SPEAKER_02 0:00

Yes, yep, and sh and minds, human minds are attuned for language. Um, even children who may be hearing impaired or deaf, um, still looking at the movements of the mouth, still learning in that way. Uh in any language, too. It's true of any ch child all across you know our our world. It's the same thing. Your your brain is attuned to listen to the human language and to look at the human face as well. So getting down and doing little babble talk, baby talk, they call it parentees. Used to be called motherese. Now we gotta get the dads in there too. Parentees, that baby talk. Our brains are ready for that all across every culture, every everybody.

Lara Griffin 0:48

Welcome to the Rockford Public Library. I'm Laura Griffin, your host. What if the biggest predictor of a child's future as a reader isn't when they learn the alphabet or read their first book? What if it starts much earlier than that, long before children can read, they're already building the skills they'll use for the rest of their life. Every conversation in the grocery store, every bedtime story, every nursery rhyme, ordinary moments that shape the growing brains. Today we're talking with Amy Piffer, a youth services librarian at the Rockford Public Library. We'll unpack what early literacy actually means, what it's about, and so much more than reading, and the simple everyday habits that help children become confident learners. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, a caregiver, or simply someone who wants the children in your life to thrive, this conversation is filled with practical ideas you can start today. Welcome, Amy. Hello. So you've been here at the Rockford Public Library for 31 years.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Amazing. I know Julie. I started, I was just a 25-year-old baby, and now I'm a 56-year-old baby.

Lara Griffin 2:08

So have you always done uh youth services?

SPEAKER_02 2:12

I actually managed the what was the Northeast branch on Alpine for several years. And I started doing storytime there, and I just fell in love with it, and I fell in love with programming. So when an early childhood librarianship position opened up at the main under a young manager, um I jumped for it. And so since 1997 I've been in youth services. So what drew you to youth services? Um the programming aspect. Management is fine. Um paperwork is not my strong suit, um, programming is my strong suit. So I also spent a lot of time researching early literacy, um, early childhood uh and how it fits into the library world. And so, yeah, I did a lot of background research, took some classes through the American Library Association, and really honed my specialty into that zero to five age group. So when we say youth services, are they what age group are we looking at? Um yeah, youth services, we kind of focus on um zero to eight if you're talking early literacy concept. But our department uh serves children, babies all the way to sixth, seventh grade, and then we have a young adult department that would be ages 13 to 19. So we're focusing on you know preschool and early elementary and early middle school.

Lara Griffin 3:26

That's great.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

So what is early literacy and what does it mean? Right, pretty simple definition. Early literacy means what you know about reading and writing before you read and write. Um some people think early literacy is you know cutting skills, tying your shoes. Those are pre-kindergarten skills, but early literacy is what you know about reading and writing before you can do that.

Lara Griffin 3:48

Oh, interesting. So um what why are the first five years of a child's life important for literacy?

SPEAKER_02 3:55

So essential. Um in the it's brain science, really. In your brain, um synapses um occur and and over those synapses, neurons connect. So in zero to five, the more children learn, the more experiences they have, the more they're talked to, the more they're read to, those neurons connect over the synapses and make connections. And so from zero to eight, the the especially regarding reading, it's so essential to to read to kids, to talk to kids, to to give them learning experiences, because after eight, around second grade, it gets much more difficult to learn language, to to learn how to read. So we really focus on that zero to eight um parents and teachers to make those essential connections.

Lara Griffin 4:42

So when they're uh under eight or between zero and eight, their uh brains are like sponges?

SPEAKER_02 4:49

I guess you could say that. Yes, sponges that are are connecting. Now, now they've had documented evidence of children um in orphanages in Romania who've been you know neglected, basically, not read to, not you know, taught, um, not comforted, and those the brains have much different scans when the brains were scanned than a child who had those things. So it it it's true, it's brain science, the connections can be lost if they're not fostered.

Lara Griffin 5:15

So when someone reads to them, how do they like what happens, what's happening in a child's brain when someone reads to them?

