Building Family Engagement Pathways Before, Into, and After Kindergarten
Engagement | Reinforce | Queens Library
The South Jamaica branch of the Queens Library (NY) serves as the anchor institution of a community-wide literacy initiative with the collective goal of getting all children reading on grade level.
Funded by the Pinkerton Foundation, the initiative brings together schools and organizations that serve families with children from birth through fifth grade including home visiting, mentoring, tutoring, summer learning, and parent leadership development programs. A number of the programs also provide services that span across age ranges and community organizations.
For example, a Family Academy offers parents and children opportunities to explore important topics together, such as test anxiety. Further, through the literacy “passport” program, when parents attend family activities and literacy events with their children, they earn stickers for their passport, which entitles them to discounts at more than thirty participating community businesses.
By supporting families and children before they enter kindergarten, and through their early elementary years, and beyond, the library has been the fulcrum for creating a community culture of reading.
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