Budding Readers

Budding Readers is an early literacy program matching Reading Partners with three-year-old children at child care centers for a weekly one-to-one interactive reading session. Reading Partners nurture these “budding readers” to blossom and grow into life-long lovers of books, reading and learning as they work with them to develop foundational early literacy skills needed for future success in school.

Delivery of Budding Readers program transition to on-line video format

In response to the challenges presented by COVID-19, the Budding Readers Program has stayed actively connected to the children the program serves by adapting the program’s delivery format to a home setting environment.  Arrangements were made to ensure the children continued to receive their monthly take home packets that included the monthly book selections with extension activities that engage parents with their child in an interactive reading experience centered on books. The packets also included literacy enhancement materials and reading tips that help parents support their child’s early literacy skills development at home and with the important role they play as their child’s first teacher.

The series of storytime video segments with the Literacy Coalition’s Reading Partner, Mrs. Williams, assigned to the Opportunity Early Childhood and Family Center Budding Readers partnership site, showing her reading many of the take home book selections the children in the program received to start a home library, reviewing literacy activities the children engage in during their weekly one-to-one interactive reading session with her, and featuring craft activities for books such as, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

   Reading Partner’s review of name card activity the children participate in during their weekly one-to-one interactive reading session, and the books and materials the children received in the March, April, May, June and July Budding Readers take-home packets.

  Storytime Read Aloud of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

   Follow-up Fun Craft Activities for The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

    Storytime Read Aloud of Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

    Storytime Read Aloud of Kiss, Kiss by Margaret Wild and Hug by Jez Alborough

  Reading Partner’s review of weekly reading session literacy activities the children participate in that include: Name Recognition, Letter and Sound Activity, Reciting Nursery Rhymes and a Read Aloud of The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

  Storytime Read Aloud of Today is Monday by Eric Carle

   Storytime Read Aloud of Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward

  Review and Comparison of the “Days of the Week” theme found in the books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward and Today is Monday by Eric Carle.

   Storytime Read Aloud of Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes

   Storytime Read Aloud of Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood and The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

   Storytime Read Aloud of A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni and  My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

   

Community Impact

  • 2 Reading Partners served 32 children at 2 Budding Readers partnership sites.

  • 352 books were distributed to children to begin a home library.

  • 80% of the children demonstrated development in early literacy skills needed for future academic success in school.

Testimonials

Sophia displays her art project for “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”

The Budding Reader program’s Reading Partner, Mrs. Williams, is extremely proud of Sophia’s transformation from a shy and timid child who was reluctant to participate in the Budding Readers program when the school year started, to an eager and enthusiastic participant in their weekly reading sessions together. Mrs. Williams added that, “Once Sophia was comfortable coming to our reading sessions, she did not want to stop. She would beg to come with me each time I entered her classroom.”

Initially Sophia’s expressive language was difficult to understand, but as she settled into our one-to-one weekly reading session routine and participated in the interactive literacy activities planned, Mrs. Williams observed a steady improvement in her ability to express herself. As her expressive language improved, so did her confidence to comment and make predictions about the story being read, and her ability to comprehend and retell the story in her own words.

While participating in the program, Sophia learned how to properly handle and identify the different parts of a book, turn the pages in sequence and distinguish between the text and pictures. With the dramatic increase in her alphabetic knowledge, she mastered the recognition and spelling of her name with ease, along with learning colors, shapes and counting sequentially up to 14.

Mrs. Williams was very encouraged by the progress Sophia made over the year, and delighted to see how she grew to love the Budding Readers program and the take-home books she received to start a home library. Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar were her favorite take-home books and she often requested that Mrs. Williams reread those books during their sessions together. Her mother has shared that, “It is incredible how Sophia knows everything about the books. She wants me to read with her every night. She loves reading with Mrs. Williams and we truly value everything she does for our daughter.”

Mrs. Williams said, “Sophia greatly benefited from participating in the Budding Readers program. It was a rewarding experience to work with her to develop the foundational literacy skills she will need for future academic success, and a real joy to observe her blossom into a child who loves books, reading and learning.”