By Erin Chernisky, Volunteer Services Program Manager
As with any library system, an important part of Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) mission is to promote literacy in the communities it serves. This is especially true when it comes to our county’s youngest residents.
FCPL’s Early Literacy Department works year-round to ensure the children of Fairfax County have easy access to literacy education. While much of this occurs by way of storytimes and programming at our 23 branches, the team also takes their show on the road and brings programs to local schools and daycares if an effort to not only reach kids where they are, but also to provide resources to children who may not have access outside of their time at school.
With so many schools and daycares in the county, the FCPL Early Literacy Department requires the help of a lot of volunteers to reach them all. One such volunteer is Alyse Goldman.
Alyse has been volunteering with FCPL for over nine years doing storytimes at local daycare centers and Head Start programs. She loves getting kids excited for her programs and seeing their enjoyment of reading and books grow with each visit she makes.
A former teacher and school librarian, Alyse is a seasoned expert when it comes to storytimes. She likes to start each visit with a hello song and ends with a goodbye song. “The great thing about seeing the same children over the course of the school year is that they learn the songs quickly during my first visit in October, so they are ready to sing along with me for the rest of the year.”
Alyse brings excitement to her storytimes by utilizing puppets and toys she has tucked inside the bright yellow story box she brings to every visit. She creates anticipation and curiosity among the children by showing the covers of the books she reads and encouraging the kids to say what they think is going to happen in the story before reading it.
After reading the story aloud, Alyse heads back to her yellow box for more props to share. For every story, she creates different character cut-outs by tracing them, coloring them in, cutting them out and adhering them to foam board. She then has the kids retell the story in order while placing the cut-out characters on a felt board. “They absolutely love this part!”
Tina Mraz, FCPL’s early literacy outreach coordinator who manages the Ready to Read volunteer program, has nothing but praise for Alyse. “All the volunteers we hire have experience in education and children’s programming. Alyse’s background, which includes teaching for 22 years and serving as a school librarian for 13 years, made her a perfect fit.”
Despite her visits only being about 20 minutes long, Alyse knows how to get the most impact out of her time with the children. Her methods include being high energy, using books with humor, and adding in songs and props keep the kids engaged and attentive. “Just because students are squirming and fidgeting doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention. I know they are hearing the story and having fun.”
To learn more about the different ways you can volunteer with the library, visit us online.