The Queens Library provides several early learning programs for children from birth to age 5, including storytimes, toddler learning centers, and a UPK classroom. Over 76,000 children and adults attended these programs in the past year. The library's role is to offer early learning opportunities and support parents as their child's first teacher. Programs aim to build important language and social skills to prepare children for kindergarten. The library also partners with other organizations as part of the NYC Early Learning Network to support early childhood development citywide.

1. Queens Library
Early Learning
Fall 2014

2. Early Learning Fast Facts
• Early childhood (birth to age 5) is the single most
important developmental period in a child’s life.
80% of brain development occurs at this time.
• A child learns about half of everything they’ll learn in
a lifetime by age 5.
• Children who do not have early literacy experiences
before they start going to school start behind and
tend to stay behind.

3. Early Learning Mission
Our role is vital not only offering early
learning opportunities to families with
young children, but also in supporting
parents in being their child’s first teacher.

4. Early Learning Programs
• Mother Goose (birth to 18 months)
• Toddler Storytime (18 – 35 months)
• Picture Book Storytime (3-5 years)
• Toddler Learning Center (18-36 months)
3040 program sessions
40,899 children + 36,045 adults =
76,934 total attendance

5. Queens Library UPK @ Woodhaven

6. 1 Classroom, 18 Students

7. Center Time!

8. Structure with Choices

9. Collaboration: Fire Safety

10. Field Trip to Firehouse

11. Science Lesson: Trees

12. Expert Library Users

13. Collaboration with
Children’s Librarian

14. Parent Engagement

15. City’s First Readers

16. Family Place

17. Family Place Day:
Saturday, January 24

18. Kickoff to Kindergarten
• School readiness focused curriculum for children
ages 3-5 and their parents/caregivers
• During 7 weekly sessions, library staff show parents,
caregivers and children how to use games, hands-on
activities and stories that help build the most
important language and social skills.
• Children keep the games and stories to be able to
use them at home.

19. K2K Objectives
– Supporting caregivers in acquiring abilities to
promote their child’s skill development in the
most critical areas
– Increasing these key abilities
with children directly

20. Dialogic Reading
Children who have been read to dialogically are
substantially ahead of children who have been read
to traditionally on tests of language development.
Children can jump ahead by several months in just a
few weeks of dialogic reading.

21. NYC Early Learning Network
Vision: To make NYC a place
where all young children can be
successful learners
•Members: DOE Office of Early Childhood Administration, Administration for
Children’s Services, Parent/Child Home Program, Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, Queens Museum, Jumpstart, New York Hall of Science,
Literacy Inc, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, WNET, Reach Out and Read,
Day Care Council, Center for Children’s Initiatives, Resources for Children
with Special Needs

22. STEAM SYMPOSIUM

23. Summer Reading
• Reading log for young children
(and parents too!)
• 7500 families participated
• 50% completion rate

24. Get Ready to Read stickers!