|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
January 11, 2005 | |
Author: |
J. Douglas/
| |
Phone No.: |
604.331.4035/
| |
RTS No.: |
04640 | |
CC File No.: |
1380 | |
Meeting Date: |
February 3, 2005 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
City Librarian, Vancouver Public Library |
SUBJECT: |
Ready to Read Children's Literacy Outreach Program |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council receive for INFORMATION the report on the establishment of five full time Librarian I positions for the Ready to Read Children's Literacy Outreach Program, at an estimated prorated cost of $190,700 ($286,000 annually), including fringe benefits, and a one time cost of $25,000 for furniture, equipment and supplies, with a start date of May 1, 2005. Approval and funding to be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget.
CITY LIBRARIAN'S COMMENTS
The recommendations in this report address the Library Board's 2004 strategic objectives to enhance children's literacy and services to parents, caregivers and children in the City of Vancouver.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager puts the recommendation forward for Council's consideration as part of the 2005 Operating Budget.
COUNCIL POLICY
The establishment of full time positions require Council approval.
SUMMARY
This report calls for the creation of five (5) new children's outreach librarian positions at a cost of $286,000 per year, plus a one-time cost of $25,000 for equipment and materials.
Ready to Read is VPL's early literacy outreach program for children from zero (infants) to five years old. Ready to Read introduces language, vocabulary and phonological awareness to children, and helps them to become comfortable and familiar with the rhythm and structure of language during their earliest years. This early introduction to language stimulates child brain development, and prepares children for reading, learning and using language in later years. The goals of the Ready to Read children's outreach program are:
· to provide parents and caregivers with the support and training they need to foster literacy in their children's earliest years; and,
· to enhance library service delivery to children.
The VPL currently offers over 50 children's programs through its 21 branches and the Central Library, to meet the reading and early literacy needs of Vancouver parents, caregivers and children. These programs are delivered by 16 full-time children's librarians - less than one librarian per branch. Most of these programs are full to capacity, with hundreds of children turned away. Thousands of Vancouver children have little or no contact with the library at all. Within our current resources, we are unable to reach these children. With the Ready to Read program, the VPL will take services outside the library's doors and into the community - increasing access to the library for thousands of Vancouver families.
With Ready to Read, new outreach librarians will be deployed across the city based on preschool population density and need, and will reach families in every Vancouver neighbourhood. The program has been designed with flexibility to meet changing needs of children, families and caregivers in each neighbourhood. The Ready to Read program will be delivered through partnerships with childcare, multicultural, literacy, health and community service providers. These partnerships will enable us to reach parents, caregivers and children that traditional, in-branch programs have not yet been able to reach.
For example, Ready to Read will target services for children and families where English is a second language, and will make every effort to recruit librarians with relevant language skills. We will also target services for at-risk families in lower-income neighbourhoods in Vancouver, and will look at school catchment areas with low EDI (early development instrument) scores. Ideally, this will result in more parents and children from every background participating in all library programs.
The focus of Ready to Read is on community development and capacity-building. The VPL will work with community partners to break down the barriers to access to early childhood learning. The Ready to Read program wants to give families and caregivers the tools they need to teach their children to be ready and eager to learn to read, write, and use their imaginations.
VPL's current success with a full-time children's outreach librarian in Strathcona is clear evidence that outreach works. An independent 2002 study found that attendance in preschool library programs in Strathcona was between 10 and 60 per cent higher than in surrounding neighbourhoods, and that language and cognitive development were also stronger than in other parts of the city. These improvements are a direct result of the VPL full-time children's outreach librarian in the community.
The Ready to Read children's outreach program will form part of a continuum of child development supports endorsed by the City of Vancouver in its April 2002 report on child development, Moving Forward.
PURPOSE
To obtain Council approval for the creation of five (5) children's librarian positions.
BACKGROUND
VPL's Vision for Supporting Early Childhood Literacy
The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) plays a vital role in promoting literacy for people of all ages. We value the right of every person to learn and grow, especially our youngest citizens - our children. Children's librarians play a key role in fostering good literacy skills - what children need to know about reading before they start reading. Every child deserves a chance to be ready to read. The Ready to Read program would work in collaboration with an enhanced publicly funded child care system to develop a systemic and complementary approach to early childhood literacy.
