|
Prime Time Archives 2002-2005
October 2005
Prime Time was created in 1991 by the LEH and was piloted at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and co-sponsorship with the American Library Association have allowed Prime Time to spread nationally. About 525 programs have been conducted in 37 states and the Virgin Islands. Since 2002, the NHC has sponsored eight programs in five Nebraska libraries.
NHC gets grant for family
reading program
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program, will be presented in Scottsbluff in November with a special emphasis on the Hispanic community in that Panhandle city.
Scottsbluff Public Library hosts the series Monday nights Nov. 8 through Dec. 6 using bilingual books in English and Spanish.
The six-week series of reading and discussion is designed for families with children ages six to 10. It includes sessions on fairness, greed, courage, cleverness and determination.
A discussion leader and a storyteller introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children, and a library representative introduces families to library resources and services. Younger siblings participate in separate pre-reading activities. Each program begins with a light dinner and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children's literature.
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the program also has been held in Lincoln and Omaha libraries. In Scottsbluff, underwriters include Platte Valley National Bank, Valley Bank and Trust, Lockwood Foundation and J.G. Elliott Insurance.
While most literacy programs have a retention rate of less than 25 percent, the Prime Time retention rate is 99.7 percent. Some 74 percent of families said that Prime Time improved the way parents talk to their children, 74 percent could name a book title when asked to identify the last book they read to their children, and 88 percent who named a book title named a book not on the Prime Time reading list. Ninety-eight percent said they wanted more programs like Prime Time, and 100 percent had library cards.
Prime Time reinforces the role of the family in society, trains parents and children to form bonds over reading and learning together and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics, including history, literature, and ethical issues. The program also encourages low-literacy, low-income parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) family literacy program, will be presented in two Nebraska towns in coming months.
Schuyler Public Library hosts Prime Time on consecutive Monday evenings, Sept. 13 through Oct. 18, and Scottsbluff Public Library hosts the series Monday nights Nov. 8 through Dec. 6. The program will target Hispanic populations in both communities, using bilingual books in English and Spanish.
The six-week series of reading and discussion is designed for families with children ages six to 10. It includes sessions on fairness, greed, courage, cleverness and determination.
A discussion leader and a storyteller introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children, and a library representative introduces families to library resources and services. Younger siblings participate in separate pre-reading activities. Each program begins with a light dinner and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children's literature.
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the program also has been held in Lincoln and Omaha libraries. Funding for Prime Time programs in Nebraska comes from EducationQuest Foundation Inc. and Qwest Communications.
While most literacy programs have a retention rate of less than 25 percent, the Prime Time retention rate is 99.7 percent. Some 74 percent of families said that Prime Time improved the way parents talk to their children, 74 percent could name a book title when asked to identify the last book they read to their children, and 88 percent who named a book title named a book not on the Prime Time reading list. Ninety-eight percent said they wanted more programs like Prime Time, and 100 percent had library cards.
Prime Time reinforces the role of the family in society, trains parents and children to form bonds over reading and learning together and teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics, including history, literature, and ethical issues. The program also encourages low-literacy, low-income parents to enter or continue their own educational programs to improve their employment opportunities.
Prime Time Family Reading Time was developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities to target low-literacy families with children ages 6 to 10 years.
With a generous grant from the EducationQuest Foundation Inc., the NHC has taken the Louisiana model and adapted it to reach Nebraska’s new immigrant populations, especially those of Hispanic heritage.
“Our Prime Time experience at the South Omaha Library was very exciting and exceeded our expectations,” said librarian Norma Pountney. “We had 20 families attend, with an average weekly attendance of 64. Community groups provided the evening meals and local merchants contributed door prizes. It was indeed a community event! We want to continue it in the fall.”
Prime Time meets once a week for six weeks and uses a storyteller and discussion leader. Each week the family is given a set of award-winning children’s books to take home and read together. The following week the families meet at the library to discuss the books they’ve read.
The evening starts out with a light dinner or snack and then the storyteller picks one of the books and “tells” it dramatically. Following the storytelling, the discussion leader facilitates a dialogue about the themes in the book with the children and their parents.
A grant from Qwest Communications has enabled the NHC to purchase a second set of books.
“As the program went on, parents and children both became more comfortable with the program, getting more involved, telling jokes, interacting with the storyteller, even dancing the last night,” Pountney recalled.
“An especially heart-warming story was of a father who attended with his son and daughter. The father couldn't speak English and was illiterate in his own language. The last evening of the program he got up and spoke to the group and told them how he would come to the library and use the pictures in the books to tell stories to his children. The program helped him learn how to tell the stories and discuss them. During the program, one of the other parents offered to tutor him so that he can become literate in Spanish.”
The NHC trained a Prime Time team in the Panhandle and will send a team from the Omaha South Branch Library to Louisiana to be trained so they can continue the program at their library and other local libraries. The NHC is also working with the Schuyler Public Library to bring Prime Time there later this year. Future plans call for training a central Nebraska team.
For more information about Prime Time or grants for programming related to Nebraska’s new immigrant populations, contact the NHC at 474-2131.
Prime Time Family Reading Time, a Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) program, will be held Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. March 25 through April 29 at Omaha’s South Branch Library, 2302 M St. The program is designed for Hispanic families.
