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Butte County Library Partners with First 5 Commission on ELF Initiative
In
winter 2006, Butte
County Library launched ELF, the Early
Learning with Families (ELF) @ Your Library
program, a California State Library initiative
funded with Library Services and Technology Act
grant funds. By
spring 2006 Derek Wolfgram, Butte
ELF
helps libraries enhance their services for families with very young children by
building upon the most promising early literacy and learning practices. ELF,
recognizing that a child’s parent or primary caregiver is the child’s first
and most powerful teacher, builds partnerships between
families, caregivers, community agencies, and library professionals where
information is shared, where family expertise and diversity are valued; and
where libraries serve as facilitators of families’ self-discovery and mastery.
In addition, ELF libraries are encouraged to develop partnerships between
their own Children’s Services and Literacy Services – creating powerful collaborative
relationships that support families’ full range of learning and literacy
needs. In
First
5 Grant to fund Butte
From
ELF’s inception at the California State Library, the The
First 5 Grant will fund ELF and family literacy activities through the Butte
County Library for the next three years, further acknowledging the value of the
collaboration between Children’s Services and Literacy Services.
ELF programs will be expanded to provide more frequent activities while
services will be offered at more branches throughout the county. In addition,
funds have been earmarked for increased outreach to families who would benefit
from ELF, as well as to adults with small children who are interested in
improving their own basic reading and writing skills.
As parents and caregivers become more literate, they also become better
able to support their child’s success through engagement with language and
books.
“Reaching
out” across the community Heather
Tovey, Senior Library Assistant in Children’s Services, describes the ELF program at the Butte County Library as a “ friendly reaching out”
across the community. And Tovey is right. Because
of ELF, For
more information about the Butte County Library’s Early Learning with Families
program please contact Heather Tovey, Senior Library Assistant, Children’s
Services at 530-891-2762 or htovey@buttecounty.net
or Carey Gross, Library Literacy Specialist at 530-538-7198 or cgross@buttecounty.net.
For
more information about the statewide Early Learning with Families initiative
please contact Suzanne Flint, Library Programs Consultant at 916-651-9796 or sflint@library.ca.gov,
or
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