Ready to Read is for children from zero (infants) to five years old. Ready to Read introduces language, vocabulary and phonological awareness to children, and helps them to become comfortable and familiar with the rhythm and structure of language during their earliest years. This early introduction to language stimulates child brain development, and prepares children for reading, learning and using language in later years. The goals of the Ready to Read children's outreach program are:
· to provide parents and caregivers with the support and training they need to foster literacy in their children's earliest years; and,
· to enhance library service delivery to children.
The focus of Ready to Read is on community development and capacity-building. We want to work with our partners in the community to break down the barriers to access to early childhood learning. We want to give families and caregivers the tools they need to teach their children to be ready and eager to learn to read, write, and use their imaginations.
The Ready to Read children's outreach program will form part of a continuum of child development supports endorsed by the City of Vancouver in its April 2002 report on child development, Moving Forward. We believe there is strength in collaboration, and that Ready to Read will position the VPL well to help build capacity in the community, and to collaborate with the City in realizing Council's long-term vision of an integrated system of support for children and their families - one that includes childhood literacy, child care and child and family health, within the child development hub models proposed by Council.
The Case for Children's Literacy
Research has confirmed the importance of early childhood literacy in both developing the young human brain and in preparing children for learning and living healthy, productive lives. The early years are the most crucial for the development of language and learning skills: half of a child's brain growth occurs between birth and age four.
Other key facts on early literacy:
· Children who are exposed to reading, music, and cultural experiences before entering school have increased learning readiness.
· Children who are poor readers by the end of Grade 1 are 90 per cent more likely to remain poor readers by the end of their 4th grade. This early disadvantage appears to be lifelong, and children who cannot read fluently before the start of fourth grade are much less likely to catch up. Indeed, 75 per cent of those who are poor readers in third grade will likely remain poor readers in high school.
· Socially, children who struggle in school may fall behind, become alienated from their peers, and are more likely to be involved to risky behaviours and unhealthy lifestyles.
The role of literacy in increasing productivity in adulthood is also being clearly established. The University of Ottawa, in partnership with Statistics Canada, recently reported its finding that a rise of 1 per cent in literacy scores translates into a 2.5 per cent relative rise in labour productivity, and a 1.5 per cent increase in GDP per person (The Economist, August 28 2004, pp. 70).
DISCUSSION
The Library and Literacy
The public library is the primary public social institution that fosters literacy skills in preschool children and to support and empower parents in creating a learning environment for their children. The public library brings preschool children and books together in a free, accessible, multicultural, and fun environment. The public library provides language experiences and age-appropriate reading material to encourage and develop early childhood literacy.
VPL currently employs sixteen children's librarians - less than one librarian per library branch - who offer patrons a wide range of services and programs for young children. The VPL is well-loved and well-used: in 2003, 11,560 library cards were held by children aged five and under. Close to three million children's items were checked out system-wide, or 30 per cent of our total circulation.
VPL's children's programs (see Appendix B) are popular with children and families. In 2003, VPL offered 52 in-library programs throughout the city each week (from September to June) for preschoolers. Programs are run to capacity and many have waiting lists.
Perhaps most importantly, public libraries have professional children's librarians who specialize in selecting and providing materials, services, and programs suitable to preschoolers that will entertain, contribute to a child's love of language and enhance their emergent literacy skills. With their broad-based knowledge of songs, children's literature and rhymes, children's librarians work to identify the resources most effective in developing a child's ability to learn language. Children's librarians are also trained to work with parents on how to use these resources at home and to enhance their child's exposure to language.
The Case for Children's Outreach
While VPL is fortunate to have a dedicated children's staff who provide high quality services and programs, we cannot currently meet the demand from parents and caregivers with our current resources. Only 34 per cent of Vancouver's preschoolers have library cards, and we estimate that approximately 50 per cent have not been introduced to the public library.