Space for the reading program is limited, so call to register. For more information, contact Norma Pountney or Veronica Bonilla at (402) 444-4850.
This fall the Schuyler Public Library will host the program Monday nights Sept. 13 through Oct. 18. The NHC hopes to bring at least one session of the reading program to the Panhandle later this year.
“The program targets families with children ages 6 to 10 who may be experiencing difficulty with reading, in an effort to foster a lifelong love of learning through reading,” says Norma Pountney, manager of the South Branch Library.
The six-week series of reading and discussion includes sessions on such themes as fairness, greed, courage, cleverness and determination. A discussion leader and a storyteller introduce parents to the benefits and pleasures of reading and discussing stories with their children. The program in Omaha will be conducted in both Spanish and English.
Prime Time aims to expand participants’ understanding of reading through the use of children’s literature with substantial humanities content. It focuses on expanding the teaching of literature, history and cultural values.
“Prime Time introduces families to the pleasures and benefits of reading together and the many resources and services of the public library” said Project Director Dianne Brady. “We’re pleased to be working with the South Branch Library to bring this exciting family literacy program to the citizens of Omaha, Nebraska.”
Initially developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the program in Omaha is sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the EducationQuest Foundation of Lincoln.
Past research has revealed that 74 percent of families said that Prime Time improved the way parents talk to their children, 74 percent could name a book title when asked to identify the last book they read to their children, and 88 percent who named a book title named a book not on the Prime Time reading list. Ninety-eight percent said they wanted more programs like Prime Time, and 100 percent had library cards.
The Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) will send four people to New Orleans this month to be trained for the Prime Time Family Reading Time, a project designed to serve families with children ages 6 to 10.
Trainees include storyteller Maurine Roller of Alliance; discussion leader Nancy Escamilla of Scottsbluff Public Library, Richa Perkins of Schuyler Public Library and Norma Pountney of the South Branch Omaha Public Library. The training will allow the NHC to expand its Prime Time program to sites outside the Capital City. It first participated in Prime Time in 2002 in a collaboration with Lincoln Public Libraries.
Prime Time series have been scheduled to begin March 25 in Omaha and this fall in Schuyler. The NHC also hopes to bring at least one session to the Panhandle this year.
Each library series is comprised of six weekly sessions. After a light dinner, the storyteller summarizes the books and the discussion leader leads a family discussion related to the books. Books are chosen for such humanities themes as courage, fairness, determination, cleverness and coping.
Past research has revealed that 74 percent of families said that Prime Time improved the way parents talk to their children, 74 percent could name a book title when asked to identify the last book they read to their children, and 88 percent who named a book title named a book not on the Prime Time reading list. Ninety-eight percent said they wanted more programs like Prime Time, and 100 percent had library cards.
Prime Time, based on award-winning illustrated children’s books, is designed to encourage parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics and aids them in selecting books and becoming active public library users.
It is based on a successful series that was founded in 1991 by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and spread to surrounding states with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). More than 7,000 people have participated in more than 200 Prime Time sessions in 32 states and the Virgin Islands.
In Nebraska, Prime Time is funded in part by the EducationQuest Foundation of Lincoln.
The Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) and Lincoln City Libraries (LCL) next week will complete a six-week collaboration on Prime Time Family Reading Time, a project designed to serve families with children ages 6 to 10.
LCL is one of 14 library systems nationwide selected to host the Prime Time reading, discussion and storytelling series this year.
Since April 2, the selected families have been meeting for two-hour sessions every Tuesday evening at Bennett Martin Public Library in downtown Lincoln. Discussion was led by Nan Graf, a retired English professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University, and storyteller Ricardo Garcia, a professor in the Teachers College at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Peter Beeson, associate director of the NHC, and Pat Leach, Youth Services Supervisor for the Lincoln City Libraries, coordinated the project. Ten core families participated, with another two or three participating less frequently, Leach said.
Prime Time has proven very popular in other states. Research after the series revealed that 74 percent of families reported that Prime Time improved the way parents talk to their children, 74 percent could name a book title when asked to identify the last book they read to their children, and 88 percent who named a book title named a book not on the Prime Time reading list. Ninety-eight percent said they wanted more programs like Prime Time, and 100 percent had library cards.
Prime Time, based on award-winning illustrated children’s books, is designed to encourage parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics and aids them in selecting books and becoming active public library users. It is based on a successful series that began in 1991 in Baton Rouge, La., and spread to surrounding states with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Nearly 6,000 people have participated in nearly 200 Prime Time sessions in 25 states and the Virgin Islands.
The series is funded by a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the American Library Association public programs office, with funding from the NEH. Runza Restaurants, Arby's, Homestead Girl Scout Council and HyVee donated food for participants.
|
The
Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC), in collaboration with the Omaha
Public Libraries, brought a family reading and discussion program to
the South Branch Library this spring. 
“Children
enjoyed watching their parents take part in the program,” she said.
“It was a time to ‘let their hair down’ and see that story telling
can be a fun family time and a way to open communication between
parents and children. I think it was very good for the families to
watch NHC storyteller Ricardo Garcia acting out the stories and
adding songs and music to make this a fun time rather than a serious
time. Since our program was bilingual, conducted in both English and
Spanish, everyone was able to contribute.” Phone 402-474-2131 or e-mail nhc@nebraskahumanities.org |
 Return Home |