STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: "Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory." (Bardige, B. Talk to Me, Baby! (2009), Paul H Brookes Pub Co.) The Child Care Choices Story Ladies are experienced, veteran teachers who visit child care centers, preschools, and family child care homes to read aloud to young children and engage them in early literacy activities. Our team of Story Ladies makes over 200 visits and distributes more than 2500 books to children at centers, preschools and family child care homes each year.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE: According to the 2021 Miami County Community Health Assessment less than half (47%) of the children entering Kindergarten in 2019 demonstrated readiness in social foundations, math, language and literacy, and physical well-being and motor development for engaging in instruction aligned with Kindergarten instruction. The Child Care Choices Story Lady Program is a valuable community resource for early childhood educators in Miami County and surrounding areas. During a visit, the Story Lady not only reads to the children, but models best practices for engaging young minds in literacy activities. Our Story Ladies also model ways to extend the learning with enrichment activities involving movement, art, music, math, science, and fine and gross motor skills; all of which have an impact far beyond the present. Research indicates that current students will benefit from the Story Lady Program because “when adults read to children, discussing story content, asking open-ended questions about story events, explaining the meaning of words, and pointing out features of print, they promote increased language development, comprehension of story content, knowledge of story structure, and a better understanding of language– all of which lead to literacy success.” (Berk, L. E. (2009). Child Development (8th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.) For child care providers, the skills that they learn from our Story Ladies are applied to their teaching of current and future students. The providers also receive a “teacher” book to put into their classroom libraries.
At every visit, the Story Lady personally hands each child a book to take home. The book is related to the theme and has a printed label inside the cover with suggestions for parents to make connections with the literature at home. Because access to printed material in the home is the "critical variable affecting reading acquisition" (JMcQuillan, J. (1998). The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions.Heinemann.), distribution of books is a vital component of the Story Lady Program. And, that personal interaction of receiving the book from the Story Lady increases the interest and enthusiasm for the books, as stated by one parent about her son:
He loves when she (Story Lady) comes. He feels really special when
he talks about the book he was given “to keep,” and loves to read it
over and over and over! (Spring 2017 Story Lady Parent Survey)
TARGET POPULATION: Given the course of brain development, it is not surprising that young children who are exposed to certain early language and literacy experiences usually prove to be good readers later. Just as a child develops language skills long before being able to speak, the child also develops literacy skills long before being able to read. National Research Council. ((1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.) We at Child Care Choices believe this to be true and strive to reach as many children and their care providers as possible with our Story Lady Program so that these young minds and bodies are ready for the entry into Kindergarten.
COLLABORATION: For our Story Lady Program we have a whole community of collaborators that make the program possible. We work with child care centers, preschools and family child care providers, several foundations, the United Way of Miami County, businesses, and individuals to gain the income we need to run the Story Lady Program. We also work closely with book sellers to ensure the lowest prices possible for the books we distribute to the children and providers. Vital to our program is collaboration with the child care providers. Without their cooperation and willingness to let our Story Ladies into their classrooms and homes, we would not have a program. The providers are great advocates for our program as they tell their colleagues about the Story Lady, which generates more interest in the program and results in more children having access to age-appropriate literature and more providers having access to the experience and expertise of our Story Ladies. Parents and families are integral to the program as they continue their child's learning with the book that is sent home. They re-read the book and use the suggestions for activities that are giving on the label placed inside the cover of the book.
FUTURE PLANS: The Story Ladies have been visiting children and child care providers in the Miami County area for over 20 years. We plan to continue to offer this service to early childhood educators and the families they serve, and hope to expand the program with an additional Story Lady so that we can increase the number of visits we make each year. We would also like to create and offer a training to teach providers how to develop literature units in their homes and classrooms and enrichment activities based on a book.
