Early literacy resource guide to be distributed free
of charge to thousands of families across Toronto, and to every public library
in Ontario
TORONTO (Tuesday, March 26, 2013) – At a launch event for its new publication, Toronto Public Library
today announced that it will be widely distributing free copies of its new research-supported
early literacy resource, Let’s Get Ready
for Reading: a fun and easy guide to help kids become readers.
Through an ambitious
plan - made possible by funding from the Toronto Public Library
Foundation, thanks to a generous donation by an anonymous donor and support
provided by the J.P. Bickell Foundation and the Rotary Club of Toronto – thousands
of families in Toronto will have access to high quality research-based
activities, resources, tips and librarian-recommended reading lists that help
build reading readiness in children birth to five years old.
Recognizing the
critical role that libraries play in building early literacy skills and
cultivating a lifelong love of reading, Toronto Public Library is also
providing a free copy to every library branch of every public library system in
Ontario.
“Toronto
Public Library is proud of this one-of-a-kind resource, and we are thrilled to
be able to put it into the hands of so many parents, caregivers, educators and
librarians across the city and province,” said City Librarian Jane Pyper. “I
would like to recognize the great work of our Foundation and thank our donors, whose
generosity and commitment to the library make this publication possible”.
The
Let’s
Get Ready for Reading guide
is available now to browse and borrow
from all branches of Toronto Public Library, and over the coming months it will be distributed for free across Toronto to kindergartners,
Ontario Early Years Centres, city-funded literacy centres, Parenting and Family
Literacy Centres and licensed daycares, and to every public library in Ontario.
And through a partnership with Toronto Public
Health, copies of Let’s Get Ready for
Reading will also be given this year to newborns and toddlers in Toronto
via programs for new parents. Free copies of the guide will also be given to
preschoolers who register for or renew a Toronto Public Library card during an
upcoming campaign, and through the Toronto Public Library’s community outreach
programs.
Copies
of the guide will be available for purchase at Toronto Public Library branches
across the city.
Let’s Get Ready for Reading was
developed for Ontario parents by Toronto Public Library children’s librarians,
caregivers and educators, as they support early literacy in children, birth to
five. The guide was created to provide parents and caregivers with a broad
understanding of the important pre-literacy skills that help develop reading
readiness, and illustrates to them that reading success – and later success in
school – is achievable through fun and easy everyday activities.
The
guide contains:
- Suggestions
for fun, easy , everyday activities and games that foster reading
readiness - Librarian-recommended
reading booklists - Tricks
and resources to help get your child “ready for reading” - And
much more!
“While
the task might sound overwhelming at first to parents, it’s the simple and
imaginative activities that are the blocks literacy success and early childhood
development are built on,” said David Booth, national literacy expert,
children’s author and professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies
in Education at University of Toronto. “Let’s
Get Ready for Reading’s friendly, encouraging and accessible approach
empowers parents and caregivers. I’m delighted that copies can be found not
only in public libraries, but will be available in literacy centres, daycares,
schools and homes. This is a valuable tool that parents, caregivers and
educators should always have on hand.”
The
guide is part of Toronto Public
Library’s Ready for Reading set of
free, high-quality early literacy programs, services and resources, which are founded
on extensive research, and which focus on important principles and practices
that foster reading readiness – the essential skills for children before they
learn to read.
Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban
public library system. Every year, 19 million people visit our branches in
neighbourhoods across the city and borrow 32 million items. To learn more about
Toronto Public Library, visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call
Answerline at 416-393-7131. To get the most current updates on what's happening
at the library, follow us on Twitter @torontolibrary.
The Toronto Public Library Foundation believes in the
social benefits of a strong and healthy public library system. As a registered
charity, the Foundation fosters relationships with people of vision to provide
Toronto's Library with improved and expanded collections, enhanced programs and
services, and revitalized community spaces.
-30-
Media Contact:
Michelle Leung