Early Literacy Bulletin

June 5th, 2007

Event Summaries

Last Portola Family Connections Next Steps Session; May 10th
On May 10th, Michael and Liz held their final Next Steps and Early Literacy Initiative/ Jumpstart for Young Children. With eight families in attendance, the group made playdough as part of the celebration. Children also received a bag with construction paper, crayons, playdough, and a free book so they can continue to work with their children Next Steps has ended for the summer, but Michael and Liz will be continuing their work with families at Portola Family Connections with PFC's “Mamas Latinas” support group. Lookout for updates on this collaboration throughout the summer!

VVCC: Family Workshop Series; May 10th
The Early Literacy Initiative/Jumpstart brought ABC Bookmaking to John McLaren where 15 families participated in the construction of their books. With the addition of Shelley Sorenson, Children’s Librarian of the Visitacion Valley public branch library families and children enjoyed songs and story time. Also, Shelley provided parents with library applications that when returned will give children a FREE copy of “The Little Engine that Could” and their library card. All in all, the event was a smashing success for everyone.

Hunters View Headstart Mini JFAD; May 18th
To celebrate Hunter’s View Head Start and Jumpstart for Young Children’s first year together the team held a Family Literacy Day with ABC books, free books from Children’s Book Project, Cookie Production, and a variety of learning stations. Children had the opportunity to measure, count, and mix ingredients to make sugar cookies. Families were available to participate in the ABC books. Jumpstart team members interacted with families, teachers, and children in the different activities present. All in all, 15 ABC books were made and the celebration was a hit with everyone. One parent said, “I wish we had these when I was a kid!”

Gilman Park “Rec Connect” Family Resource Fair; June 2nd
The ELI team attended the Family Resource Fair at BayViews own Gilman Park. The focus of the event was to kick of the summer off by connecting community members with upcoming programs for young children in the BayView and through out San Francisco. The ELI team provided early literacy activities and information to children and their families as well as sharing information with other CBO’s who attended the event. The event was a great success because it gave families access to summer resources they might not have otherwise known about talk and play with the children. The teachers there were thrilled with the event and asked the kids to bring their books in so they could use them in class.

Meeting Recaps

BayView Kindergarten Council Meeting; May 22nd
The final Kindergarten Council Meeting happened on Tuesday, May 22nd at Charles Drew. The theme for this meeting was “Community Collaboration”. In attendance, were different community agencies, school social workers, parent liaisons, school administrators, librarians, and family members. Each participant discussed the importance and barriers in collaborating with schools and with different community partners. Additionally, brainstorming on what tangible resources the schools and community could provide to each other. Representatives addressed possible solutions to the different concerns and issues addressed. In the end, members filled out an evaluation and were interested in maintaining the meetings even though this meeting was the last.