Colorado Department of Education

The Colorado State Library will build upon its prior IM('LS-funded work examining how libraries and other early childhood service agencies can empower parents to embed early literacy activities in daily life. The project team will develop and test prototypes to see if Supporting Parents in Early Literacy through Libraries (SPELL) programming recommendations are more feasible for certain libraries or in communities with particular demographics, or if SPELL programs are useful across a range of different libraries and communities. Library staff and partners will receive intensive training and mentoring, and 500 children of low-income parents from birth through age three will directly benefit from eight yearlong prototypes. In addition, libraries, partner representatives, and attendees will complete surveys and pre- and post-program questionnaires to inform understanding about knowledge and practices. Respondents will also provide information about changes in confidence and activities and the overall effectiveness of collaboration will be evaluated as well.