Concerts
January 18, 2007Louis Joseph DuBois
January 22, 2007
Houma’s Merry Oaks Preschool students are delighted to join the new outreach program launched this month by the Terrebonne Parish Library System.
Designed to make storytelling fun, the program engages preschool-age children with various materials to help prepare them for kindergarten, library administrators said.
Titled Reading WELL, the program is the first of its kind in Terrebonne Parish, and only the second in Louisiana. It is a replicate of the Rapides Parish Preschool Outreach Plus (POPS) program in Alexandria.
Reading WELL is strictly for the 41 licensed early childhood centers in the parish that cater to ages three to five, according to library officials. The program redefines the way stories are told, which enhances the reading and learning experience for the preschool generation.
“The permanent program will help to build language, motor development and social skills, as well as life and critical thinking skills for the students,” said Amy Whipple, assistant director of the Terrebonne Parish Library System.
Mary Cosper LeBouef, library director, said bags of big books and education resources are being delivered to licensed daycares centers. Through the program, nearly 125 pouches of books on various topics have been purchased, and will be distributed across the parish monthly.
“Public libraries are losing the stigma of being four walls filled with books. They have become community centers. Libraries across the nation are providing more outreach services to the segment of population who can’t visit the library,” LeBoeuf said.
Following a national trend, Terrebonne Parish educators are focused on getting preschoolers ready for kindergarten, LeBoeuf said.
The library system recently purchased and decorated a Reading WELL van, which will visit centers in Terrebonne Parish, delivering reading material on a rotational basis. Program coordinator Lillie Brunet said the daycare centers have welcomed the concept, since a number of insurers prohibit them from transporting children to the library.
Brunet explained that a tote bag filled with books and hands-on learning resources will be loaned out to licensed educational centers. She said each bag features a broad topic gathered around age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction big books.
“Storytelling techniques will be demonstrated to the daycare and learning center staff. This will help to train them on the use of the educational materials. Hopefully, it will make the learning experience for the children fun and exciting,” Brunet said.
Right now, Brunet visits two preschools a day to train teachers and give students a brief orientation on the learning materials. Although, the program hasn’t officially been introduced into the Merry Oaks Preschool curriculum, preschool teacher Julie Fanguy said the center is excited about the program because it gives students an opportunity to participate in hands-on activities.
The preschool is scheduled to get its first van visit this week.
“I believe in hands-on activities in the classroom, and I believe that the students will benefit greatly from this program. We want our students to have the best education possible. This program maybe what we need to advance them even more,” Fanguy said.
For more information about the Reading WELL outreach program, call (985) 876-5158.
