Week 3 Post

Week 3 of my Indian Prairie Public Library Practicum was Doggone wonderful..literally. I was back with the Programming and Outreach team for one of their fantastic evening offerings. “Read to a Pet” is geared towards emerging readers who are developing confidence in the skill. Reading to a friendly registered support dog in a judgment-free environment can be hugely supportive. I assisted Chrissy for this program. Chrissy often works with programming for “mid-kids,” meaning those from approximately grades 1 to 8. They're not little enough for the board books and guided storytime, but not ready to be fully unsupervised either. 


Chrissy had an excellent system for keeping the kids, dogs, and parents organized, which is vital as this is a very popular program. The dogs (normally at least 3 are scheduled) arrive about 15 minutes early to sniff out each other, the meeting room and get settled. Then the kids begin to arrive in waves about 15 minutes apart. If they don't bring or select their own book from the stacks, Chrissy has a selection of dog-themed books ready for them to pick from. When it is their turn, they enter the glass-doored meeting room, where each dog is spaced several feet apart. They pick a dog to sit with and start reading. Parents are encouraged to watch from the hall, taking super cute pictures through the glass. This helps both the dogs and the kids relax.


In the ALA's Public Library Association Leadership Development Five Forces force four is Asset Driven Impact which states “Public libraries bring quality of life to our residents. Effectively communicating and demonstrating our community impact is a core value in achieving success” (Leadership Development, 2020). By assisting families with literacy and confidence the Indian Prairie Public Library is adding value to the quality of life of its residents.  It is demonstrating a commitment to the core values of a love of reading and the importance of early childhood proficiency. The Indian Prairie Public Library and their programming team are doggone impactful. 




Leadership Development. (2020). Ala.org. https://www.ala.org/pla/leadership/development/forces

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Comments

  1. GabrielSeptember 17, 2024 at 11:21 AM

    Nice work, very nice to hear about this program. Who knew dogs could spread literacy too. I also appreciate your use of the PLA forces and spheres. Do I have your completed, fully signed, learning agreement?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lissa in the LibrarySeptember 23, 2024 at 7:52 AM

      I will try to attach it to my next post as our emails seem to keep having issues.

      Delete

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