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Kent Literacy Project (February 2007)
The Folkestone Literacy Project was started on the back of a successful group that had been meeting in Maidstone. Six children and carers were initially invited to the Folkestone group and were all invited to the kick-off meeting in the library, which was held in order to highlight the objectives of the project and to give feedback from the Maidstone Project Group.
We were fantastically supported by the Library staff who really couldn't do enough to help - thank you Chris and the team!
Of the six invited, three were able to commit to the group which, although disappointing in terms of numbers, meant that much more individualised attention could be given to the three children and their carers who attended each week.
For those who have been able to commit, the benefits for the children have been obvious to both the carers and group helpers. All of the children and carers have given positive reports as to how much they have enjoyed the club and the children are always keen to attend!
The group would meet once per month on a Saturday morning from 10:00 to 12:00 and begin with the children reviewing their books, telling others which books they'd preferred and even reading some of the best bits (if they were confident enough). Afterwards there would be a number of activities for the children to enjoy - a tour of the library, games, a visit to the museum - all arranged by the library team.
Some of the benefits identified by the attendees have been;
- appreciation of the time given to the children
- greater exposure to books and how exciting they can be (yes even in this high-tech age!)
- a greater understanding that libraries can actually be fun places!
- a definite and noticeable improvement in reading ability of at least two of the children
In summary, the commitment to just one Saturday per month for a six-month period was a small price to pay for the benefits that we've all seen. Even for me as the group facilitator, the workload was very limited and as I've already mentioned, the library team were extremely helpful.
I would hope that this type of project can be extended to other areas.
(April 2006)
The Maidstone Library Club was formed as part of the Kent Literacy Project 2006. It is a joint KFCA and Social Services project aimed at providing children in our care with an appreciation of books and improving their reading ability.
The Club met initially in February 2006 with 5 children and carers participating. We meet at the Maidstone Library once a month and the library personnel have been fantastic in their support of the project and the assistance and ideas they bring to the project.
At our first meeting in February, the library provided a tour of the whole library including areas that the public does not usually have access to. The children all obtained library cards and enjoyed selecting their first books. The children have binders to keep their book reviews and other information in. They went away with the task of producing a book cover.
At the March meeting, we spent some time reviewing book covers and evaluating the appeal of the various covers as part of the Greenaway Award project. The children have gone away with the task of reading some of the selected books and commenting on the artistic appeal.
We also spent time in the Local Research area where we looked at old pictures of Maidstone and Ashford. Of particular appeal were pictures of Maidstone Grammar School in the previous century.
The children discussed selecting a name of their choice for the club which we will discuss further next month and make badges for our files. The library has made a board available for the club to display their material.
The children have all shown positive interest in the activities and have all produced excellent book reviews.
The children showed real enthusiasm in our 3rd monthly meeting. We produced badges, finalised our Greenaway input, and selected more books to read. Also found time to eat a good deal of chocolate biscuits before a stop in the research area to see maps of where the children lived and how the area has developed over time. Generally we all had a good time.
We plan at the next meeting to have a look at the computing facilities in the library.
The Maidstone Pilot (March 2006)
The Maidstone pilot of the literacy project is well underway. Five children were identified as likely to benefit by Social Services and a workshop for the carers was held in January where we agreed the objectives of the pilot.
The first meeting of what is referred to as the Maidstone Library Club took place on 18 February 2006. The children (and carers) enjoyed a full tour of the library including the back rooms normally not accessed by the public. The library staff did a tremendous job of making the children welcomed.
(c) Kent Foster Care Association