The Early Literacy Outreach Program is a library service that is funded in full by the Stayton Public Library Foundation and run by trained library staff.
The Program is designed to provide reading readiness services to Stayton area children before they reach elementary school. Early literacy skills begin developing in the first 5 years of life. Common thought used to be that a child’s success at reading depended on getting the “right” first grade teacher. Now we know that a child’s likelihood for success in the first grade depends on how much they have learned about reading before entering school.
Children whose parents and caregivers read aloud to them every day become better readers and perform better in school. Other activities, such as telling stories and singing songs, also encourage children’s acquisition of literacy skills. Children’s early experiences with books are among the most significant indicators for their success in learning to read in school, and supportive efforts that begin very early in life are the most successful.
The Storyteller visits each class twice a month and talks to the children about the library, reads library books, and used finger plays, songs, puppets, and other activities during the visit to engage the children in the stories. The Storyteller delivers a rotating collection of book bags to each school classroom for teachers to keep and use in their classrooms for a month. By taking the library to pre-school classrooms we go outside the library walls. The Early Literacy Outreach Program will hopefully kindle a desire in these students to explore their community library and discover the world of reading.
Our Storyteller currently visits 20+ schools and daycares, teaching literacy skills to hundreds of children. We also serve more than 500 children and families per month through exciting programs for youth and teens like Storytime and Motion Monday.
For information on how to donate to the Early Literacy Outreach Program
We encourage you to consult your attorney, accountant, or financial advisor for help in determining the type of gift that is right for you.
If you have designated the Stayton Public Library Foundation as a beneficiary in your estate plan, please let us know by writing or calling the Stayton Public Library Foundation office.