The library is more than just books, and WUWM's Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about.
For this episode, we’re learning about ABC Academy — an early literacy program offered at MPL’s Central Branch. The program started last summer, and it marks the library's latest intervention in Milwaukee's literacy crisis.
Since 2009, literacy rates in Milwaukee Public Schools have fallen by 13%, and the district launched a new plan this school year to try to turn those statistics around.
Not your average story time
Erin Sloan is one of Central Library's Children’s Room librarian. She says ABC Academy goes beyond your typical story time, with a variety of activities aimed at improving young readers’ letter recognition and kindergarten readiness.
"Every week it's a new letter," says Sloan. "We go in alphabetical order, [with] all the uppercase letters followed by all of the lowercase letters."
The program is built around the American Library Association's recommended practices for pre-reading development: talking, singing, reading, writing and playing. As children practice these early literacy skills through a variety of games, songs, crafts and more, Sloan says repetition is everything.
"Repetition is one of the most important factors in early literacy. Singing the same songs or the same tunes with different words — all of that is really vital to helping kids learn to read," she says.
MPL (feat. Wave Chapelle)
For Milwaukee hip-hop artist Wave Chapelle, MPL has been a major resource as his son, Sol, learns to read. Together, they've read countless books checked out from the MLK Branch.
"The library is just so resourceful, and you can find exactly what you're looking for," Chapelle says. "Like when he goes, he's like, 'I want Eric Carle,' and we can go and find all these specific books that he loves."
In the past, Chapelle has spoken out online about the importance of parents reading with their children. Now, he's using his platform to promote literacy programming like ABC Academy. He says folks should stay tuned for his upcoming collaboration with MPL.
"We want to put some content together and really just get the word out there that this is a thing, and we want to encourage all the parents — not just the older parents, young parents too — to bring your kids, because this is a really beneficial program," he says.
ABC Academy is just one of MPL's many literacy programs, along with children's story times and others. For more resources, Sloan recommends a visit to library's reference desk.
"The first stop should always be the reference desk to kind of chat with us, and we can get you started on the right track," she says.
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