Welcome Baby in the Community: The Gift of Literacy
Edmonton Public Library, Alberta
Innovation Synopsis
Edmonton Public Library’s Welcome Baby program puts a book, CD and early literacy information into the hands of families to support daily literacy interactions and language development in the home. EPL partners with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to hand out a Welcome Baby kit during a baby’s first immunization.
Challenge/Opportunity
Developmentally, only 57% of Edmonton preschoolers are ready for school (Early Child Development Mapping Project Alberta) . The most critical time for language development is birth to two years old. The gift provides parents with key resources to help their child develop appropriately in anticipation of school. The book, CD, baby library card invitation, and rhyme booklet provides parents with tips on early literacy engagement. Our partnership with AHS enables us to reach new parents that are not regular library users. AHS nurses connect literacy development with healthy child development for parents. To resolve the challenge of staffing this program, seven volunteers package the kits weekly and nine volunteers deliver the kits to the clinics bi-weekly. The program is fully funded by donors.
Key Elements of Innovation
Welcome Baby kits are funded, packaged and delivered to the clinics by donors and volunteers who want to transform their community. The program was launched at all Edmonton clinics in March 2014 after a six month pilot. Media events, silent auctions, book signings, posters and social media are regularly used to spread the word and raise funds. Edmontonians were mailed/emailed invitations to donate. AHS champions the importance of the program to the media and to parents. Parents share stories of their use of the kit with their babies, provide feedback, and some pay it forward with a donation.
Achieved Outcomes
In nine months in 2014, EPL put these early literacy kits into the homes of 10,000 families. In the same time period, baby library card membership went up 42%. Visits to EPL’s Welcome Baby webpage increased by more than 150% in 2014 indicating an increased interest in the program. Early literacy program attendance at EPL rose to 101,789 in 2014. The transforming stories that parents mail back show the impact these kits have on families and they inspire more Edmontonians to fund more Welcome Baby kits for families. Literacy is more than a gift – it is essential to a healthy society. Through its Welcome Baby program, EPL is giving back to the community as well as helping its youngest citizens thrive.
