[yscon] Literacy partnerships with correctional facilities

Fri May 19 15:29:44 PDT 2017

Hi all,
It’s an excellent, powerful concept that works. Here in Colorado, the State Library’s Institutional Library Development (ILD) Bureau coordinates a similar program called Read to the Children. It’s in 19 facilities, including prisons and youth correctional facilities. All facilities can record offenders on audio recordings, and many now can do video recordings too. ILD coordinate the program and provide training on it to the library staff in the facilities, who implement it.

Each spring, we couple that program with One Book 4 Colorado, which gives a copy of the same book to every 4 year old in the state through public libraries. With this, offenders who have preschool aged kids records him/herself reading the selected book to be given away, and when the child receives the recording, it comes with info about the program so they know they can pick up the book for free at their local public library. We’ve heard many stories about the kids and caregivers going to the library for the first time to get the free book.

For more info:
http://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/read-to-children/
http://www.denverpost.com/2013/05/25/colorado-prisoners-make-connection-to-kids-in-prison-reading-program/
https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/readtothechildrenprogram2013pdf

Please let me know if you’re interested in more info and I’ll connect you up with those that oversee the program.
Thanks,
Beth

Beth Crist
Youth & Family Services Consultant
Colorado State Library, Library Development
[Colorado Department of Education, Commissioner]<http://www.cde.state.co.us/>
P 303.866.6908
201 East Colfax Avenue, Room 309, Denver, CO 80203
Crist_B at cde.state.co.us  |  www.cde.state.co.us

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From: yscon [mailto:yscon-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Monks, Merri
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 9:58 AM
To: Youth Services Consultants
Subject: [yscon] Literacy partnerships with correctional facilities

Hi everyone,

I've just learned about a program in Iowa called The Storybook Project that is coordinated by the Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa (https://www.vnsia.org/mothers-children-families/storybookproject/default.aspx).  This program enables incarcerated parents, via the assistance of a VNSIA staff member or volunteer and a digital recording device, to read a book to their child.  The recording is burned onto a CD and sent, with the book, to the child.  Psrents can do this once a month.  When the incarcerated parent is released, he or she is given a backpack of books, matching the ages of their children, to foster opportunities to continue reading in the family.  Here is an article, published in the Des Moines Register recently, about The Storybook Project:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/2017/05/11/storybook-incarcerated-mothers-iowa-reading/315476001/

There have been two correctional institutions involved -- one housing men, one women -- with a third one recently added (also for men).

While I asked a colleague a couple of years ago in the Department of Education whether there was anything along these lines in Iowa, I was told at that time that he didn't know of anything.  (I had read about a similar program in Minnesota).  However, this program has been ongoing for 20 years, without any apparent collaboration with the State Library and/or the public libraries in the state.

I'm attempting to change that.  The conference planning committee of the Iowa Library Association is looking for a way to include a session with the coordinators of this program at our fall conference (the program is filled--and if not this year, then next year), and I'm hoping also to produce a webinar for our public libraries, informing them of The Storybook Project and suggesting ways they may participate.  I'm still sorting through the details of how this can best work, and am sending this email to inquire whether any of you have worked on projects collaborating efforts like this on a statewide basis?

Thanks,

Merri

Merri Monks Youth Services Consultant
State Library of Iowa | Des Moines Office
515.281.7572 | Merri.Monks at iowa.gov<mailto:Merri.Monks at iowa.gov>
1112 E. Grand Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50319
www.StateLibraryofIowa.org<http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/>

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