Literacy development begins at birth and is closely linked to children's earliest experiences with books and stories. One important way young children learn language is in interaction with caring adults who read, talk, and sing with them. Learning to read is predicated on the number and richness of these early literacy-related interactions and socialization opportunities. Research indicates that children enrolled in daycare programs receive less of this critical one-on-one exposure to literacy activities. By sending trained library volunteers to read, talk, sing and share rich language with children in their classrooms we can foster language acquisition and improve kindergarten readiness.

Skokie Public Library recruits, trains, and places volunteers in early childhood classrooms. Volunteers spend two hours weekly sharing rich language with children who benefit from this increased one-on-one interaction focused on language acquisition and socialization. Childcare staff is exposed to new books, songs, rhymes, and literacy-related interactions that can be added to their classroom repertoire. Through training and practice, volunteers gain valuable new skills, make a difference in their own community, and become powerful early literacy advocates. This partnership also enables the Library to extend our impact in the community, reaching residents unfamiliar with the Library's services.

Childcare staff participating in the program consistently report that children's attention spans have increased and they show more excitement about books. Staff report they value the volunteers' contributions to the children and the classroom and see the volunteers as positive, energetic and friendly. Peer-to-peer volunteer observations of interactions with the children conducted at the beginning and the end of each three-month curriculum unit indicate an increase in the children's visual attention, smiling, vocalization, and movement to rhyme or song during interactions with the volunteers. These markers of enjoyment document the impact of greater exposure to rich language.