SPEAKER_02 5:23

Yeah, in in you can see it again on on scans, like certain areas light up when you talk to babies, when you read with children. Um, the the connections are made. Um you're you're teaching them vocabulary, you're teaching them uh the rhythm of language. It's just it's just so an important on every level. So they don't even need to understand words. It's like that pre Yes, yep, and and minds, human minds are attuned for language. Um, even children who may be hearing impaired or deaf, um still looking at the movements of the mouth, still learning in that way. Uh in any language, too. It's true of any ch child all across you know our our world. It's the same thing. Your brain is attuned to listen to the human language and to look at the human face as well. So getting down and doing little babble talk, baby talk, they call it parentees, used to be called motheres. Now we gotta get the dads in there too. Parentees that baby talk, our brains are ready for that all across every culture, every everybody.

Lara Griffin 6:25

So is reading the only thing that builds literacy, or are there other everyday activities that help?

SPEAKER_02 6:30

Yeah, um, so the library follows the uh this initiative uh started uh decades ago called Every Child Ready to Read. And again, years of study, professors and educators got together and developed this curriculum, this program, um, if you will, uh, and it includes talking, reading, singing, writing, and playing. Those are the five key aspects to early literacy. Each one is important, each one feeds into each other. So that's what we tell parents. Talking, reading, writing, singing, and playing will prepare the children for school and ready to read.

Lara Griffin 7:05

So, how do you fit that like in a day? Like talk.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Yeah, it it's not easy. We're all busy. Young parents are especially busy. We also have a lot of competition with the things that we hold in our hand called phones and computers. So you don't have to make it really difficult. You can do a little bit every day, just a little bit every day makes a real difference. Before bedtime, in the tub. They even make books that are can be wet, right? Throw a book in the tub. Um, do it when you're shopping. Put a book in the shopping cart. Rather than give your child a phone or an iPad, put some board books in your diaper bag. And when they're you're, you know, when you're changing your child, give them a little board book. It's a good distraction as well when you're doing an activity they may not uh care for like that. So you can incorporate it not just, you know, before bed, like a long story time. You can put it in every aspect of your day, in the car, right? Um give them a little bucket of board books in the car where they can hold the book and and you know, when you get a chance, read it, not when you're driving, read it to them, but when you get a chance, read those board books. So yeah, you can incorporate it all through your day.

Lara Griffin 8:10

So like even having those books, it's just building that familiarity and that's something they'll like over time, like just gravitate to.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Just gravitate to. And and some people say, well, infants and toddlers, they can't read the words, but they're holding the book. They're learning how a book, um, you know, how in in our culture with English, a book turned, the pages turn a certain way. In Japan, they turn the other way. So they're just seeing there, you're modeling that behavior. They're learning what it feels like to hold a book, um, what the rhythm is, what the beginning and the middle and the end is when they're you know a little little older and you're doing that narrative skill, right? That that that stories and books have a beginning, middle, and end. Fairy tales have a beginning, middle, and end, a climax and a and a conclusion. So it's all it's all good and all important to prep for for for reading for school.

Lara Griffin 8:56

Do babies like rhyming because of the rhythm that it has?

SPEAKER_02 9:01

Most definitely, most definitely. Um I always I I read I read someone say, I think it was uh Mem Fox who is a who's an author and illustrator from Australia, does wonderful books. She said, Um, based on her studies, if you know eight nursery rhymes by the time you're eight, the prediction that you'll be a good reader is very high because somebody's been working with you, somebody's been singing with you, some a teacher, a parent has been reciting these. So, yes, the rhythm of nursery rhymes, the rhythm of songs, the rhythm of language, it it it makes reading easier when they're to that point where they need to start reading. It's just it's it it glosses the way uh uh for for language. So yeah, very helpful.

Lara Griffin 9:42

And so how about write like how how about writing? How does that fit in for a like preschool or when they don't?

