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Early literacy programs
All three phases of our literacy programs are linked by design, so a child’s progress is sequential and deliberate.
The first phase.
Ages 0-3
Barclay's Book Fun!
Do very young kids read? Yes! They decipher pictures, learn rhymes, and explore words with their caregivers. But what if there are no books in the home? Or, if they can’t seem to sit still long enough to look at them?
We have teamed up with EHS (Early Head Start) educators and home visitors who go into the homes of their families every week, take the books we provide to their children, and model reading and acting out the stories with their parents.
Our books are always movement centric so we engage the kids while providing needed early literacy cues such as rhyme and rhythm. We also provide an activity book which we create in collaboration with Head Start faculty, that has age appropriate movement ideas, stories about Team Long Run’s mascot, Barclay, and lots of fun ideas for parents to do with their toddlers. Our goal is to build home libraries one Barclay’s Book Bag at a time.
The second phase.
Ages 3-5
Barclay's Book Bag
Once a child enters a Head Start classroom we continue to provide support for their early literacy development.
We ask teachers to choose books from their curriculum which we buy for each child to take home. We develop and distribute an activity book to enrich the book they will be getting, and which includes a social story connecting active play and reading through our mascot Barclay the dog; as well as lots of other activities, and a toy or item (e.g. a tennis ball) that supports the theme of the book.
We also buy curriculum books for classroom libraries to ensure that each classroom has the books in their library that they are reading in class.
The third, and final, phase.
Ages 5-12
Brown Bag Books
Brown Bag Books is our elementary school program, delivering books to the home through curated titles taken from the curriculum.
Teachers in our target schools (Title 1) choose 3-4 books a year that they would like their students to both use in the classroom and take home for their home libraries.
Supportive materials are developed by school literacy professionals to engage families and enrich the student’s understanding of the book they now own.
The Highest Peak Foundation is the principal sponsor of Brown Bag Books.