A typical children's program has an attendance of 25 to 30 children, and for many programs, five to 10 children are turned away. Parents and staff in preschools and daycares are requesting additional programs - both in-library programs and outreach services - and also request evening, weekend, and summer programs. However, this demand cannot currently be met.
The Ready to Read outreach program will enable VPL to reach many of these children. Vancouver currently has approximately 446 registered daycares and preschools, and VPL has been successful in reaching about half of these to date (see Appendix A). Until now we have had no formal contact with Vancouver's 215 registered small private in-home daycares or with many of the children cared for at home by a parent, grandparent or other family member.
While the lack of school and reading readiness are problems for young children in every socio-economic group, children growing up in poverty are particularly at risk, and are more likely to be unprepared for school than children from wealthier families.
Professor Dr. Clyde Hertzman, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia, has found that the proportion of children with school-readiness shortfalls increases dramatically as one moves from Vancouver's affluent west-side neighbourhoods to the poorest east-end parts of the city. Other studies have found that poorer preschool children are less likely to have children's books in their homes, are less likely to be read to frequently at an early age, are less likely to have opportunities to talk about books with an adult, and are less likely to have opportunities to engage in imaginative storytelling (Mason and Kerr, 1992).
Census information has identified a higher concentration of preschool children in eastern and southern Vancouver. Moreover, some of the Vancouver neighbourhoods where we have had the fewest contacts with preschool children are also neighbourhoods where English is a second language. These at-risk children are the ones we need to reach most but have the hardest time contacting as they may never visit a library with parents, and may be more likely to be in small or informal daycares that do not have the time or resources to visit the library.
Ready to Read Children's Outreach Program
Ready to Read will deliver library programs outside the library's doors, to the children who need it most. It will also encourage parents and caregivers in underserved communities to participate in an expanded range of in-library programs.
In our plan, new outreach librarians will be deployed across the city based on preschool population density and need, and will reach families in every Vancouver neighbourhood. The program has been designed with flexibility to meet changing needs of children, families and caregivers in each neighbourhood. The Ready to Read program will be delivered through partnerships with childcare, multicultural, literacy, health and community service providers. These partnerships will enable us to reach parents, caregivers and children that traditional, in-branch programs have not yet been able to reach.
For example, Ready to Read will target services for children and families where English is a second language, and will make every effort to recruit librarians with relevant language skills. We will also target services for at-risk families in lower-income neighbourhoods in Vancouver, and will look at school catchment areas with low EDI (early development instrument) scores. Ideally, this will result in more parents and children from every background participating in all library programs.
The new children's outreach librarians will enable the VPL to offer or expand the following programs and services both within and beyond the library's doors_:
Services for Parents, Caregivers and Children:
· Provide at least 5 Parent-Child Mother Goose programs (one in each quadrant of the city and the Central Library):
· Provide five (5) Man in the Moon programs across the city;
· Ensure the library provides at least one story program at every one of the 231 licensed childcare facilities;
· Contact each of the 215 licensed or license-not-required at home childcare facilities at least once every calendar year, encouraging the caregivers to attend regularly scheduled library programs;
· Contact all of the licensed childcare facilities to encourage them to make use of the Books to Go program;
· Provide additional babytimes, toddler storytimes, preschool storytimes or family storytimes at the Area Libraries and in the Children's Library, particularly during the summer months and on the weekends;
· Provide monthly Every Child Ready to Read workshops (following the American Library Association (ALA) model) for parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers;
· Provide Parent Talks on request to introduce parents to the best books for their children.
Services for Child Care Workers:
· Provide regular workshops upon request (and up to four times per year) on preparing and presenting good story programs for preschoolers (the Library would work with Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre to provide these workshops). Note: VPL has already been approach by some child care providers to provide this service;
· Build stronger relationships with early childhood education (ECE) programs (e.g. Langara College) so that Children's Librarians present and share knowledge with every ECE class.
