New iteration: Planning Programs and Services for Toddlers and Preschoolers eCourse

Chicago—ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions announces a new iteration of our popular eCourse, Planning Programs and Services for Toddlers and Preschoolers. Brooke Newberry will serve as the instructor for a 4-week facilitated eCourse starting on Monday, July 8, 2019.

How can you offer the best programs, collections, and services possible to the toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2-5 years old) that come into your library? Whether you are new to the profession, planning your first toddler storytime, considering programming beyond storytime, or looking to refresh your collection, this eCourse will help you build the foundation to better serve toddlers and preschoolers.

After laying the groundwork for developmentally appropriate practice, this course offers you strategies and ideas for providing outstanding services to families with young children. In four weeks, you’ll review relevant child development theory and learn how to apply it to your services; design a storytime plan that you can implement immediately; develop a library program for toddlers and/or preschoolers that goes beyond storytime; and learn practical techniques that will help you analyze your current collection.

Please note that this eCourse can also be purchased as part of the Working with Children of All Ages eCourse Bundle.

eCourse outline

Week 1: Child Development

• Overviews of toddler and preschool development.
• Applying this knowledge to their current programs or spaces.

Week 2: Storytime

• Analyze your current storytime offerings if they are currently facilitating them.
• How to employ developmentally appropriate tips and guidelines in creating storytime outlines.
• Design a storytime plan for immediate use in a library.

Week 3: Beyond Storytime

• Develop one non-storytime offering from the lecture for immediate use in the library.
• Analyze library programming and identify where stronger programming for toddlers and preschoolers could exist.
• Review program ideas from classmates.

Week 4: Collection Development

• Analyze your current collection and identify weaknesses in your picture books, board books, and nonfiction.
• Examine an assortment of different reviews and picture book offerings.

About the Instructor

Brooke Newberry holds a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Indiana University, and is the Collaborative Consultant for the Winding Rivers Library System (West Salem, WI). She currently teaches a course dedicated to serving babies in the library, previously was the Early Literacy Librarian at the La Crosse (WI) Public Library, served as chair for the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee for the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC), and co-wrote the Collaborative Summer Library Program Early Literacy Manual for three years.

Registration for this ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions facilitated eCourse, which begins on July 8, 2019, can be purchased at the ALA Store. Participants in this course will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection for online message board participation, viewing online video, listening to streaming audio (MP3 files), and downloading and viewing PDF and PowerPoint files.

ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions (ELS) produces high-quality professional development events and materials for the library profession. ELS events cover modern issues on a wide variety of topics in formats that include live workshops, asynchronous eCourses, and print publications. We help ensure that today’s library employees have access to the professional development opportunities they need, whether they are brushing up on the basics or expanding their horizons with cutting-edge tools. Contact us at elsmarketing@ala.org.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.