CSLP Newsletter: March 2023

The CSLP March Newsletter is below, or you can also access it at this link : https://mailchi.mp/96ed1c9cb6df/cslp-newsletter-august-6266893?e=c18caf2bb6

Thank you,

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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Summer Reading Buddies

By Joe Burke, Director
Altamont Free Library

Are you looking for a simple but powerful and helpful idea for a few teen volunteers at your library this summer that will help improve literacy skills among struggling early-elementary school readers? How about a nearly free program idea that will improve your library’s partnership with your local schools? I’d like to suggest the Summer Reading Buddies Program (SRB) as something that checks all of those boxes and more!
The Summer Reading Buddies Program was developed at Altamont Free Library in Altamont, NY in the spring of 2021 when Altamont Elementary School Reading Teachers Katie Barker and Katie Meckem observed that the previous year of pandemic-interrupted schooling had resulted in substantial reading delays among many of their students. In order to help get some of those students caught up, we decided to train high school juniors and seniors to act as literacy coaches. We pair incoming first grade students with demonstrated need for additional literacy instruction with the teen tutors and schedule weekly meetings between them at the library throughout the summer. During each 45-minute session, the tutors and students play reading games, practice sight words, read to one another, and browse the library collection. Our first year, we had six tutors and six students, but expanded that to six tutors and twelve students in 2022. Since the program came together well after our annual budget had been approved in 2021, there was no money for the program and we used materials that the library and the reading teachers already had access to. When we ran the program a second time, we received a $750 grant for the program and we put that money towards a set of easy-readers at various reading levels, whiteboards, magnetic letters, and a few other supplies for reading games.
SRB does not have to be a resource-intensive program, but it can be a time-intensive one, so any library that is interested in starting their own children’s literacy tutoring program should start planning right away. Contact your local elementary school’s reading teachers to identify students that are in need of supplemental literacy coaching, identify a few reliable teen volunteers, and start putting a schedule in place, which is the most difficult part of the program. You can find the training slides and reading games we use at AFL on our website at altamontfreelibrary.org/srb-word-games, but it’s important to build your local tutoring program around games and exercises that your local reading teachers use so that the students have a continuity of experience from the school year into the summer.
The program has been successful in every way we could hope for: We’ve had positive evaluations from tutors, students, and parents, and improved reading test scores for participants. More importantly, we’ve heard from many parents that their kids enjoy reading more, and are more likely to read independently after participating in SRB. Meanwhile, the tutors get volunteer hours, and the opportunity to be a mentor to kids that need one. It’s a win-win-win!

USDA "Farm to School" Program

Submitted by Mary Jo Parker, CSLP Child and Community Well-Being Committee

“Farm to School" program can be found in all 50 states, D.C and U.S. territories. It is a grassroots program, and anyone can get involved. This was the invitation that I needed to use resources from the Farm to School program in South Dakota to provide education in the area of where does our food come from. My library is fortunate to have a children’s garden where throughout the growing season the harvest from the garden is used as snacks or used in teaching of nutrition lessons. How can we expand? Field trips to farms that produce food sold directly to consumers through Farmers Markets or CSA’s (community supported agriculture). Bringing in producers with some product to lead lessons on how they market and produce food in their operation.
If you are interested in learning more the following resources are a great place to start.
https://www.farmtoschool.org
https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s

CSLP Partners With Strategic Businesses To Increase Engagement

Submitted by Tomeka Roulhac, CSLP Social Media Committee

CSLP has two partnerships that believe reading is key. The first is Sticktogether. Sticktogether engages a wide range of ages as a community building activity. It has become a popular STEM/STEAM activity among school and library makerspaces. They can also be used as reward/incentive programs for books read and returned. Sticktogether partnership began in 2021 with "Tails and Tales" sticker kits. Kits reflect the summer themes and to reinforce this year’s theme. Sticktogether suggests images like “The World We Share”, “USA Map”, “Create”, “Hot Air Balloons”, “Heart & Hands”, and “Cooperation”. At our branch, we simply put one out each summer for patrons to complete at their leisure. We’ve been told it’s very relaxing.
The sticker mosaics have quickly grown from physical boards to Virtual, Pixel Art Kits, and coming soon Puzzle Faces! I encourage you to follow their page and join the group. In the group they offer free virtual puzzles and color sudoku for members. As a "thank you" to CSLP Sticktogether Purchasers, they are offering 15% discount to purchase additional Standard Size Sticker Poster Kits ($30 value). Use code CSLP15.

Our second partnership is School Life. It’s current owners, Stacey and Kim, recognized a need for teachers to reward and motivate students with low cost, custom products. But Brag Tags have gone beyond the school walls and into our libraries with staff saying:
“Finally! Our readers are setting goals and reading for a purpose.”
“Amazing product – fantastic motivator.”
“Brag Tags for the Win.”
Brag Tags are laminated, waterproof military style dog tags that show off your accomplishments. Now available in not just dog tag shape but circle, paw, and balloon to name a few, Brag Tags are gaining popularity among libraries. CSLP has partnered with School Life the past few years to offer tags that reflect the summer’s theme. The collectible aspect helps drive the excitement and motivation to get more. At our branch we hand them out at registration and for attending a program. We have used them to celebrate Fire Prevention Week and Red Ribbon Week as well. With so many themes, including reading, holidays, and (NEW) genres there are so many possibilities to choose from. Have you gotten your “All Together Now” tags? How do you plan to use them this year?

CSLP Store is open for 2023’s All Together Now!

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