National Poetry Day!

Here is a great article - an interview with a children's librarian - on why it's important to share poetry with children: http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/poetry/librarian_interview.html

Best Practices

We need your Best Practices Award entries. Why? Because now more than ever it is so important to remind everyone how valuable libraries are to the communities they serve. So please share your best practices so that we can recognize public libraries from across the state that have innovative and successful programs in place for children, families and caregivers.

The deadline for applications is October 30. Remember, you can enter in more than one category. Mark your calendars now for the Best Practices Awards application deadline. *NEW FOR 2010 – BONUS POINTS WILL BE AWARDED TO FIRST TIME APPLICANTS*

Week of September 7, 2009 – PaLA Best Practices Award applications issued
October 30, 2009 – PaLA Best Practices Award entries due
April 14, 2010 – PaLA Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon,
Hilton Harrisburg

Again, PaLA will distribute the Best Practices in Early Learning booklets featuring the Best Practices award winners and their library programs at the PaLA Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon on April 14 in Harrisburg. In order to have those booklets ready for distribution at that event, the deadline for applications is October 30.

This year’s awards program again includes a category for innovative programs conducted in conjunction with the One Book, Every Young Child program utilizing the selected 2009 book, If You Were A Penguin.

Attendees at the Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon will have an opportunity to learn from and meet Jane and Will Hillenbrand, the author and illustrator of the 2010 One Book, Every Young Child selection, What a Treasure. Other leaders in the field of early learning also will be speaking. All Best Practices Award winners will receive their awards from the Hillenbrands, and their stories will be part of the Best Practices in Early Learning booklet distributed that day and shared with elected officials and policy-makers. You do not have to be an award winner to attend this FREE day of learning and fun and may bring an unlimited number of guests such as library staff, board members, major funders, etc.

Don’t forget to submit your application by Friday, October 30, 2009. Please email your completed application to Teri Hurst at thurst@pposinc.com or send to:

Teri Hurst
PPO&S
122 State Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101

We look forward to sharing your award-winning innovative programming across the state!

Another reason why library's should have toys

If you have toys in your library and people ask why, hand them a copy of this article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212125137.htm

Literacy at the Doctor's Office

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/quicktips/doctors.html

A great article about how parents can share literacy activities while waiting at the doctor's office!

Building Math Skills

A great idea from PBS KIDS. Build math skills by graphing with those annoying stickers from fruit!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=132573324787&h=N6oO8&u=9zHNW&ref=nf

Check Up for Young Readers

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pennsylvania Association of Family Physicians and the Pennsylvania Library Association have formed a collaboration to promote the new statewide program, Checkup for Young Readers. In this program, pediatricians and other health care providers partner with local libraries to encourage parents to share books with their preschoolers.

We'd like to know what your library is doing with this great partnership opportunity. Please comment here to let us know what you and your health partners have been doing. If you have photos, send them to dpulginostout@mclinc.org and I will post them here too.

For more information on this great program, please go to Check Up for Young Readers.

We also invite any health care providers to join our blog and post comments about your relationship with your local library and how it benefits your young patients.

Hello out there!

I realise that I have been remiss about posting to this blog for quite some time. Hopefully, you are all out there too busy with Summer Reading Club to realize this, however. I hope that your summer is going well and you're having a great time being creative! I know we are at Montgomery County-Norristown. check out some of the fun and crafty programs we've been having.

I'd love to share what YOU are all doing too! So, send me those links and I'll post them here for everyone to see!

Call for Conference Programs!

Dear Gang,
The 2009 PaLA Conference Program Proposal form is now ready. We suggest that you submit a program proposal using this link:

Click Here to take survey

The Youth Services Division is eager to hear from you. Please help us provide you with the best lineup of programs ever at the annual conference.

We are requesting your responses by March 16. We are hoping this will give the committee enough time to review them, before we need to turn them in to the Program Committee on or before April 6.