Kindergarten LEAP Events in 2013:
Come play Post Office with us!
D65 Librarians will host play dates at the Evanston Public Library just for kindergarteners and their parents. Join other families in a play literacy session just like the ones at your school’s library!
Parents will learn how play literacy bolsters their child's literacy skills and teaches an appreciation of books. Kids will stamp and deliver mail - it will be fun for all!!
October 27 - Walker (10 am), King Lab (1 pm)
November 10 - Washington (10 am), Lincoln (1 pm), Dawes (3 pm)
November 11 - Oakton (1 pm)
January 26 - Willard (10 am)
February 9 - Orrington (10 am), Dewey (1 pm), Lincolnwood (3pm)
February 10 - Kingsley (1 pm), Bessie Rhodes (3 pm)
Kindergarten Literacy Education at Play (Kindergarten LEAP) is an early literacy program developed by the LEAP team at Evanston Public Library. Through innovative play scenarios, Kindergarten LEAP addresses early literacy skill building and community and social interaction. Kindergarten LEAP is an outgrowth of LEAP, an early literacy program targeting preschoolers.
LEAP was originally derived from two programs: Play Literacy (created by the Madison Public Library), and an early literacy parent education program called Every Child Ready to Read (created by two Divisions of the American Library Association and the National Institutes of Health).
The Evanston Community Foundation funded LEAP initially in 2006. During the 2006-2007 school year, the LEAP team delivered parent education programs and 6 monthly programs to 250 preschool children at D65 Head Start and the Child Care Center of Evanston. Since then the LEAP Program has continued at the pre-school level reaching preschool children at D65 Head Start, State Pre-K, Child Care Center of Evanston, Creative Play and some home-based care providers.
Kindergarten LEAP and Foundation 65
In 2007, District 65 school librarians became aware of the LEAP program and were interested in adapting it to their enrichment time in their school libraries. Foundation 65 was approached in the spring of 2007 as a funder for this project and through discussion and submission of a grant application, F65 granted monies to pilot Kindergarten LEAP at 3 D65 schools: Dawes, Lincoln and Willard.
In the third year (2009-2010) of support by F65, the Kindergarten LEAP program continued to create a bridge between preschoolers and kindergarteners by expanding to include 7 schools across District 65 (Dawes, Lincoln, Lincolnwood, Oakton, Orrington, Walker and Willard).
Since 2010-2011 Foundation 65 has funded this innovative program for all kindergartners across the district (12 schools)!
What is Kindergarten LEAP?
Play literacy harnesses children's natural interest in imitating adult activities and scenarios to introduce early literacy skills and strategies. In the Kindergarten LEAP Program, kindergartners are introduced to four play units (Laundry, Construction, Pizza and Veterinarian) during the course of the year. Each unit highlights the 6 core areas of early literacy:
Letter knowledge
Narrative Skills
Vocabulary
Print Awareness
Print Motivation
Phonological Awareness
In addition, the children’s family is invited to engage and learn about this compelling program through Family Literacy Events. This helps extend literacy efforts and early reading habits beyond the classroom and into the home.
With Kindergarten LEAP, young children are given the opportunity to act out real world situations, facilitating the imagination and building upon the cognitive benefits of play
