[RFHF] StORytime: What is it and what can you do?

[Katie Anderson]

[StoryTime_banner_ad_728x90]<http://storytimeoregon.com/>

Last month, Governor Kitzhaber and the Oregon Education Investment Board launched stORytime. As an early childhood professional, I hope you will consider how you can support this effort.

What is stORytime?
It is a new statewide public awareness campaign to encourage families and caregivers to talk, sing, read, and play every day everywhere with their children from birth through third grade. The goal of the campaign is to address barriers that make it difficult for families and caregivers to engage their children in language and literacy activities. The desired outcome of the campaign is that all children will be reading at grade level by third grade. Those who developed the campaign translated StORytime as La hORa del cuento for the Spanish-speaking community.
What can you do?
The folks behind stORytime are looking for partners. Here are a few ideas of how you can engage.

*         Incorporate the StORytime materials<http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/partner-downloads/> in your early literacy efforts such as storytimes and early literacy workshops with parents in collaboration with other agencies and organizations.

*         Offer tips about talking, singing, reading and playing with children via your newsletter, website, or social media and brand your tips/articles with a storytime logo. For example, you can pull ideas from Washington Learning System's On-the-Go early literacy activities (in English<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/youthsvcs/reading.healthy.families/poc.binder.black.english.pdf> and Spanish<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/youthsvcs/reading.healthy.families/poc.binder.black.spanish.pdf>) or encourage families to download and use the Vroom<http://joinvroom.org/> app that provides parents with developmentally appropriate early literacy activities they can do every day everywhere. Vroom is not an app for kids! It gives parents ideas like "While doing the laundry describe what you're doing to your baby and ask your preschooler help you sort clothes by color."

*         Partner with community organizations, libraries, and schools to have a family literacy community event to educate families about literacy support in the community, distribute books and other resources, and engage in fun literacy activities.

*         Work with your local early learning hub, school/school district, or Education Service District to select one or two groups of underserved families and plan a literacy program for specifically those families.

What are you already doing?

*         Please 'reply all' to this email and tell others how you are participating in StORytime. This is new so we're all looking for ideas!

Thanks,
Katie


Katie Anderson, Library Support and Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528

[StoryTime_GrandeRonde.png]<http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/partner-downloads/>
Become a StORytime<http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/become-a-partner/> partner!


In case the hyperlinks don't work:

*         StORytime materials: http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/partner-downloads/

*         Vroom: http://joinvroom.org/

*         On-the-Go Activities English: http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/youthsvcs/reading.healthy.families/poc.binder.black.english.pdf

*         On-the-Go Activities Spanish: http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/youthsvcs/reading.healthy.families/poc.binder.black.spanish.pdf


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