Introducing the Head Start-Library of Congress Partnership
Trellis Waxler, Education Program Specialist, Head Start Bureau
The Head Start -Library of Congress Partnership Project is administered through a joint agreement between the Head Start Bureau and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The Center for the Book was established by law in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. In addition to 28 affiliated State centers, it has enlisted more than 100 organizations, both private and governmental, as reading promotion partners.
The interagency agreement between Head Start and the Center for the Book is being carried out in communities throughout the country in collaboration with the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the 55,000 member American Library Association. The interagency agreement is designed to demonstrate how libraries that serve young children can work with Head Start grantees to enhance learning and parent involvement in children's literacy and language development.
The multi-media resource package produced to support the development and operation of the partnership encourages Head Start teachers, home visitors, volunteers, and parents to integrate books and other library resource services into day-to-day learning experiences and to build bridges between Head Start and the child's home. The multi-media package, consisting of a video and a user's manual, was distributed to every Head Start grantee in September 1993.
The video consists of four segments:
Head Start grantees and librarians from all over the country have been having small cluster workshops to explore how they can further enhance the use of libraries in the broad field of family literacy. Workshops have been held in California (Sacramento), Virginia (Richmond), and Kansas (Topeka).
- Segment I explores the entire scope of the Head Start/ Library partnership and describes how the partnership works.
- Segment II demonstrates a variety of library program formats and techniques that can help make reading books a joyful experience, including story telling, reading aloud, puppets, dramatic play, video and audio tapes, and other enhancements and extenders.
- Segment III describes how to evaluate and select books that are interesting and engaging to children.
- Segment IV shows how the presence of library materials and staff in the lives of the children supports their educational and emotional experiences. This presence also serves to reinforce the parent involvement component and link library resources with all Head Start components.
For further information on the Head Start-Library of Congress Partnership Project, or about the Center for the Book, contact: John Cole, Director, Center for the Book, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540.
Comments from Participants of the Head Start-Library of Congress Partnership Project Workshops
From Rhonda Ahrent, Home-School Coordinator, First STEPS (Supporting Transition Efforts in
Public Schools), Walnut Ridge, Arkansas:"I am very excited about the partnerships being formed across the country as a result of these conferences. Some of the ideas I heard and plan to implement include summer reading programs, parent night at the library, parent corner in the school library, and unit boxes for Head Start centers."
From Harold R. DeArmond, Director Child Development Programs, Stanislaus County Office of Education, Modesto, California:
"...Head Start participants at these conferences were very excited about the idea of forming and extending partnerships with our local libraries. These partnerships can't help but benefit libraries, Head Start programs, and most of all, the parents and children."
From Maggie Molloy, Executive Director, Child-Parent Centers, Inc., Tucson, Arizona:
"Just a note to say thank you for the terrific introduction to the Head Start/Library Partnership. An area I did not feel received adequate attention was the need for children to have daily exposure to books, both at Head Start and at home. In our program this means a home reading program where children check books out of a library each week."