Politics & Government
Children Learn Early Reading Skills at Area Libraries
Children can grow and have fun learning how to read at the Jan Platt and John F Germany public libraries. So can mom and dad.
The libraries of South Tampa offer several free programs for children that focus on improving their early literacy skills. These programs not only set the stage for children to become great readers, but also teach parents learn how to continue their kids’ growth at home.
“Early Literacy is not just about teaching children to read. It's about teaching them the skills they need in order to be ready to learn how to read when it's time.” explained Lorie Tonti, coordinator of youth programs at the John F. Germany Public Library (900 N. Ashley Dr.).
“If a child is not familiar with the alphabet, they won't be able to form letters into words when it's time for them to begin learning how to read,” Tonti said. “By learning early literacy skills, they'll be that much further ahead when it's time to put the skills together and begin to read.”
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Tonti not only coordinates the children’s programming at the John F. Germany Public Library, she is also the Coordinator of Youth Services for the entire Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System.
According to a 2005 study conducted by the Health Science Center at the University of Texas, 37 percent of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. Other studies have shown that early exposure to reading leads to expanded vocabulary and writing skills, longer attention spans, better retention of information, and higher levels of concentration.
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The John F. Germany Library and the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, on Manhattan Avenue, offer reading programs for three different age groups. Baby Time is for babies ages 0-24 months; Toddler Time for children 2 to 3 years old; and Story Time for children 3 to 5 years old. Each weekly program focuses on one of what’s called the Six Early Literacy Skills.
The six literacy skills are:
- Print Motivation – Having fun with books, whether your child can read at this point is not important. It’s about getting your child comfortable with books, holding them and turning pages.
- Print Awareness – Noticing words everywhere, not just in the text sections of a book. This could be in the illustrations or on signs they see in the community.
- Vocabulary – Hearing different words, lots of different words! It doesn’t matter if your child has no idea what the words actually mean, they are still becoming familiar with the sound of different letters and combinations.
- Narrative Skills – Telling stories about anything and everything increases critical and creative thinking.
- Letter Knowledge – Recognizing letters and becoming familiar with their sounds
- Phonological Awareness – Learning rhymes and sound patterns
Each week a librarian works on a different early literacy skill . He or she also shares tips to caregivers on how to incorporate the skills while reading with their children. The skills can be incorporated into storybook readings, songs, and rhymes.
“It's critical that parents continue these skills at home,” Tonti said. “Even if a parent comes to Story Time every week, that's only 30 minutes worth of reading and hearing about these skills.
“It is recommended that children be read to 30 minutes every day. It doesn't have to be done in all one sitting, but it should definitely be done each day.” Tonti said.
Just knowing the importance of teaching children these skills is not enough. Parental involvement in the learning process is vital for success.
Parents should make reading fun, too, said Frank Harrison, Children’s Librarian at the Jan Platt Library.
“I feel it is important to be entertaining…a bored child doesn't learn anything,” said Harrison. “I have included a great deal of motion and singing in the programs at the Jan Platt Library.”
Ultimately, parents must supplement what their children learn at the library, in school and out in the world.
“My emphasis with the parents is to read to their children, because (kids) learn by communicating and listening to the people around them,” Harrison said.