March is Reading Month and a love of learning and reading starts well before a child gets to school and never really ends. Marshall District Library and other public libraries all over the nation provide early learning experiences for children from the day they are born until they are ready for kindergarten. The last year, these experiences have looked a little different, but they still incorporate our five early literacy practices of “Talk, Sing, Read, Write and Play.”
Talking helps children to learn about language. It helps them learn new words and new concepts.
Singing helps children to learn to listen and it helps them hear the different sounds in each word.
Reading together helps children learn what words mean and helps them understand how to tell a story. It gives them quality time with a beloved adult and makes children want to learn to read on their own.
Writing and drawing helps children develop fine motor skills and helps them learn the shapes of letters.
Playing helps kids learn about feelings, imagination, and storytelling. It lets them explore the world.
This month, Marshall District Library provides three virtual early literacy programs to help foster a love of learning and reading in the children who live in our area. Families can sign up on the library’s website at www.yourmdl.org and pick up a kit of activities to do at home. Library staff members create videos and links are sent via email to those who register. STEAM Explorers focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math concepts with a belief that the best learning is accomplished through play. Virtual Storytime comes with a kit full of supplies for your preschooler to use while following along with stories, songs and fingerplays, as well as craft projects perfect for building fine-motor skills. Jumpin' & Jammin' is a music and movement program where children use their little muscles and big muscles to develop their motor skills. The Virtual Jumpin' & Jammin' kit is full of supplies for your preschooler to use while moving & grooving; examples include scarves, egg shakers, & bubbles. Look on the website at monthly dates for upcoming Bedtime Storytimes that incorporate songs, bedtime stories and relaxing yoga for all ages. Marshall District Library also visits preschools and day care centers virtually and provides early literacy packets to nearly 200 children in the Marshall area.
In April, the library will provide an early literacy kit with assorted activities to families who register. These activities will provide an opportunity for young children to practice the five early literacy practice and get excited for the library’s virtual Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library official kick-off event on Saturday, April 24 from 11 a.m.-noon. Register for an April Early Literacy Kit and access to this event on the library website now. More information on the Imagination Library can be found at the end of this article.
Marshall District Library’s “Rock Star Reader” program is a free, self-paced program intended to help prepare children for success in school. For every 100 books read, a child will receive a free book. If a child completes all 1,000 books before entering kindergarten, he or she will also receive a certificate of completion. If an adult reads one book a night for three years, that child will have heard 1,095 books. The books do not have to be different titles, just 1,000 reads. Registration for this program is also available on the library website.
Marshall District Library also provides a monthly early literacy e-newsletter filled with activities and resources for caregivers. For questions about library programs or to sign up for the e-newsletter, please contact Shauna Swantek, Head of Public Services, at 269-781-7821 ext. 18 or swanteks@yourmdl.org.
Marshall District Library’s building is open at limited capacity for one-hour visits. Masks and social distancing are required. Public computer use is available. Phone and virtual technology help is offered at this time. For technology assistance, call 269-781-7821 ext. 27 or email harmonm@yourmdl.org . All virtual services and programs continue as scheduled. The library’s outside drive-thru drop box is open for returns. All virtual programs and services continue as scheduled. To contact library staff, call 269-781-7821 or email semiferoa@yourmdl.org. Marshall District Library is tax supported by the residents of Eckford, Fredonia, Marengo, and Marshall Townships, and the city of Marshall and remains at your service.
Marshall District Library launches Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Marshall District Library, through the support of generous local donors and the assistance of the Marshall Community Foundation, has launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for the Marshall area.
This program is a free book-gifting program that mails high-quality hardcover children's books each month to all children who register in a geographic area at no cost to the child’s family. Children from birth to age 5 are eligible to participate. More than 200 children in the Marshall area are already registered. To register a child, visit the library's website at www.yourmdl.org and click the link at the bottom of the homepage.
We all know how important early learning experiences are for school readiness and a child's learning to read. Other communities in Calhoun County have had access to this program for years and it has been a long-time dream to bring the program to Marshall. The Dollywood Foundation pays the cost for all of the books delivered to children. The local champion, Marshall District Library, is responsible for paying the mailing costs for the books at $25 per year for each child. No fees may be charged, and no government funds may be used. All funding for this program is through donations from the community. Thanks to the generous donations of local residents, we have been able to start this program, but we would love to sustain this program for five or more years. Our goal in the next six months is to raise $20,000 in funds to support this program. I hope that members of our community will consider making a donation to sponsor children in the Marshall area.
Local residents Tom Stachnik and Pam Sigren donated the first funds for this project that will support children in the area for nearly two years. They have previously supported preschool scholarships for local children of single parents who make up the working poor. According to Pam, “Author Emilia Buchwald said, ‘Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.’ This is why Tom and I donated money and are so excited about our Marshall Library making available Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – this free program mails free books from birth to age 5 every month.
“Having been an elementary teacher and a remedial reading teacher for grades 9 and 10, I have seen the benefits of reading to a child. At just a few months of age an infant can look at pictures, listen to your voice and point to objects. Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the printed words on a page. Parents should try to read to their child at least once a day and best at a regularly scheduled time if possible. I can’t think of a better way to for a parent to connect with their child. Happy Reading!”
For those who are interested in making a donation, Marshall Community Foundation is holding the funds for this project under the MDL Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Fund. Checks can be sent to Marshall Community Foundation at 614 Homer Rd, Marshall, MI 49068. Please specify the Imagination Library in the memo. You can also donate online at https://marshallcf.org/give/donate-now/ and designate the fund as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For questions about this program or making a donation, please contact me at 269-781-7821 ext. 11 or semiferoa@yourmdl.org.
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 140 million free books in Australia, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.7 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age 5. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.