Differing perceptions of early literacy and the role of the adults in young children’s worlds remain topics of debate in fields related to early childhood. Recently, the children’s services website
Jbrary drew attention to some researchers’ claims that public librarians have “uncritically adopted” Every Child Ready to Read® (ECRR2) in story-time programming (Sooke and McKenzie, 23). These researchers position ECRR2’s reliance on scientifically based reading research, ignoring other approaches such as sociocultural research, as reducing the role of the children’s librarian to that of agent of school readiness, serving to feed the education system. Stooke and McKenzie invite counter narratives, so that libraries can, as Krabbenhoft notes in
Jbrary, reflect and “
reclaim our space as a socially inclusive literacy-based institution.” The presenters wish to contribute further to this reflection, from their experience collaborating across public library, childcare, and community outreach programs. Partnerships invite us to explore the points where ECRR2 and the NB Early Years Curriculum Framework overlap, and the claim that these early years frameworks focus exclusively on school readiness. In using ECRR2 as one tool to engage families, are we excluding a broader definition of early literacy, and risking the exclusion of diverse, vulnerable populations? Where do families fit into these counter narratives? Finally, what do we each contribute to community literacy projects as professionals?
Krabbenhoft, L. (2019). Early Literacy Research Is Not Neutral: A Critique of Every Child Ready to Read.
Jbrary, Sept. 9, 2019, Retrieved Dec. 10, 2019 from
https://jbrary.com/early-literacy-research-is-not-neutral-a-critique-of-every-child-ready-to-read/.
Prendergast, T. (2013). Growing Readers: A Critical Analysis of Early Literacy Content for Parents on Canadian Public Library Websites.
Journal of Library Administration, 53:4, 234-254, Retrieved Dec. 10, 2019 from
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2013.865389.
Stooke, R.K. & McKenzie, P. J. (2011). Under Our Own Umbrella: Mobilizing Research Evidence for Early Literacy Programs in Public Libraries
,” Progressive Librarian #36/37, 15-29, Retrieved Dec. 10, 2019 from
http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/PL/PL36_37/015.pdf.