Literacy program features family reading time

Queens Library will organize and run the national Prime Time Family Reading Time literacy pilot program for families with children in grades 1-3.
This reading and discussion program is geared towards improving reading skills and encouraging parents to use books as a gateway to conversations with their children about important values, such as fairness, courage, and dreams.
The program will also spotlight the parent’s role in being the children’s first and most important teachers.
Under a grant provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities the first pilot session will take place at the Woodside branch where a total of 25 families will be selected to participate in the free six-session Prime Time program that is scheduled to begin in late May.
Additional groups will be formed at two other branches in the next school year. Pre-registered families will be given the reading selections ahead of time, so they can read to each other at home. When they arrive at the library, they will enjoy a light meal together with the other families.
Younger siblings will be cared for with activities appropriate for their age while the parents and children will hear their books read by a professional storyteller. That will be followed by a discussion of important themes led by Humanities Scholar, Dr. Stacey Creel of St. John’s University.
According to Rosanne Cerny, Queens Library’s Coordinator of Children’s Services, “The program encourages families to practice reading together. It also encourages them to take time from their busy schedules and really talk to each other about important issues. Parents can share the values they want their children to have. Children can ask about what confuses them when a difficult situation arises, or why adults don’t always do as they say.”
The program is in English, but the reading selections will be offered in English and Spanish. The books are provided and loaned from the library’s collection and will be specifically reserved for the program.
All participants will receive the same books, but will have a choice of language. Over the six sessions, families will read and talk about loyalty, compassion, responsibility and more. It is hoped that they will use the format to continue to read together and to discuss books, movies and TV shows.
Woodside was selected as one of the first branches because of its multilingual location. “Part of the grant was the desire to work in a neighborhood where there were a lot of parents learning English as a second language. Because, the second language in which the books are chosen is in Spanish, they also wanted a high concentration of Spanish speakers too,” said Joanne King, Queens Library Associate Director of Communications.
Queens Library is one of only 18 libraries across the United States that will conduct the Prime Time Family Reading Time Program this year. The successful program began as a pilot program in 1991 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library in Louisiana. It has since expanded to 36 states and reached approximately 29,500 participants. Prime Time Inc. is an affiliate of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the American Library Associations Public Programs Office. The project is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Jingru Pei, Manager of the Woodside branch, expressed enthusiasm about the program and said the community is looking forward to it.
“People are so excited about this program. We just put some flyers out and about 40 families have already expressed interest. We haven’t really started the registration yet, but people keep asking about it. We are trying to put everything together right now. It’s good for the community and for the new immigrants,” Pei said.
Interested parents must contact the Woodside library to inquire about the program and to pre-register. All participants must agree to attend all six sessions if selected. Please phone 718-429-4700 or visit www.queenslibrary.org for more details.
Queens Library encourages all families to read and talk together. The following list of entertaining and easy to read books are available for loan at many Queens Library locations. They are all available in English and Spanish and some are offered in other languages as well. Feel free to ask your librarian to recommend other books on these great topics. To get a free library card, go to www.queenslibrary.org/librarycard or stop by any location.