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Writing is one of the five literacy skills, and writing uh teaches children that those uh words, letters, they symbolize a sound and they symbolize a word, which they'll be coming across in a in a book. So that's very, very tied tied to reading. And you know, even scribbling, right? That fine motor skills. We always try to incorporate, even in my infant, you know, and and early preschool story times, we try to write our names on the back of our projects or on the piece of paper. Even if it doesn't look like anything readable, they have that concept. They know that that name is what they hear, what you call them. And then later it'll be words and later it'll be sentences. So yeah, very important. And set up a reading uh writing corner rather in your in your house. It doesn't have to be fancy. A turnedover box in the corner if you don't have a desk with paper and crayons and and and markers. Um, when my child was young, they're 21 now, but they Crayola had this cool pad you could put on the floor, and it was a clear marker that just showed up on the pad. So we didn't have to worry about my kid drawing on the floor on the walls. It it did the the letters clear and it showed up. So there are cool things like that, but you don't need anything fancy, just scrap paper, newspaper, you know, uh wax paper, even even any kind of paper, even when your baby's little, for them to crush and feel the texture and then and then write on. It's just it's it's it's prime. It's good for their brain.

Lara Griffin 11:08

What are some examples of playing?

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Yeah, playing, um, there's physical play, of course. Um, dramatic play is what's really tied to reading. And we see that at the library all the time. We have a wonderful play area at the main library on Wyman Street, and we hear kids interacting. We have a little bakery area, we have a Lego area, we have a light table, and they're creating um scenarios for themselves or dramatic play. They're playing bakery, they're calling out, does anyone want a pizza? Um, they're using some of the toys as magic wands, and and and you hear them talk to each other and share words together, and they're just like a story, they're putting themselves in a story, in and it's related to reading. So um dramatic play is is really important, as is physical play. We do have a slide at the library as well, and so that's physical play. We always hope if they go down the slide, then they'll get out their sillies and and uh their exercise and then grab a book.

Lara Griffin 12:02

So just thinking about busy families, how can like um how can they make reading a part of their routine?

SPEAKER_02 12:12

Yeah, like I mentioned before, um, just incorporate it in your day, pepper those books everywhere. Um, and also too in in the play areas in your home, in the children's room or in the family room, let's say they have a box of Hot Wheels, throw a couple books about trucks in there. They may take a break and done with the cars and want to grab that book on trucks because they just played with a truck. You know, if you if your child has fairy tales or or dolls, you know, Disney dolls, put a Disney book in there. And and sometimes kids get a little fatigued from playing and they might want to just plop down and read, take a little break and read. So you can incorporate those everywhere, everywhere. Cookbooks, even for older children. Um, I remember as a child there's nothing more fun than my mother was cooking than spreading out her cookbooks, and the images were so vivid from the 1960s and 70s cookbooks. And and I remember reading some of the text for some of those recipes. So um, and reading can be can be done on the road too. Point out signs, right? We all need to know stop signs and and train signs and and road signs, make it into a game. That was very popular before tablets when I was a kid, taking a road trip and and looking at license plates, um, looking at you know different signs. So those little things that all adds up during your day.

Lara Griffin 13:25

How about audio books audio books?

SPEAKER_02 13:28

Yeah, audio is fine too. Um we even count that uh for our summer reading program. Audio is fine, and that's how some children um you know, how they learn better, and and how you hold the book and get an audiobook that pairs with it, it can really help a child. Um, yeah, so that's just fine, just fine too. And graphic novels when the kids get older, comic books is also reading, just done in a more picture format. So that's fine reading too. You know, my husband is a comic book um writer, and he said uh, you know, years ago it was comic books were viewed pejoratively. Like that's not real reading, that's not you know proper. It's just fine. And we advocate that at the library all the time. That's visual learners are learners, and that's how some children um, you know, that's what they gravitate to, and that's perfectly fine.

Lara Griffin 14:11

So are there books that are better for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers, or is any book okay?

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Um yeah, when your child's an infant, I mean they don't have enough knowledge to discern if you're reading, you know, um uh a s Hoover not Colleen Hoover novel. I mean, they just like the sound of you reading and the comfort of you reading if you're snuggling with them. Read out loud a book that you, you know, you're reading, that's fine. But as they get older, you know, the library and bookstores have age-appropriate books. Of course, toddlers, it's best for board books. They're very visual, illustrated, short text. Um, and as children um gravitate to longer books, we have beginning readers at the library, and any bookstore has beginning readers too, and they're uh scaled for their age level. And of course, every child's different, right? You may have a second grader reading at a fifth grade level, you may have a you know a fifth grader reading at a first grade level. We we don't label books too much here at the library because every child's different, they come to it differently. Some children have learning disabilities, um, dyslexia, different things. So um the important thing is to is to work on it and to make it positive. Um, making reading negative will will turn off a child. So forcing it, um, making a positive, letting them have a choice what they want to pick, and that you know, they have to read things for school, certain things, but letting them for fun reading have a choice that they want that gives them some buy-in and it really helps, especially with reluctant readers.

