The Read Santa Clara Family Literacy staff are very excited about the programs being planned for the teen parents at the Young Parents Center using the funding from the Margaret Edwards Foundation grant that the Library Foundation procured for us. There are several foci for our programs under the umbrella of reading for pleasure:
- In order to introduce the parents to popular teen reading materials, Teen Librarian Nan Choi visited the teen parents classroom and presented books in a variety of genres. The class was engrossed in Nan’s presentation, and it was clear that her suggestions resonated with them. She also devised a “scavenger hunt” that encouraged the students to look at the books and give us suggestions for books to purchase for their classroom. We hope to create a small library of books in the classroom that these and future teen parents can borrow and return at their leisure.
- Our second focus is on the writings of local author Francisco Jimenez. We have purchased copies of his novels, in both English & Spanish, for the classroom. The teachers are going to read his first novel, The Circuit, aloud to the class, and girls who are interested will be able to read the others independently. Copies of La Mariposa, his picture book , will be given to each parent to share with their child. On April 3, Professor Jimenez will visit the YPC classroom to meet the teens and talk about his life and writing with them.
- To make a connection between Professor Jimenez’s books and their own life experiences, during our March YPC visit the parents will make simple autobiographical picture books. They will use prompts to create books that can be used interactively with their children. They will also share their handmade books with him in April.
These programs for the YPC parents are generally focused on parenting and early literacy, and our Santa Clara Family Literacy staff expresses that it has been their pleasure to have the opportunity to broaden the knowledge of the students at the Young Parents Center of the resources that the library can offer to enrich their lives.