Library programs promoting early literacy

News Release

Toronto, Ontario, July 9, 2012 – “Early literacy library programs have had a noticeable impact on children’s literacy behaviour and on parent/caregiver-child interactions in their homes”, according to Drs. Shelley Stagg Peterson and Eunice Jang, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.
Commissioned by the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (Federation), Peterson and Jang led OISE’s research to provide empirical evidence of the ways in which preschool literacy programs in Ontario public libraries (1) facilitate participating children’s early literacy development and school readiness, and (2) influence family interactions supporting children’s literacy learning. Multiple data sources were used to enhance the reliability of the results, including surveys of parents/caregivers, observations of children during program sessions, and interviews with library staff across 10 public library systems.
Highlights of the evidence gathered are:
• Participating children demonstrated many early literacy behaviours and understandings considered by leading early researchers and experts to be foundational to later literacy success.
•Early literacy library programs were particularly strong in meeting parents’/caregivers’ goals of fostering children’s school readiness and their motivation to read.
•Library staff served as excellent literacy models for parents/caregivers, enabling them to make reading with their children more engaging and more productive.
“Perhaps now, the Ontario Ministries of Education and Children & Youth Services will consult more extensively with the public library sector when developing provincial literacy strategies such as Best Start Child & Family Centres. To date we’ve been pretty much overlooked,” said Jim Bennett, Board Chair of the Federation. “By broadening the eligibility criteria for provincially-funded literacy programs to include public libraries, government could avoid the creation of parallel structures.”
OISE’s full report will be available to the public later this year after it is published in a peer reviewed journal.
The Federation of Ontario Public Libraries is a not-for-profit membership association that provides a single, strong voice for public libraries in Ontario to enhance library policies and programs. Its services focus on four strategic pillars: advocacy, marketing, research and consortia purchasing. The Federation’s 215 member libraries are responsible for serving 80% of Ontario’s population.