Lara Griffin 15:36

I've noticed with uh my kids my middle has been less of a reader. She's been doing the summer reading challenge for the past few years. So she every year incrementally she grows as a reader. And this past this past summer reading challenge, she started getting really into a book. Oh awesome. And so what was helpful is just having other people around her who are reading. So when her sister's reading and can recommend a book to her and she's and and also finding books that she likes, she's already asking me, like, can you get this book at the library for me?

SPEAKER_02 16:15

And that's why sometimes series books are so great. They fall in love with um a title and they really hope there's more. And we have so many series at the library, so you find a kid that's into it, and sometimes they get really disappointed when they reach the last wings of fire or the last magic treehouse because they fall in love with that series. But that's why we're here as library assistants and librarians to make those recommendations, to have a um like a reader's advisory or reference interview with that child and find out what's their interest, what do they like, what have they read before, what don't they like, what can we gear toward them? And that's uh that's a great thing too for reluctant readers. You know, just put throwing a book in their hand, if they don't care for it, again, that sets it up negatively. They're being forced to do it. Um but finding something like your daughter that that they love, and there's got there's gonna be read-alikes. There just are. In the children's book world, if you like Harry Potter, there's Aragon, if you like Magic Treehouse, there's A to Z Mysteries. I mean, there's things that are similar that they'll probably will fall in love with too.

Lara Griffin 17:13

Yeah, she's into the reared in Percy Jackson book.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

So she's and he has the Norse mythology, he has the Egyptian mythology, the Greek mythology, the Roman mythology. So if she likes that one, hopefully she'll like his others too.

Lara Griffin 17:27

And what I've noticed is um then once they're all reading, it is a nice and quiet home. Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

And they're you know, your older kids are modeling for them and saying, hey, this is a this is a good thing to do, this is a fun thing to do, this is a a peaceful, relaxing thing to do. And you know, um, and uh the train has left the station regarding phones and and tablets and and you know, it will never go back that way, but I advocate for balance. Okay. So 10, 15 minutes a day can be carved out in a young child's schedule, a teenager's schedule, and that can add up during the week and that makes a difference. So it doesn't have to be hours and hours, a little bit of a family read, um, just for 20 minutes a night, uh that that's fine, you know, and and put down that phone for that period of time so you're not distracted and and you know, dive into a book. Um one of my coworkers, Erin, um she reads chapter books to her children at night, and so they all listen, and they're all different ages, but they have a family chapter book, and I think that's wonderful, and it's so relaxing. It it makes for better sleep and it makes for a better heart rate. Um, you know, looking at a phone or a tablet at night is not recommended. The blue light is not good for um your brain and for sleep cycles, so but reading is. Tell myself that as I fall asleep at 9:30 with a book on my face, but yeah.

Lara Griffin 18:48

So, what are some of your favorite moments during story time?

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Yeah, I have so many. Some of them are hilarious. Um, one of them doesn't have a whole lot to do with reading, but back in the day at Rockford Public Library, women had to wear pantyhose. Um, when Sex in the City came, the fashion was, you know, bare legged with dresses and skirts. Well, we had to wear pantyhose back in the 90s. So one little boy was inching closer and closer to me in story time, and I really wasn't noticing. I was into reading the book to the group, and he had grabbed my ankle and had pulled the pantyhose out about a uh, you know, half a foot or so with a shocked look on his face. I think he thought it was my skin, right? So I don't think he ever got close to Miss Amy like that again. Um, but you know, you have to be prepared too for the you know the crazy things children say. You think you have them in the palm of your hand, and one kid will say, My fish died. You know, I mean you in and we digress, we acknowledge them, we we say, Oh, that's too bad, and then we we go back to the book. So you have to be prepared for anything. But every every time I do story time, I I have joy. It's uh it's truly a delight. And you know, I I enjoy conversations with children. That's what's recommended now for story time. Um when I was a kid, it was sit down, be quiet, cross your legs, sit in a circle, and don't utter anything for 30 minutes. Now we engage, we go back and forth, we talk, we pause, we point to pictures in the book. Um sometimes I'll ask them all, and we get to a point in the book, oh, we you know, we we have animals. What's your favorite? So it could take 15 minutes to get through a five-minute book, but that's okay. We're talking, we're sharing words, we're sharing languages, we're sharing opinions. Children want to be heard. And increasingly they're not being heard and they're not being talked to. So that's part of my job, and that's the new way, and and that's uh it's called dialogic reading. It's the back and forth, it's the conversation that's important.

