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Prime Time Family Reading Time
Low-literacy, low-income Spanish-speaking families gather in libraries to read award-winning children's books with storytellers and scholars. Prime Time fosters high academic expectations for children and encourages parents to speak and read English. |
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April 2008 NHC seeks new Prime Time applicants statewide
The Nebraska Humanities Council seeks to expand Prime Time Family Reading Time to public libraries in Nebraska communities and neighborhoods where student reading scores are not meeting state standards.
Since 2002, the Nebraska Humanities Council has funded Prime Time—a six-week reading and discussion program for low-income families with children ages six to 10—at 14 libraries and five schools in 13 communities across the state.
A recent study conducted by a University of Nebraska at Omaha research team confirmed the program’s success at instilling in families a love for reading. The report included results from a survey of families who attended the fall 2007 Prime Time at Omaha’s South Branch library.
According to the survey, 100 percent of responding parents said that Prime Time changed the way they read and discussed books with their children. Of those parents, 92 percent said they participated in reading activities more often with their children, and 83 percent agreed that the program encouraged them to spend more time reading and discussing books together.
These numbers echo comments from Prime Time sites statewide. In South Sioux City, a discussion leader said that a few parents “had to read all three books nearly every night of the week with their children because the children were so caught up in the experience.” A Grand Island discussion leader said, “I was talking with the mother of a six-year-old boy who had hated reading. Hated it so much he was doing very poorly in school. She feared he would never be successful and one day drop out. She knew what happens to most young Hispanic men who don’t finish school. In the six weeks since they had come to Prime Time, he had come to love reading and was starting to like school. In her heart and mind, we had saved her son’s life.”
In the Omaha survey, 92 percent of the parents indicated that their children shared Prime Time stories and experiences with other family members—siblings and adults. In South Sioux City, one parent said that, because of what her daughter learned in Prime Time, “she tells the story in her own way with a great deal of feeling.”
Last summer, the NHC expanded Prime Time beyond Spanish-speaking families to help fund sessions at Omaha’s Washington Branch library, serving African-American families from neighborhoods where poverty is high and student reading scores are low. According to John Bernardi, director of the Washington Branch, several participants told him that Prime Time was “one of the best programs the library offers and that it has become very important to them.”
To apply as a new Prime Time site, click here or contact the NHC office at (402) 474-2131 or nhc@nebraskahumanities.org.
Prime Time returns to Washington Branch Library
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program designed to help strengthen participants’ interest and skills in reading, will return to Omaha this spring.
The Charles B. Washington Branch Library will host Prime Time on six consecutive Saturday mornings from April 19 through May 24. Each program begins with a light breakfast and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s literature. The program is free and open to the public.
The six-week series is offered to families with children ages six to 10. It includes sessions on fairness, greed, courage, dreams, and ingenuity.
Storytellers Karen Mallory and Janice Collins-Brooks will introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children. Families will also learn about library resources and services. Separate pre-reading activities will be available for younger siblings.
Prime Time reinforces the role of family in society, encourages parents and children to bond over reading and learning together, and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics. The program also encourages parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
“It is so important for children to learn the joys of reading early in life, especially when it involves reading and discussing books with their families,” said NHC Senior Program Officer Erika Hamilton, state coordinator of Prime Time. “A love for learning through reading has a positive impact on how well a child does in school.”
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, bilingual and English-only Prime Time sessions have been held in Lincoln, Crete, Grand Island, South Sioux City, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and other Nebraska communities over the last five years. This will be the Washington Branch’s seventh Prime Time, having held their first in the spring of 2005.
Prime Time programs are sponsored in Nebraska by the NHC, the State of Nebraska, Nebraska Library Commission, and Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Sponsors and funders for Prime Time in Omaha include the Omaha Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Omaha Public Library, and the H. Lee and Carol Gendler Charitable Fund. The NHC is a private, statewide, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information or to register to participate, contact John Bernardi, Branch Manager, at (402) 444-4849.
Prime Time reading program returns to Lincoln
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program designed to help strengthen participants’ interest and skills in reading, will return to Lincoln with opportunities for both Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children.
The Bennett Martin Public Library in downtown Lincoln will host the bilingual series on six consecutive Thursday evenings from April 3 through May 8. Each program begins with a light dinner and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s literature. The program is free and open to the public.
The six-week series is offered to families with children ages six to 10. It includes sessions on fairness, greed, courage, dreams, and cleverness. All books are read and discussed in both English and Spanish.