Services in Schools for Parents, Teachers and Children (time permitting and in conjunction with branches):
· Annual visits to each Kindergarten class to introduce children to the public library (the Library would work with the Vancouver School Board (VSB) to provide this service);
· Arrange for Kindergarten classes to visit the local library annually and receive library cards;
· Participate with the VSB in the Roots of Empathy program;
· Provide programs for early and family literacy programs in schools (the Library would work with the VSB and with Literacy B.C. to provide this service).
Development and Expansion of Community Partnerships:
VPL recognizes that many parents and caregivers in some communities - including low-income, at-risk or immigrant communities - may not have adequate knowledge of the services available to them. Part of the role of the children's outreach librarians will be to reach out to these families, and let them know what's available to them. To reach at-risk families, families where English is a second language, urban aboriginal children, and other children who do not have regular access to libraries, VPL and the outreach children's librarians will build stronger partnerships with other organizations and agencies providing other services to families. These agencies could include:
· Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre;
· City of Vancouver (through the Child and Youth Advocate);;
· MOSAIC;
· Immigrant Services Society (ISS);
· SUCCESS;
· HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) and Aboriginal HIPPY;
· BC Parent-Child Mother Goose Association;
· Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP);
· Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) health units;
· Langara Community College Early Childhood Education Department;
· Literacy BC;
· United Way;
· Ministry of Children and Family Development; and,
· Local service providers including Sheway, Raycam, community centres and groups, family places, food banks and neighbourhood houses.
Evaluation
The VPL's Ready to Read outreach program will be evaluated annually to ensure that it meets its objectives. The research-based format of the Every Child Ready to Read Program (from the American Library Association) will be adopted by VPL for collection of ongoing data on the effectiveness of the program in reaching parents and caregivers. VPL will also work closely with the Human Early Learning Partnership to map and monitor the impact of the program on Vancouver's preschool children.
Other program evaluation criteria will include:
· Tracking the number of children and parents contacted through children's librarians;
· Tracking of the increase in preschool children with library cards;
· Tracking of the increase in resource circulation in targeted areas.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The salary costs for the creation of five (5) Librarian I positions are as follows:
On-going Costs Total Costs
Per Annum Pro-Rated for 2005
5 Librarian I full time mid-range positions (2005 rates)$280,000 (*vacation replacement not included, as programs will be suspended during vacation times) and upgrading the Head of the Children's Library to a Public Service Manager |
$280,000 $186,700 |
Annual estimated mileage per position $1,200 x 5 positions |
$6,000 $4,000 |
|
Total |
$286,000 $190,700 |
In addition, there would be one-time costs for furniture, equipment, and supplies as listed below:
One-time Costs Total Cost for 2005
Furniture and equipment, including computers and desks |
$20,000 |
Additional supplies including storytelling supplies ($1,000 per site) |
$5,000 |
|
Total |
$25,000 |
Funding for the above listed costs will be added to the 2005 Operating Budget, without offset.
CONCLUSION
Impact of Children's Outreach in the Community
Accessibility: While in-library programs are highly effective, services are also needed for the thousands of families who have little or no contact with libraries or other literacy programs for families. Children's outreach expands traditional notions of library accessibility, by taking library services out into the community. This approach complements recent extensions of library hours to improve patron access.
Improved child and family literacy: The American Library Association (ALA), in partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (US), has developed a research-based program called Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library. Their research on this program has shown that parents who participated in the library outreach program made significant gains in helping their children to develop the skills they need to be ready to read. The data also shows that the most significant gains were made by young parents, parents of very young children, parents with the least income, and parents with the least education.
Increase in children's program participation: The most compelling impact of expanded library services for children will be to introduce a much higher percentage of children aged five and under to the joys of language, literature and learning. This will help to level the playing field for Vancouver's children and families - regardless of their first language, socio-economic position or neighbourhood.
The VPL has first-hand experience that children's outreach works. The Library currently has one outreach librarian based at Strathcona. In an independent 2002 study (Report of the Community Asset Mapping Project), Dr. Hertzman found that attendance in preschool library programs in Strathcona was between 10 and 60 per cent higher than in surrounding neighbourhoods. He also found that language and cognitive development were stronger in Strathcona than in other parts of the city. Hertzman said these improvements are a direct result of the VPL full-time children's outreach librarian in the community.
