Library system gets kindergarten-readiness training grant

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County has received a $16,500 Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Services and Technology Act grant from the state, which supports kindergarten-readiness training for librarians and the purchase of early-learning backpacks for families to borrow.

Saroj Ghoting, an early-childhood literacy consultant and national trainer on early literacy, will lead the kindergarten-readiness training, according to a library system news release.

Ghoting has provided training to national organizations such as the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

The local librarians will be trained in all-day workshops this month, May and August.

The workshops will establish a foundational knowledge and include hands-on practice and activities on the five domains of early learning – social and emotional development, approaches toward learning, cognition and general knowledge, language and literacy and physical well-being and motor development.

Youth librarians will apply this knowledge to both library programs and community partnerships. The workshops also will be open to youth librarians across the state.

The LSTA Literacy Grant also funded the purchase of 62 early-learning backpacks that include books, toys and an activity guide. They are aligned with a specific skill from the Early Learning and Development Standards and provide parents with activities and tools to develop kindergarten readiness skills at home.

The interactive kits are available at every library branch location.

To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.