Reaching Expectant and New Parents Through Community Partnerships

How can we reach expectant and new parents from underserved populations with the message that literacy begins before birth, letting them know the important role they play in their babies' development while showing them playful ways to talk, sing, and share books with their babies from the very start? "Mother Goose on the Loose: Hatchlings" has completed three successful pilot years with English and Spanish speakers in Maryland, highlighting community partnerships to reach families who can greatly benefit from the messages of Hatchlings.

In this interactive session, hear a program participant describe the value of Hatchlings for her family. You’ll learn adaptations to traditional songs and rhymes to increase relevance for unborn and newborn babies, hear how the program has been adapted for Spanish speakers, and discover how new roles created by community partners can bring in hesitant participants. The presenters will discuss strategies used to reach families unfamiliar with library services as well as the high impact of the Hatchlings program on parental early literacy behaviors. Hear about the overwhelmingly positive evaluations of this early literacy program, a Maryland State Department of Education/Maryland State Library Agency/Mother Goose on the Loose project.

After attending this event, participants will be able to:

• Name at least one way to expand access to diverse populations of expectant parents and parents of newborns.
• List at least two ways in which libraries can collaborate with community partners (and other librarians) to expand their range of service and ability to reach underserved communities.
• Demonstrate at least two Hatchlings activities that librarians can use to convey the importance of early literacy practices and strengthen parent/child bonding.
• Identify at least one key advocacy point to help convince library administration, a children’s librarian, a community partner, or a funding source that initiating Hatchlings’ programming would increase outreach to underserved populations and enrich their communities.

By participating in this webinar, you will:

• Understand the importance of talking about race and racial equity with children.
• Learn simple ways to use diverse books to start conversations about equity and inclusion.

Anonymous feedback from the 2024 ALSC National Institute session of this presentation

• "Such a practical, applicable presentation that can be implemented anywhere."
• "This is so relevant to my community, and I plan on creating kits when I get back! I love the background and context that was provided as well as practical tips for implementation. Very useful, excellent presentation!"