Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR)
The Waterloo Public Library has adopted Every Child Ready to Read, an early childhood literacy program developed by the American Library Association (ALA).
Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Studies have shown that children get ready to read years before they start school. Parents and caregivers play a critical role in developing early literacy skills in children beginning at birth.
According to research, there are six pre-reading skills children must know in order to learn to read:
Narrative Skills: Encompasses the ability to retell stories, sequence items or events and describe things.
Letter Knowledge: The ability to recognize that the shapes that form letters have names to identify them and they have specific sounds.
Print Motivation: A child’s interest in the printed word.
Print Awareness: The ability to recognize that words on a page follow a particular order (left to right and top to bottom) and how to handle printed material.
Phonological Awareness: Being able to hear and manipulate the smaller sounds in words.
Vocabulary: Knowing the names of things.
For more information about how you can help your child develop these skills, please refer to the official Every Child Ready to Read website.
How Can WPL Help?
The Every Child Ready to Read program is used in a number of WPL’s drop-in programs for young children, including Tales for Tots, Preschool Wiggles and Giggles and Wonderful Walkers. Each week, one of the six pre-reading skills is highlighted through stories, songs and rhymes. In addition, all the library’s preschool programs promote both early literacy and socialization skills through stories, songs and rhymes. For more information , please visit our Programs for Kids webpage.
The library has numerous picture books, early readers, kits and other materials available for loan which can be utilized to promote pre-reading skills. Click here to view a list of early literacy books at WPL which can be used to support Every Child Ready to Read.
Every Child Ready to Read in Other Languages
ECRR has been translated into a few language including Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean and Russian. Click here to view further details.
Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® is a program of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, divisions of the American Library Association. Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® is a registered trademark and is used with permission.
