Get Ready to Read!
http://www.getreadytoread.org/Get Ready to Read! provides early literacy skill support for parents and educators of young children. The site offers free resources including screening tools, skill-building activities, early literacy games, webinars, literacy checklists, screening tools, tips, and printable activity cards. A free, printable "Transitioning to Kindergarten Toolkit" is available through the site, as well.
Appropriateness
The resources provided through the GetReady to Read! site are primarily appropriate for use by parents and educators, as well as young children before they enter kindergarten. The materials are also appropriate for use by libraries providing school readiness and early literacy programs. Printable cards and checklists provide valuable resources for children preparing their children for kindergarten.
Ease of Use
The Get Ready to Read! website is easy to navigate with two main menus listed along the top and upper right-hand side. Selections among the main menu include Screening Tools, Transitioning to Kindergarten Toolkit, Skill-Building Activities, Early Learning and Childhood Basics. The highlighted menu along the upper right-hand corner includes Early Literacy Games, Early Literacy Webinars, Literacy Checklists, and Tips for Parents. Literacy games are based on characters from PBS' Between the Lions, and are easy for children to interact with.
Overall Evaluation
Get Ready to Read! provides an abundance of resources for reading readiness. Printable resources are in line with Common Core Standards. Instructions and tips written in language that is easy to understand and activities are easy to execute.
Every Child Ready to Read
http://everychildreadytoread.org/
Every Child Ready to Read is a "parent education initiative" which was developed by the Public Library Association and the Association of Library Services to Children in response to research that showed that public libraries could have a greater impact on early literacy skill development of children through educating parents and caregivers on practices and principles of early literacy. The first edition of Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) was released in 2004, with an updated version released in 2011.
Appropriateness
Every Child Ready to Read offers a kit for public youth librarians to use through outreach services to parents and caregivers of children birth-age five, with sub-sections for each age range. The curriculum includes handouts, slideshow presentations, program activity suggestions, and at-home activities for fostering early literacy skills. Kits are available for purchase by public libraries through the American Library Association/Association for Library Services to Children. The ECRR website offers information regarding research, methods, and the development of the ECRR curriculum. The original version was based on the six early literacy skills, which are familiar to youth librarians and literacy specialists: letter knowledge, print awareness, phonological awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, and narrative skills. The updated second edition is built on five early literacy practices that are worded in a more universal way to be understood by parents and caregivers without a background in literacy development: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.
Ease of Use
The ECRR curriculum is not free of charge, but available for purchase through the American Library Association/Association for Library Services to Children. Video clips from included PowerPoint presentations are available through clicking a link on the website, as are ECRR logos. A quick link is also provided for ordering information on the homepage of the ECRR website. Materials included in purchased kits include a binder with all curriculum materials, reproducible handouts, and workshop talking points. A CD is also included with easy access to PowerPoint presentations and resources for workshops for staff, parents alone, and parents and children. The second edition of the curriculum is based on practices that are easily understood and put into practice for children and parents at home.
Overall Evaluation
The ECRR curriculum is the cornerstone of public library early literacy programming. The second edition makes this tool more powerful through its simplicity, by empowering parents to take the skill practices and embed them into every day activities.
Raising a Reader
Raising a Reader (RAR) is an early literacy program for families and children 0-8 years of age. The program links with community partners, including schools, public libraries, and community agencies within 32 states across the nation. The goal of the program is to help families "build and sustain reading routines in their homes". Families of children who are at-risk for educational failure are targeted.
