Grantee Spotlight Blog Series: Spartanburg County Public Libraries
This week’s blog is written by Jessica Lopez, Director of Children’s Services, Spartanburg County Public Libraries Spartanburg County Public Libraries is a 2019 Grantee of the Mary Black Foundation in the focus area of Early Childhood Development.Children’s Services at the Spartanburg County Public Library
Members of the Children’s Services team at the Spartanburg County Public Library are ambassadors of children’s literacy who provide educational opportunities, resources, and connections to encourage lifelong learning. Such learning begins as soon as a child is born. To most, reading seems to be the obvious path to learning, but there’s a secret very few people have encountered in their life. This secret serves as the fundamental element of our daily life. We use it to connect with our peers, find solutions to problems, and apply meaning to our experiences. This secret is accessible, it’s something you can use every day, and it’s even more affordable than a book.
It’s talking.By talking to a child you have the power to improve his life forever. Studies have shown that talk is one of the biggest factors driving brain growth. Low levels of parent-child verbal interaction in these earliest years are a key reason too many children enter school significantly behind their peers. By talking to a child, specifically between the ages of birth to three years old, you are preparing him for kindergarten which ultimately is an indicator of future success well into adulthood.
The library is devoted to the rise of Spartanburg County. By acknowledging that this will happen by investing in our children early, and with the generosity of the Mary Black Foundation, we have found a unique tool that will measure and improve the language environment of children in their earliest years.