By Mary Owen
Stayton Public Library is giving preschoolers a head start on their literacy skills.
The Outreach Storyteller Program, funded by the Stayton Public Library Foundation, serves nearly 500 children, up to age 6, who attend local daycare, preschools, kindergartens, Head Start, and one affordable-housing complex – 27 classrooms in all, throughout Stayton, Sublimity and Aumsville.
“I visit classrooms one to two times a month for half-hour visits, where I talk to the children about the library, read books, and use finger plays, songs, music, dance, puppets and other activities to engage them in books and stories,” said Lisa Krigbaum, the library’s new outreach storyteller. “The program aims to share ideas and possibilities with pre-readers and to kindle a desire in these children to explore their community library and discover the world of reading.”
Krigbaum brings a wealth of experience to the position, having worked with children and families in a variety of settings, most recently teaching nutrition education programs at Oregon State University Extension Family and Community Health in Coos County. She also brings a love of children’s literature and passion to serve at-risk children to the job.
In addition to providing early literacy programming and intervention to pre-school-age children, the Outreach Storyteller Program’s goal is to increase North Santiam School District performance in reading for students in grades 3-5, with an aim to achieve 100 percent literacy in the community, said Brenda Moore, SPL development director.
“The district has experienced a decline in district performance in reading for students in grades 3-5,” Moore said in a grant application. “In 2013-14, 25.8 percent of students in these grades did not meet district performance standards in reading. We are turning this tide with the Outreach Storyteller Program. Building literacy skills in children, especially at the preschool age, is vital to their future. Statistics show that literacy skills can help provide a better future for children. It is linked to high socio-economic status, better health and better overall quality of life.
“Children from professional families have heard 30 million more words by the time they are 3 years old than those from families in poverty,” she added. “This is important because vocabulary development during these preschool years is related to later reading skills and overall school success. It’s critical that we bridge that gap. By taking the library to preschool classrooms, we go outside the library walls.”
In addition to classroom visits, the program also provides 10-15 books for teachers to use in their classrooms each month, and donates up to four books a year for each child to keep.
In the fall of last year, a partnership with St. Vincent de Paul began with the aim to reach children not currently enrolled in pre-school, as well as school-age children who may not have the opportunity to attend regular library programs, by bringing library service to them, Krigbaum said.
“We meet in an affordable family housing community managed by St. Vincent de Paul every Wednesday and focus on early literacy, reading readiness skills, and helping children discover the world of reading,” she said.
Krigbaum said children whose parents and caregivers read aloud to them every day become better readers and perform better in school.
“Early literacy skills begin developing in the first five years of life, and success at first grade depends on how much they have learned about reading before entering school,” library officials agree.
For information on Outreach Storyteller or library programs, call the Stayton Public Library at 503-769-9658.
