Minutes from April 9th Meeting

April 9, 2018    7:30 AM

Beloit Public Library

Early Literacy Initiative – Follow-up Meeting

Minutes provided by Mary Studemann

Tara Tinder gave welcoming remarks – she stated the inclusive nature of the initiative to include South Beloit, Clinton and surrounding areas.

Bill Flanagan will lead the meeting to brainstorm ideas that will promote Early Literacy within Beloit and the surrounding area.  He stated the potential to change the lives of families, children, and the community at large.

Rachelle Elliott – reminded the group of Read Aloud 15 and the Talking is Teaching.  She encouraged us to work within programs that our organizations already have.  She extended an invitation to have she and/or Bill meet with an organization for assistance with brainstorming at the work/organization site.

Michele Erickson from Wisconsin Literacy Inc.  encouraged early talk as a means of Early Literacy.  Shared that the amount of interactive engagement with young children is also a means of Early Literacy.  She shared there are other programs such as Young Star that could help the Beloit community with Early Literacy programming.

Breakout groups – education, library, non-profits, municipal, business groups were represented at the meeting.  The groups were divided up so as to answer the three questions on the agenda.

1.  What can we do today?
2. What can we do long term?
3. How can we measure growth?

The groups were given 20 to 25 minutes to complete the task.

What can we do today?

-Push info out to families
-Laps not aps
-Training for health providers about conversations with families and library nights and books for families
-Environmental signs around the community – Welty Center
-Books for families
-America Reads Volunteer Programs in the schools
-Systematic volunteer programs in the schools to help with intervention
-Imagination Library
-Ready for K – parent App to build into technology
-Text 4 Baby
-Teen Parent Program
-Blackhawk Tech Program for Early Literacy
-Equity in early childhood program
-Reading specialist work with 4K
-Family nights for school district with B-3 families
-Grocery stores with environmental signs
-Getting out to families
-Weave literacy programs into things that organizations already do
-Making traditions for literacy into religious ceremonies
-Business willing to take on Literacy for Life initiative – looking for a packet that can be shared with the H.R. department
-Business venture – making contacts and prioritizing our ‘asks’.  Make it organized and easy
-Gather data on employers in the district
-Public library partners with educational groups
-Using the Beloit Public library as a physical resource: library as a public space and open for others
-Sponsoring non-profits so they can do some of the programs – possibly in the form of grants
-Some programs are free and the only barrier is the volunteers

Bill stated that we want groups and individuals to work from their position of strength and influence and a coordinated effort will make a difference.

Can we provide early childhood providers with materials and training so they can then implement parent meetings with materials?

How can we add to the discussion for parents who are at the survival mode so that these measures are not seen as punitive?  This question was well-received by the group.

Who is not in the room?  How can we get individuals and members of the community to attend meetings like we are having today?

-Jeff Hoyt from the homeless housing community
-Mark Perry – Community Action
-NHS
-YMCA

Once a month meetings from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. will be planned

Next meeting – May 7^th – 7:30 a.m. at the Beloit Public Library