Children’s Services: Building Foundational Literacy

Who should take this course

This course is geared toward children’s services public librarians serving infants through kindergarten.

This will be a 3-week online course and will include:

• Live Sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. (All sessions are recorded for on demand access for six months after the course ends.)
  
  
• Facilitated discussions: Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.
  
  
• Asynchronous workshop: Project-based weekly assignments to connect what you’re learning to your professional life. Includes written feedback from an expert in the field who functions as the workshop facilitator, as well as peer conversation via discussion forums. Workshop available for all multi-week courses plus half-day courses where indicated.

• Early access on-demand resources: Access to a series of past live session archives from Library Journal and School Library Journal courses to explore at your own pace.
  
  
• Online Classroom: The virtual learning platform that holds all course content and is accessible for six months after the course ends.

*Note: You do not have to complete the asynchronous work during these three weeks; it will be open to you for six months. However, the feedback from facilitators will only be available from September 30-October 21. 

Expected time commitment

If you attend or watch the recordings of all live sessions and participate in the asynchronous workshop, you'll spend approximately 2-4 hours per week on this course. You'll earn 15 hours of PD credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

On-demand access

All live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on-demand for six months following the initial broadcast as a part of your purchase.

Certificate of completion

Complete the course and earn 15 professional development credit hours. We provide a certificate that is emailed to you.

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature auto captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

Support

For support with online courses, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.

Week 1: Fundamentals of Early Literacy
Thursday, September 30, 2025

Course & Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments, an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course, and a chance to complete the course pre-assessment.

Session 1 | 2:15-3:00 pm ET
The Science of Reading and Public Libraries: Foundations of Early Literacy
What is the science of reading, and how is it different from other methods for teaching early literacy? What are innovative ways you can promote early literacy skills in your public library through the science of reading? This session will cover the foundations of current literacy research and discuss tips for helping children gain confidence while reading.

Break | 3:00-3:15 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:15-4:30 pm ET
Beyond the Basics Roundtable: Evolve Your Storytimes to Promote Early Literacy
How can you respond to teen behavior challenges in a trauma-informed way? And how can you use restorative justice practices to encourage What are innovative ways to revitalize your storytimes? Hear from a panel of practitioners and discover new ideas to enhance and elevate your storytimes, including sensory activities and yoga, incorporating play-based literacy and STEAM concepts, and ensuring your storytimes are inclusive for all children.

Week 2: Engaging Caretakers and Community in Early Literacy
Thursday, October 7, 2025

Weekly Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments and a chance to ask questions about the online workshop.

Session 1 | 2:15-3:15 pm ET
Engaging Caretakers in Early Literacy
How can you effectively engage families and caretakers in early literacy efforts? How can you ensure you are incorporating strategies to engage multilingual families? This session will discuss the unique challenges of modern parenting that might create barriers to engagement and ways to determine who you are and are not reaching. You'll learn ideas to meet families where they're at, help them navigate barriers, and engage those who aren't currently active in your programs. Leave with ideas on how to inspire caregivers to foster a culture of reading in their families.

Break | 3:15-3:30 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:30-4:30 pm ET
Community and School Partnerships for Early Literacy
How can you leverage strategic community and school partnerships to support early literacy in your library? This session will discuss how to identify community organizations, build relationships, and establish partnerships to reach more families and expand literacy efforts. Leave with a practical framework to help support your community engagement for early childhood literacy.

Week 3: Embracing Digital Media and Early Literacy
Thursday, May 22, 2025

Weekly Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments and a chance to ask questions about the online workshop.

Session 1 | 2:15-3:15 pm ET
Digital Media and Early Literacy, Part 1: Developmentally Appropriate Materials
How can you use digital media to support early literacy and ensure the materials are developmentally appropriate? This session will outline the tenets of media mentorship in alignment with ALSC’s framework and help you prepare to integrate technology into your early childhood programs. Leave with tools to evaluate materials, tools, and texts, ensuring that everything you're using is appropriate and effective for young children.

Break | 3:15-3:30 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:30-4:30 pm ET
Digital Media and Early Literacy, Part 2: Program Design and Caretaker Involvement
How can you leverage digital media and technology to enhance early literacy programs? How can you obtain buy-in from family and caregivers for media-based literacy? This final session will help you reframe technology as tools for early literacy and empower you to use digital tools to promote fun and practical literacy skills. Leave with ideas for how to involve families in intentionally integrating new media into literacy programs.

Discounted rates are available for a limited time only. Secure your tickets now to lock in the best price.

Group Rates

We offer discounts for groups of 3 or more.

For larger groups of 15 or more, we offer the option to apply group rates across multiple courses to receive significant discounts. For more information, select “Bulk Course Credits Packages” in the form below.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

For support with group purchases, please contact groupsales@libraryjournal.com.