Discussion leader Joel Gajardo and storyteller Ricardo Garcia will introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children. Families also will learn about library resources and services. Separate pre-reading activities will be available for younger siblings.
Prime Time reinforces the role of family in society, encourages parents and children to bond over reading and learning together, and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics. The program also encourages parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
“It is so important for children to learn the joys of reading early in life, especially when it involves reading and discussing books with their families,” said NHC Senior Program Officer Erika Hamilton, state coordinator of Prime Time. “A love for learning through reading has a positive impact on how well a child does in school.”
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, bilingual and English-only Prime Time sessions have been held in Omaha, Crete, Grand Island, South Sioux City, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and other Nebraska communities over the last five years. This will be Lincoln’s fifth bilingual Prime Time.
Prime Time programs are sponsored in Nebraska by the NHC, the State of Nebraska, Nebraska Library Commission, and Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Sponsors and funders for Prime Time in Lincoln include Lincoln City Libraries, Cornhusker Bank, and Lincoln Community Outreach Foundation. The NHC is a private, statewide, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information or to register to participate, contact Vicki Wood, youth services librarian, at (402) 441-8566.
Prime Time reading program returns to Norfolk
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program designed to help strengthen participants’ interest and skills in reading, will return to Norfolk with opportunities for both Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children.
Lincoln Elementary School will host the bilingual series on six consecutive Tuesday evenings from April 1 through May 6. Each program begins with a light dinner and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s literature. The program is free and open to the public.
The six-week series is offered to families with children ages six to 10. It includes sessions on kinship, determination, dreams, greed, and fairness. All books are read and discussed in both English and Spanish.
Discussion leader Darlene Rodriguez and storyteller Juanita Ramirez will introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children. Families also will learn about resources and services available through the Norfolk Public Library. Separate pre-reading activities, provided by Northeast Community College’s Early Childcare Program, will be available for younger siblings.
Prime Time reinforces the role of family in society, encourages parents and children to bond over reading and learning together, and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics. The program also encourages parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
“It is so important for children to learn the joys of reading early in life, especially when it involves reading and discussing books with their families,” said NHC Senior Program Officer Erika Hamilton, state coordinator of Prime Time. “A love for learning through reading has a positive impact on how well a child does in school.”
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, bilingual and English-only Prime Time sessions have been held in Lincoln, Omaha, Grand Island, South Sioux City, Scottsbluff, and other Nebraska communities over the last five years. This is Norfolk’s fourth bilingual Prime Time, having held the first at Grant Elementary School in the fall of 2006.
Prime Time programs are sponsored in Nebraska by the NHC, the State of Nebraska, Nebraska Library Commission, and Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Primary sponsors for Prime Time in Norfolk include the Norfolk Public Schools and Read Aloud Norfolk. Both have played leading roles in applying for and implementing the program. Other funders and donors in Norfolk include Target, Culver's, and Runza, with major funding from The Connie Fund.
The NHC is a private, statewide, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information or to register to participate, contact Pam Weyhrich, family reading night coordinator for Lincoln Elementary, at (402) 644-2550.
Prime Time program returns to South Sioux City
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program designed to help strengthen participants’ interest and skills in reading, will return to South Sioux City with opportunities for both Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children.
The South Sioux City Public Library will host the bilingual series on six consecutive Thursday evenings from Feb. 7 through March 13. Each program begins with a light dinner and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s literature.
The free six-week series is offered to families with children ages 6 to 10. It includes sessions on fairness, greed, dreams, determination and courage. All books are read and discussed in both English and Spanish.
Discussion leader Gail Ament and storyteller Katie Hoaglund will introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children. Families will also learn about library resources and services. Separate pre-reading activities will be available for younger siblings.
Prime Time reinforces the role of family in society, encourages parents and children to bond over reading and learning together, and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics. The program also encourages parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
“It is so important for children to learn the joys of reading early in life, especially when it involves reading and discussing books with their families,” said NHC Senior Program Officer Erika Hamilton, state coordinator of Prime Time. “A love for learning through reading has a positive impact on how well a child does in school.” Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, bilingual and English-only Prime Time sessions have been held in Lincoln, Omaha, Grand Island, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and other Nebraska communities over the last five years. This will be South Sioux City’s fifth bilingual Prime Time, having held their first in the spring of 2006.
Prime Time programs are sponsored in Nebraska by the NHC, the State of Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission. The NHC is a private, statewide, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information or to register to participate, contact Kathy Jacobs, library director, at (402) 494-7545.
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Phone 402-474-2131 or e-mail nhc@nebraskahumanities.org |
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