Family support.

Dinner with dozens of preschoolers and an evening of literary discourse sound like mutually exclusive events. Not in Seattle. The public library hosts six family nights at each Seattle Early Reading First preschool.

Evenings start with dinner and progress to parent programs like what to look for in alphabet books and tips to encourage storytelling. Then kids settle in as children's librarian Kim Kopetz-Buttleman reads aloud. Book making, in which parents and children write personal stories, or another project follows, and then each child is awarded one or two free take-home books. Kopetz-Buttleman explains, "I've planned the selections so children who participate in every program can build a balanced library with books from a variety of genres."

Experiences help strengthen what parents already do to support literacy. For example, a parent survey revealed that most read to their children but few write with them, so writing activities are often included.

Embracing Diversity

Native Spanish-speaking students in SERF preschools are pr med for the transition to learning in English. "Children won't have success if they aren't supported in their first language," points out Hilda Magama, director at Jose Marti Child Development Center, a multi-cultural preschool serving a predominantly Hispanic population. So teachers there emphasize literacy development through key words, poems and songs in both languages.

To support speakers of other languages, SERF preschools seek community resources and enlist adult speakers as volunteers to help children develop vocabulary in their native languages.