Results of the Evaluation of the Pilot Project
In October 2018 through February 2019, a pilot project was conducted to evaluate the impact of the Fostering Readers extended literacy activities on children and library staff/afterschool providers. Please read the brief report and in-depth report for more information. A few highlights include:
- 80% of 365 participating children indicated they had fun participating in Fostering Readers literacy activities.
- 98% of 89 parents and caregivers indicated they "liked" or "loved" the literacy activity they participated in.
- 90% of 89 participating parents and caregivers indicated they learned something new about their child's reading.
- Participating afterschool providers reported that about 70% of the children chose books for their quiet time following Fostering Readers activities--substantially more than they expected based on children's prior behavior.
- Participating library staff reports that on 82% of the occasions when they offered Fostering Readers programs, they notices families checked out books and 44% of the occasions the program brought in families new to the library.
Updates Made to Fostering Readers Materials
In response to the recommendations from pilot project report, the Fostering Readers team made the following updates to the Fostering Readers materials. The content published on this website includes these updates and is the most current, final version of Fostering Readers.
- Emphasized our intent that library staff and afterschool providers may add the five key elements and key strategies to existing activities, and use pieces of Fostering Readers activities that work best for their program (in accordance with our Creative Commons license).
- Pulled out passive program, beginning reader storytime, and variations and extension activities into their own documents.
- Made training and handouts easier to access by linking them in multiple places.*
- Created videos to introduce the key elements, key strategies, and other important concepts.
- Developed streamlined activity plans for staff who are low on time or want a quick reference. These are shortened versions of the extended activity plans. They include only the essential research-based activities, bare-bones scripts, and a few of the most important facilitation tips and caregiver literacy messages.
Fostering Readers is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.