. Following this original model, which was actually created in 2005, D.C. LEARNs placed volunteers readers, also called “Book Buddies”, in D.C. child development centers, where they were matched with a -3 or -4 year old student. Once a week, or twice a month, the two book buddies would read aloud together, and engage in various literacy activities with the overall goal of promoting early literacy skill development that would prepare the child for entering kindergarten.
Although a few book buddy partnerships proved successful during the pilot year, a number of factors created some challenges which prevented us from accomplishing some objectives. While we were able to distribute close to 4,000 books to several child development centers, we were not able to place as many book buddy volunteers as we'd hoped.
After carefully analyzing what worked and what did not, we were able to restructure the project in a way that greatly expands volunteer opportunities, thereby giving us the ability to serve a greater number of children; additionally, we've added an entirely new focus to the project. In 2008, we will also focus our efforts on building the capacity of these child development centers through a series of Institutes, which will strengthen early literacy instruction, and better equip centers to support volunteers, and use them to their greatest potential.
For more information, please contact Jessica Young, Early Readers Now Coordinator, at jyoung@dclearns.org, or call 202-331-0141 ext. 23. Be sure to check our web page regularly as well, for updates on volunteer opportunities, such as our new Adopt-a-Center program, as well as the innovative Early Childhood Center Capacity Building Institute for participating Early Readers Now child development centers!
April 17, 2008
Become a Book Buddy Volunteer: Inspire Early Readers!
If you love working with children, and have a desire to help prepare them for entering Kindergarten by supporting the development of their literacy skills, Early Readers Now is the perfect volunteer opportunity for you!
We are currently recruiting Book Buddy Volunteers to be placed in District child development centers throughout the summer and fall of 2008. Book Buddies read to Pre-K students in a one-on-one or small group setting, and engage them in a number of fun literacy-based activities and games. The time commitment is small-only one hour per week-but the impact you'll have on a child's school readiness, and the memories you'll create while fostering a love of reading in your student will last for years to come!
Please call or email Jessica Young, Early Readers Now Coordinator, at 202-331-0141 ext. 23, or jyoung@dclearns.org and find out how you can get involved in the nationwide Pre-K literacy movement today!
November 28, 2007
Finding Ways to Volunteer in Early Literacy Has Never Been So Easy!
A common challenge for many would-be volunteers over the past year has been the weekly, daytime hours time commitment that is required for reading aloud to preschoolers in the Early Readers Now program. Although we plan to continue recruiting volunteers for the original one-on-one book buddy model, we have expanded our list of opportunities in an effort to maximize our volunteer numbers, serve our students more holistically, and impact a much larger population of children.
You can volunteer with the Early Readers Now Literacy Program in the following ways:
1. Become a Book Buddy
~This opportunity is ideal for an individual interested in working one-on-one with a student, or a small group of -3 or -4 year olds on a weekly basis. A book buddy must be able to commit between one and two hours per week to being present in his/her placement center, and working with his/her student(s). It is important to note that due to attendance issues, book buddies may work with a different child or small group of children each week. Volunteer activities as a weekly book buddy include reading aloud to children, engaging students in activities that follow a classroom theme in order to provide further enrichment, along with other general activities that promote literacy development, such as one-on-one conversation, drawing and describing pictures, and assisting students with practicing counting and letter recognition.
2. Adopt-A-Center
~This is an excellent opportunity for businesses, government agencies, and community-based/faith-based organizations interested in volunteering as a team to support early childhood education. Each participating business will be matched with a child development center, and over the course of 6 months to a year, the sponsoring business will host book drives for its adopted center, contribute to the center's maintenance by donating new furniture, book shelves, paint, and school/art supplies, as well as building classroom libraries and learning centers. Company employees are also invited to volunteer for a morning or an afternoon in the classroom by assisting teachers and/or working with students; chaperoning field trips is an additional possibility. Please see the Adopt-A-Center section below for further details.
3. Donate Books to Build a Classroom Library
~If you have gently-loved children's books taking up space in your home, and you'd like to donate them to a preschool classroom library, this is a quick and easy way to contribute to Early Readers Now children! We can pick the books up from your home; or, if you'd enjoy delivering the books to a center and giving them to the children yourself (the looks on their faces are always priceless!) we will be more than happy to match you up with a child development center conveniently located to you. Additionally, you can engage a group of friends or co-workers in a book drive to benefit Early Readers Now programs-another fun group volunteer opportunity!
4. Volunteer's Choice
~The most flexible volunteer opportunity of them all: You pick what you'd like to do and when you'd like to do it, and we'll point you in the right direction! For whatever reason, the above opportunities just may not work for you; however, that doesn't mean you don't still have something great to offer Early Readers Now. If there's something you'd like to do on a one-time basis, from being a classroom assistant for the morning to donating furniture or art supplies to a center in need, there is always a place that will benefit from your generosity. Simply email jyoung@dclearns.org with your "volunteer's choice", and you will be connected with a center immediately.
November 27, 2007
Early Readers Now is Seeking Children's Books Donations
Early Readers Now has set a goal for collecting and distributing 3,000 new and gently-used children's books to 15 child development centers in 2008. We are in need of age-appropriate (years 3-6), multicultural children's literature for our pre-k classrooms. Spanish/Bilingual books are much appreciated!
Please call or email Jessica Young at 202-331-0141 ext. 23, jyoung@dclearns.org
August 14, 2007
The Book Buddy Bulletin
Interested in hearing what Early Readers Now has been up to this summer? Download the June/July Issue of our newsletter, The Book Buddy Bulletin here!
June 06, 2007
Early Readers Now Distributes 2,000 Books to Child Care Centers!
Thanks to generous donations from the Dreamdog Foundation, First Book, Keshet Child Development Center, and Arlington Girl Scout Troop #4753, Early Readers Now was able to distribute over 2,000 children's books to 15 Washington, DC child development centers! On June 5th, 2007, child care providers picked up hundreds of picture books each, both new and gently used, for use in their preschool classrooms.
A very special thank you to each of our charitable donors, and to Friendship House for allowing us to use their beautiful, historic auditorium for the distribution!
If you'd like to participate in a book drive to serve Early Readers Now child care centers, please contact Jessica Young at 202-331-0141 ext. 23, or email jyoung@dclearns.org.
February 06, 2007
Still Haven't Found that Perfect Book to Share with Your Book Buddy?
Check out the Early Readers Now Recommended Reading List for a detailed listing of children's books, sure to engage your young readers. Books are categorized by age range to help you narrow down your search.
Do You Want Volunteers to Read with Children at Your Childcare Center?
Please download and complete the Information and Literacy Needs Survey, and submit it to jyoung@dclearns.org, or fax to 202-331-0143.
For more information, or to schedule a meeting at your center, please contact Jessica Young, Early Readers Now Coordinator, at 202-331-0141 ext. 23.
