All locations will be closed Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th.
Support Early Literacy in Your Community
Posted: October 16, 2014
Since 1999, Fontana Regional Library’s Reading Rover Bookmobile has developed pre-literacy skills by bringing monthly story time programs and age-appropriate library materials to toddlers, preschoolers, and their caregivers at Fontana Region child care locations. The Reading Rover also sponsors parent and caregiver training workshops in techniques to encourage development of early literacy skills at home and in the classroom.
We Need Your Support
Rover costs $95,000 a year to deliver books and stories to children. That's nearly $8,000 a month! Rising costs of diesel fuel and vehicle maintenance, as well as the cost of library books and educational material, cannot be met by state, local, and grant funding alone. Please help us 'feed' and care for Rover!
How you can help
Join us at Jack the Dipper on Saturday, November 8 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm for our 2nd annual Ice Cream Fundraiser, where 10% of purchases, from open to close, will help fund the Reading Rover. The WCU Student Ice Cream Eating Competition is also back this year and will take place between 12:30 - 1:30pm.
There will be children's activities on site as well as raffles and Rover will be open for tours, so drop by for an afternoon of fun in support of the Reading Rover!
Fontana Regional Library’s Reading Rover Bookmobile will serve approximately 700 toddlers-preschoolers and their caregivers in 73 classrooms located in 29 child care centers or family child care homes in Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary. Through ten monthly visits, the Reading Rover will “take the library” to these locations. The Reading Rover program provides convenient access to multicultural, age-appropriate, quality children’s literature, promotes the development of pre-literacy skills as part of Rover story time programs, and increases parental and caregiver knowledge in the use of library materials for home and classroom activities to strengthen pre-literacy skills.
What's on the Rover
The Reading Rover brings (directly to each location) quality materials including storytelling kits, books, puppets, puzzles, and educational games, which may be borrowed from and returned to the Rover at each monthly visit. Children select their own books for classroom story time sharing at some Rover stops. At all stops on the Rover schedule, caregivers can come onto the vehicle to select their own literacy materials, with the help of the Reading Rover driver. The convenient availability of a wide variety of age-appropriate print and non-print resources provided to caregivers at child care locations encourage daily literature-rich classroom experiences.
The Reading Rover staff is dedicated to providing excellent service to caregivers, parents, and children. Patrons give high marks to the Reading Rover service and staff in the annual spring customer service survey. The Rover driver, Ms. Joan, has been with the vehicle since it went “on the road” in 1999. She knows the Rover collection well and uses her expertise to locate Rover items to meet classroom needs. The Rover storyteller, Ms. Heather, has both art and education background, which she uses to capture and hold the attention of young listeners. The Outreach Services Librarian, Ms. Carol, who supervises the Reading Rover, has a degree in education and library science as well as experience as a preschool teacher.
Enriching Children's Lives
A visit from the Reading Rover also includes a 15-20 minute thematic story time
program. Rover story time involves interactive book sharing as well as songs, storytelling, finger plays, rhymes, and puppets, encouraging the development of preschool pre-literacy or pre-reading skills as well as other school readiness skills.
The Outreach Services Librarian, a member of the Reading Rover staff, presents training workshops to parents and caregivers, focusing on strengthening children’s pre-literacy and school readiness skills, as well as promoting the cross-curriculum use of library materials. Workshops will occur at a variety of locations, such as the library, child care centers, and community locations, providing a high degree of accessibility. The Outreach Services Librarian collaborates with other community organizations, such as the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, in presenting training workshops.
In 2013-14 school year, 54 parents or caregivers in our service area received library-sponsored training. At the end of each training workshop, parents and caregivers complete an “Evaluation of Authorized In-Service Training Form” from the North Carolina Division of Child Development. During 2013-14 school year, 95% of training evaluation respondents stated that they gained new knowledge or skills from attending these training workshops. By participating in workshops, parents and caregivers increase their knowledge of techniques to develop pre-literacy and school readiness skills, resulting in more home and classroom activities leading to children entering kindergarten better prepared to read on their own.
The future of Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary depends on having educated citizens learning Twenty-first Century skills. Learning these skills depends on the ability to read and understand what is read, a process which starts with the development of early literacy skills. Your support will help the Reading Rover continue its role as a vital partner in the education of citizens in our region.
Measuring Success
Each fall, caregivers complete a Daily Literacy Survey, which indicates the frequency of use of Reading Rover library materials in their classrooms. In addition, caregivers using the Reading Rover are asked quarterly for their input regarding new materials for the collection, resulting in a selection of Rover library materials which meet the specific classroom needs of the Rover patrons, leading to an increase in the number of items circulated to caregivers.
Joan Lackey (left), Reading Rover driver since 1999, has been awarded for her continued service bringing early literacy materials and experiences to young children.
Monthly records indicate the type and total number of Rover materials used in area classrooms. The amount and variety of Reading Rover literacy materials used daily in classrooms contributes to children in Macon County entering kindergarten with stronger early reading skills.
The Rover storyteller keeps a log sheet of the number of story time programs presented each month as well as an attendance count. For the 2013-14 school year, 715 story time programs were presented in our service area, with an attendance total of 6692 children. Each quarter a different pre-literacy skill is demonstrated within the story time program. At the end of the quarter, the story teller evaluates the children’s ability to demonstrate the skill through group observation. Results of the observation are noted on the story time log sheet. Focusing on the development of specific pre-literacy skills during Rover story time programs contributes to the number of children in Macon County entering kindergarten with the early skills needed to become successful readers.
For more information about the Reading Rover and how you can help, contact us 828-488-2382.
Since 1999, Fontana Regional Library’s Reading Rover Bookmobile has developed pre-literacy skills by bringing monthly story time programs and age-appropriate library materials to toddlers, preschoolers, and their caregivers at Fontana Region child care locations. The Reading Rover also sponsors parent and caregiver training workshops in techniques to encourage development of early literacy skills at home and in the classroom.
Saturday, November 8 from 12pm-4pm
The Reading Rover brings (directly to each location) quality materials including storytelling kits, books, puppets, puzzles, and educational games, which may be borrowed from and returned to the Rover at each monthly visit. Children select their own books for classroom story time sharing at some Rover stops. At all stops on the Rover schedule, caregivers can come onto the vehicle to select their own literacy materials, with the help of the Reading Rover driver. The convenient availability of a wide variety of age-appropriate print and non-print resources provided to caregivers at child care locations encourage daily literature-rich classroom experiences.