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Goal: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten | First Steps
Lately, I have become obsessed with numbers—and with good reason. Across the country, educators are looking to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to increase the level of students’ knowledge by...
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Bedtime Math Battles Summer Slide in Both Math and Reading
I love research and statistics, which is a funny statement coming from a self-proclaimed math–phobe. But I do. Recently, I’ve been looking at statistics showing how the “summer slide” affects students...
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Preschool and the Income Gap: Libraries Must Step Up to Serve Children of Color
Photo © Brand X Pictures/Getty Images. After President Obama’s January 2014 State of the Union address, I reported on renewed federal support for preschool education and the potential role of...
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Chaos in Your Children’s Section? Embrace It. | First Steps
Confession: I dislike flying. But when SLJ held its second annual Think Tank event at the Nashville Public Library in April, I knew I had to go. Man, am I glad I forced myself onto that airplane....
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A National Effort to Read to Kids 15 Minutes a Day Needs Our Support
Remember the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Well, pediatricians have a new one: “A book a day builds your brain today!” OK, I just made that little ditty up. But there is a lot of...
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Teaching STEAM with Lois Ehlert: Preschool isn’t too early to introduce STEM...
Looking over 20 years’ worth of storytime plans that I have created for my toddler and preschool programs, I notice that one author’s name appears quite regularly: Lois Ehlert. Her titles are instantly...
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PNC Bank’s $350 Million Early Learning Push | First Steps
Banks are not traditionally known for innovating with early childhood education programs—or for acting as cheerleaders for a Guinness Book of World Records challenge, for that matter. Yet PNC Bank,...
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Virtual Preschool? Believe It or not, It’s a Thing
I’m having a nightmare. In it, my editor has pitched me an idea to cover virtual preschool. In my nightmare, I think: “Virtual preschool? I don’t even have my own flying car! But maybe my parents...
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Family Place Libraries Recast the Librarian’s Role in Early Learning
Photo by Andersen Ross/Thinkstock photos Three toddlers stack plastic plates and cups onto a table while another pretends to wash some forks in a sink. Across the way, a grandmother and her...
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Surprise—It’s STEM for Toddlers!
Twins stacking cups at the North Bellmore (NY) Public Library with ReneeMcGrath, manager of youth services for the Nassau (NY) Library System.Photo by Michele Rudzewick. A friend recently posted this...
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Are Bedtime Stories Going the Way of the Dinosaurs? | First Steps
One of my greatest memories is reading the same, mundane book over and over again, night after night, to my firstborn over a decade ago. And yes, after the 179th reading, it was hard for me to muster...
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The Best Early-Learning Blogs | First Steps
When it comes to early learning, I can’t get enough of blogs. There are so many good ones out there that I hesitate to pick and choose—but I’m going to risk it. It’s important to the promotion of early...
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Learning to Like Mother Goose Scripts | First Steps
I’ve been chanting “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” baaing like a sheep, and sharing my favorite Mother Goose rhymes during early learning programs for the last 24 years—often without a script. While I created a...
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Why toys should be in every children’s department—and how to make it happen |...
I never thought that toys would be a polarizing topic, yet here we are. Librarians either love them or strongly disagree with their placement in children’s rooms. Today’s children’s librarians have the...
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‘Open-Access’ Approach Creates a Parent-Friendly Library | First Steps
The last year or so has seen a wide-ranging conversation around diversity in children’s books, which is a great one to have. But what about diversity in parenting? What about diversity in parenting...
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How Can Youth Services Staff Meet Early Learning Needs in 2017? | First Steps
After attending the New York State Library Association conference on November 2–5, and listening to Rebekkah Smith-Aldrich and Matthew Bollerman speak about sustainability, I was fired up. Then,...
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Wearable Tech May Build Babies’ Budding Vocabularies | First Steps
On my left wrist is a piece of gadgetry that is supposed to motivate me to get up from behind my desk and walk. While I occasionally hit my goal of 10,000 steps a day on my Fitbit, I don’t do it often...
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Use Props in Early Learning Programs To Add New Dimension
One of the things I like most about my colleagues is that they, like me, tend to be opinionated, which leads to the sharing of thoughts and ideas. Take, for example, the use of props in programs. Some...
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Increase Family Engagement Now | First Steps
In March, the Suffolk (NY) Cooperative Library System, my local library, sponsored the Family Engagement in Public Libraries program, featuring Margaret Caspe, director of research and professional...
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Tips for the Littlest Writers | First Steps
Normally I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, but one I’ll try in January is to incorporate more fun, open-ended writing activities in early learning classes and play areas. Why? The more my...
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