A Redwood Talks series - Live Conversations with Movers and Shakers in the Field of Literacy. We hope you enjoy as Redwood’s CEO, Kait Feriante, interviews Lori Frumkin and Katie Eckert, from Children’s Services & Family Engagement at the Chicago Public Library.

Naturally, we associate libraries with reading. But what about learning to read? Libraries have always had a wealth of options for readers of every level and the Chicago Public Library just added one more valuable tool uniquely created for developing readers.

Jump into reading

CPL’s “Jump Into Reading” initiative supports children and families in the process of building a strong foundation in literacy. At nine branches throughout the city, CPL has made their children’s departments into a resource for struggling readers, adding collections of decodable books, developing materials for parents, and incorporating new strategies for storytimes, afterschool programming, and bookclubs – all as a means of strategically and intentionally supporting the learning-to-read process.

Initially, CPL librarians didn’t realize quite how novel this approach was, but when they reached out to other library systems to see how those librarians served emerging readers, they found that this kind of programming is rare. The response from other libraries was not, “Here’s what we’re doing.” It was, “That’s a good idea!”

Paving the way

With no existing model at hand to show them what would work, CPL librarians partnered with Chicago literacy organizations to ensure this initiative would successfully reach the city’s struggling readers. Redwood’s role has been to demystify the brain of a struggling reader and help librarians envision how they can make a significant impact without being formal reading teachers. A library isn’t a school, and this is one of the powerful advantages of “Jump Into Reading.” Many students with dyslexia and other learning differences have negative associations with classrooms, so one of the principal goals of this initiative is to make literacy support fun, low-stress, and engaging; the academic rigor is covert.

Librarians are helping patrons along their reading journeys by adding decodable books to collections, educating parents and caregivers about what decodable books are, and connecting parents and families to resources. Parents aren’t always aware of what’s available to them, and the library should be a place where parents can learn what the next step might be in helping their children learn to read.

This initiative helps librarians answer a common question: “What should my child be reading?” That question is especially important if the child is having a hard time decoding, and CPL’s focus on struggling readers will help librarians in Chicago (and around the country; certainly this programming will serve as a model for other library systems) point children and parents to the resources they need.

A library near you

“Jump Into Reading” is active in Beverly, Harold Washington Library, Legler Regional, Lincoln Park, McKinley Park, Rogers Park, Sulzer Regional, West Town, and Woodson Regional, but in the coming months it will be expanding to more of the city’s 81 branches. They’re currently focused on younger readers, but they’re excited to expand programming to include older struggling readers.

When we asked librarians how the community can support this initiative, their answer was simple: come use the books, participate in the programming, and spread the word. And share your own difficulties as a parent, caregiver, or educator of a struggling reader – CPL’s goal is to be responsive to the community, building creative and supportive programming that addresses the needs of its patrons.

If you’re in Chicago, you can learn more about this initiative by visiting your local CPL branch and asking your children’s librarian about it. You can also find detailed information on the CPL website.

It takes imagination, collaboration, and a lot of work to build a successful literacy program – especially without models for how to do it well. But Chicago Public Library is making it happen, and we’ve been delighted to partner with them along the way.