Indoor space restrictions and other community challenges prevented the West Haven Library from offering in-person programming in 2020 and 2021. Determined to provide some form of summer reading help, West Haven library staff carefully curated each week’s literacy packets to encourage regular, at-home, level-appropriate reading practice and family engagement. As reading test scores show, the effort was successful. At the end-of-summer celebration concert with Judy Panacost, children and families danced together on the lawn of the West Haven Library.

In 2022, the staff hope to increase enrollment and offer direct instruction again. It may look something like what our independent evaluator observed in 2019, as described below.

Literacy Lunch occurs after one-on-one tutoring sessions. In addition to providing a meal to each family member, the lunch hour gives family members the chance to ask their children about their tutoring session and to look at books together.

After a few minutes of eating, the Children’s Librarian joins the group and asks for all the students to come to the front of the room so she can read them a story.

The librarian hands each child a “Magic Bag,” and distributes some Magic Bags to parents with younger children who are sitting behind the rows of students. Each Magic Bag has a collection of little pictures that will be used during the reading. The librarian introduces the book, Armadillo Rodeo, by Jan Brecht, and tells the families that their children are working on listening to details in a story and on story re-telling.

As she reads the story, she stops occasionally to ask the children to check their bags for different pictures that illustrate important events in the story. This allows her to check comprehension and attention to detail and also to make important references to other important literacy skills