Appropriateness
The Raising a Reader program is adaptable to meet the needs of children across diverse settings, including libraries, faith-based organizations, teen parenting programs, subsidized housing programs, migrant programs, after-school programs, and many others. The program is designed around children ages 0-8 years-old. The RAR program begins by "training the trainer", or parent, to develop skills for sharing reading at home. Age appropriate books are sent home each week in a bag for children to share with their families, and then returned the next week in exchange for new books. At the conclusion of the program, children and families are introduced to area libraries and given a bag to keep for library book borrowing.Ease of Use
The RAR website provides information on the program, community partners, and ways for organizations to become involved. A map of participating locations is provided through the site, as well as a search form in order to find locations "near you". A link is also provided to "Start a Program". Through this link, information is included about the types of organizations that typically are involved. A detailed list of the procedures required to begin a program is also included, with links for each step: create a plan; develop a budget; and become and affiliate. A representative from the Raising a Reader program contacts the affiliate applicant to help with the process, and materials are purchased through the program.
Overall Evaluation
The Raising a Reader program is a flexible program that offers different types of organizations to reach families through a variety of settings, maximizing the potential of finding families where they are. The website is easy to navigate, and assistance is provided to walk a potential affiliate through each step of the process.
AWE Early Literacy Station
http://www.awelearning.comThe AWE (Advanced Workstations in Education) Early Literacy Station (ELS) is an "all-in-one" digital learning computer for children ages 2-8 years. The computer includes over 60 educational, interactive software programs with no internet connection necessary. Loaded content is supportive of the six early literacy skills (phonological awareness, print awareness, letter knowledge, print motivation, vocabulary, and narrative skills).
Appropriateness
The ELS is appropriate for use in schools, day care centers, and libraries. The computer system comes in different sizes according to the appropriate to the age level of the child, and includes a small, child-sized mouse and colored-coded keyboard. Touch screens are also available and appropriate for very young children. Software pre-loaded on the ELS includes software based on well-known characters such as Bailey's Book House, Sesame Street, Reader Rabbit, and Diego. Bilingual games in Spanish and French are also available.
Ease of Use
The ELS, with its child-sized mouse, color-coded keyboard, and touchscreen make it easy for small children to interact with independently or with minimal assistance. Funding sources are listed on the AWE website for organizations who might need assistance with purchasing the ELS. Webinars and online discussions of the product are also available through the site. The AWE Village provides an online community for ideas and assistance for those who are working with, or would like to work with the Early Literacy Stations.
Overall Evaluation
The AWE Early Literacy Stations are a great tool for promoting interactive literacy activities for young children through print motivation. The ELS provides literacy development through a fun, colorful, and lively format. The machines can be costly for libraries and other early childhood education organizations, but financial assistance programs may be able to help offset the cost.
Reading Rockets
Appropriateness
Articles provided through the Reading Rockets website are suitable for use by parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, and others working with young children. Audio-visual content is also available, as well as bibliographies, and author interviews. A Literacy calendar is available, as well as a literacy glossary of terms, free reading guides, and a "LearningStore", where educators and parents can purchase early literacy materials. A "Just for Fun" section contains links to downloadable content, printable e-cards for beginning readers, and widgets for use on websites.
The Reading Rockets website is visually inviting and easy to navigate. There is a tabbed menu across the top of the page, which is broken down into sections for parents, teachers, principals, librarians, and other professionals. There is also a tab for site access in Spanish. A side menu includes important information for using the site in the classroom, a section on children's books and authors, and sections for accessing specialized resources, newsletters, and blogs.
Overall Evaluation
The Reading Rockets website offers a wealth of useful information for helping children to read, and for helping children who struggle with reading. Through connecting to tested research strategies, the information and activities included are not only relevant, but proven. Free downloadable applications offer even more possible resources through digital devices. The website is easy to navigate and is applicable to anyone who works with young children learning to read.
Bibliography
AWE Early Literacy Station. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.awelearning.com/en/markets/libraries/in-the-library/the-early-literacy-station/.
Every child ready to read is a parent education initiative. (2011). Retrieved from http://everychildreadytoread.org/about.
Get Ready to Read (2013). Retrieved from http://www.getreadytoread.org/.
Raising a Reader: Our story. (2012).Retrieved from http://www.raisingareader.org/site/PageNavigator/AboutUs/OurStory.html.
Reading Rockets. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/.
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