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We Read Together
Resources | Books to Read Together | Helpful Tips
We Read Together is a family literacy program designed to encourage development of Early Literacy Skills in children from birth to five years old. The Six Basic Early Literacy Skills are: Phonological Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Print Awareness, Vocabulary, Print Motivation, and Narrative Skills. This program is based on the American Library Association's Every Child Ready to Read campaign.
We Read Together is composed of literacy workshops, programs for children, special collections, outreach materials, computer equipment, and devoted library space. This project first kicked off with Wee Readers 2008, a summer reading club designed specifically for children under 5 and their care givers, and continues indefinitely. Explore this webpage for more details. An article about the project appeared in ALTAFF's newsletter, The Voice.
We Read Together was made possible by a (FY 2009) Literacy Grant from the New Jersey State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its Grants to States program.
 
Web Resources
A Child Becomes a Reader: The National Institute for Literacy provides researched based literacy building ideas for parents to implement with young children (Birth – 4 Years). Child Care and Early Education Research: A portal to valuable information and research from the National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the Child Care Bureau, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HIPPY USA: Home Instruction of Parents of Preschool Youngsters: A great resource for parents to model home instruction and exposure to skills. Reading is Fundamental: A great resource for pre-readers and readers of all ages, including whole families. Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers: Strategies and activities to help young children learn to read. -
Storyblocks: Storyblocks is a project by Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy. On this website you find short videos demonstrating songs, fingerplays, and rhymes to use with very young children.
Zero to Three: From National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, Zero to Three offers a plethora of information on a range of important topics.
Library Resources
Click on a link below to view the library's holding on each topic.
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Books to Read Together
Click on a link below to view a printer friendly list of some suggested titles.
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Tips to Help Your Child Be Ready to Read
For All Children:
Read to your child 20 minutes a day. Let your child see you reading something everyday. Encourage your child to speak and to ask questions. Sing songs and read nursery rhymes. This will raise your child's phonological awareness. Keep it fun. If your child is unhappy, try at a different time.
Babies
Ask your baby questions and pause for "answers." Tell your baby what you are doing through out the day. If you are using board or cloth books, let your baby hold the book. Cuddle while you read together.
Toddlers
When your toddler asks questions, add extra information to your answers. Add information to the phrases your child says. For example, if your child says "cat," you say: "the small, striped cat." Ask your child to repeat. Ask your child what is happening in pictures. Let your child turn the pages. Point to words as you read them. Cuddle while you read together.
Preschoolers
Have your child draw a picture. Together, write the words for the images your child has drawn. Let your preschooler choose books to read. Examine a picture dictionary together. Ask your child to tell you stories.
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