"The outreach children's librarian program is one of the best examples anywhere in the province of breaking down `barriers of access' to an opportunity for healthy child development. Thus, I cannot think of a better move than to try and expand the program to more libraries across the city whose local communities could benefit from it." (Dr. Clyde Hertzman, letter to VPL, September 24 2004).
National leadership in early childhood literacy: Increasing the number of children's outreach librarians will position VPL and the City of Vancouver as leaders in children's services in the province and the country, and as a role model for other public libraries working to address early childhood development and literacy issues. It will also present us with significant new opportunities to raise awareness - through pro-active marketing and public relations to Vancouver parents and the general public - about the importance of reading to young children.
* * * * *
APPENDIX A
CONTACTS WITH VANCOUVER DAY CARE AND PRESCHOOL FACILITIES
TYPE OF FACILITY |
NUMBER OF FACILITIES |
% WHO VISIT VPL OR VPL VISITS |
% WHO HAVE NO CONTACT WITH VPL |
Group Day Care
|
81 |
54.32% |
45.68% |
Group Day Care
|
34 |
29.41% |
70.59% |
Licensed Preschools |
116 |
43.10% |
56.90% |
|
TOTAL |
231 |
45% |
55% |
FACILITIES LESS USED
TYPE OF FACILITY |
NUMBER OF FACILITIES |
% WHO VISIT VPL OR VPL VISITS |
% WHO HAVE NO CONTACT WITH VPL |
Licensed Family Child Care Homes |
151 |
0.66% |
99.34% |
Registered License-Not-Required Homes |
64 |
0.00% |
100.00% |
|
TOTAL |
215 |
.47% |
99.53% |
APPENDIX B
LIBRARY PROGRAM DETAILS
Books to Go: Children's librarians select materials on requested topics Books are packaged in special Books to Go bags for pickup. This service is available to all childcare centres and preschools.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library: These are hour-long workshops for parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. The programs, developed by the American Library Association, teach parents the skills they need to help young children gain early literacy skills (early literacy is defined as "what children need to know about reading before they can actually read"). These six pre-reading skills are: print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, print awareness and narrative skills. VPL has recently begun providing these workshops
Man in the Moon: A program for men and the babies in their care which teaches the men rhymes, songs, stories, and movement games to use with their children. The men are introduced to great books to share with their children. This program was developed by VPL and is offered in two locations.
Parent-Child Mother Goose: An ongoing, once-a-week program for parents and babies or young children where children experience the interactive and playful use of rhymes, songs and stories. This national program is known for its contribution to parent-infant attachment, child development, parenting skill and community connections, as well as for a growing love of language for both parents and children. VPL staff work together with community agencies to provide five of the Parent-Child Mother Goose programs in Vancouver at this time.
Readalong: A program for school-aged children who benefit from extra one-on-one reading time during the summer. The program combines reading with a volunteer-reader and story-related crafts. This program was provided at nine (9) branches in 2004.
Roots of Empathy: A program which uses children's picture books and a real baby to teach empathy to elementary school students. VPL participates in the program which is provided by the Vancouver School Board. VPL is participating in the program at two Vancouver schools in 2004.
Storytimes: VPL offers over 50 regularly scheduled storytimes each week from September through June. The library also provides story programs for daycare centres and preschool groups.
· Babytime: A half-hour program of stories, songs, bounces and rhymes for babies and their parents/caregivers.
· Toddler Storytime: A half-hour program of stories, songs, poems, rhymes and fingerplays for children aged 18 months to three years and their parents/caregivers.
· Preschool Storytime: A half-hour program of stories, songs, poems, rhymes and fingerplays for children aged three to six years.
Summer Reading Club: A program which encourages school children to continue to read during the summer months. The Summer Reading Club includes programs, reading records, incentives, readers' advisory, and a special medal for all children who reach their reading goal. This is a province-wide program which is supported by the Library Services Branch. The program is offered at every branch in VPL; the Multilingual Division provides a Chinese-language Summer Reading program. There were almost 10,000 children in VPL's reading club in 2004.
