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Wow!  Check out this great resource for libraries that want to help support emerging readers!

Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) and OregonASK are thrilled to announce the Fostering Readers resources are available to download and use in whatever way that makes sense for your library. These resources are designed to help you plan and implement fun research-based literacy programs for children in K-3rd grade who are learning to read. Please feel free to share this email with anyone you know who may be interested.
We recruited two children’s librarians and two elementary reading specialists, two of whom are bilingual, to develop the Fostering Readers resources. The materials were tested and updated through a pilot project. All the resources are available at no cost to you on the Fostering Readers website. Resources include:
·        Pre-made activity plans to get you started supporting K-3rd grade beginning readers
·        Ideas for passive programming and storytimes and book clubs for beginning readers
·        Handouts for parents and caregivers to encourage reading at home
·        Videos that introduce research-based key elements and key strategies to enrich your K-3 activities with literacy
·        An extensive research review with easily digestible key findings and implications
·        …and more!
To accommodate our large and growing population of Spanish-speakers, Fostering Readers handouts are available in both English and Spanish. In the materials, library and afterschool staff will find tips for working with families who speak languages other than English, and Spanish vocabulary to use with the activities.
We hope that these materials will help library and afterschool staff:
  1. Increase their knowledge of the reading process
  2. Feel more confident in supporting children who are learning to read and their families
  3. Plan, implement, and evaluate fun research-based literacy programs for children in K-3rd grade
Libraries and afterschool programs are essential community partners in the effort to increase the number of children reading at grade level by the end of third grade, which is a key indicator for high school graduation.

We are proud to provide you with Fostering Readers materials to champion this important work.

Fostering Readers is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.