Lara Griffin 20:38

I love that. I love going to your story times because the student, the kids, they're very engaged and they can't and you ask them questions all the time just to make sure that they're in it. Yeah, yeah. And sometimes you have 25 kids that all want to say something.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

So sometimes I open up a kettle of fish that way, but but they all want to be heard. And if they don't, you know, we have some children that they maybe they don't want to be acknowledged or they have sensory issues, and and that's respected as well. Like you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You don't have to play an instrument if you don't want to. You you know, um so yeah, that's fine too. We have to respect the their boundaries as well. It's it's a new world and it's a new way, and and I think it's so much better than how I grew up as a kid too. I I really do.

Lara Griffin 21:22

And I love that um most or all of our story times include a craft. So the little babies kids have a chance to like increase their muscles in their fingers.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

Cutting, yes, um, cutting skills, um, the fine motor skills of holding, you know, craft materials and the pride of making something. Um I one of my goals for myself is to do more open ended crafts. Um sometimes we fall in the habit of it's a set thing, and oh, they look at what I've done and they want to do the same thing. Um, I'm gonna try this year to do more open ended things where they can put their creativity into it because some of these kids are amazing, amazing artists. So yeah, I I enjoy doing crafts and it it's also a nice close to the program. And they have something to take home and put in their scrapbooks and grandma could put on the fridge.

Lara Griffin 22:08

So yeah, what are some of the um preschool story times or the story times that we have here at the Yeah, we have quite a few during the week.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Um Mondays is my uh preschool power story time. That's for children three to five. We work on pre um you know preschool skills, always share thematic stories and do a craft. Um Miss Heather on Tuesdays does musical munchkins and that's at 10, also at the main library in the storytime room. And she really focuses on music for her story time. We have musical instruments that children get to um use. Uh uh, she plays songs on the CD, sings books. It's a very popular. I think this last week she had almost 30 people, so very popular. And then Miss Erin does the baby story time every Wednesday at 10. And that um that's also very popular, and that's for zero to toddling age. Uh she does short books, music, and then has a a little uh time after with toys and and some uh parent time. Miss Sophia um in our department, she's starting on parent social um time, and that's gonna be Wednesdays after Miss Aaron Storytime. Um it concludes so around 11, and she's inviting uh parents to come in and have a little bonding time with their children and and talk to each other and brings out the toys, and so that's a because bonding and story time is really important too. Those making those relationships is kind of a an extra perk to these programs.

Lara Griffin 23:28

Yeah, that's amazing. So, what is one thing you hope that family members, caregivers would remember from this conversation?

SPEAKER_02 23:37

Um to incorporate reading and it you know don't make it don't make it too much or too tough. It it can be done. Um don't put a lot of pressure on yourself, but just just do a do it a little bit every day, um, even a little bit more on the weekends if you have some free time. Also come in to the library and use our resources. We're always happy to talk to parents about the best reading techniques, um what you know, books and materials are ideal. We have a lot of resources here and a lot of institutional knowledge that we can share. I'm not the only one that has that. There's you know, everyone in our youth department is are is wonderful and and very uh excited to talk to parents about reading. Um so yeah, come in and visit us at any Rockford Public Library branch. Come visit the main library, the youth services department is beautiful. Um so yeah, that that that's what I would say would be a good takeaway.

Lara Griffin 24:28

Awesome. I have a few rapid fire questions for you. So your fave favorite picture book of all time?

SPEAKER_02 24:34

I would have to say, and it sounds really cliche, but I have to say very hungry caterpillar, because it was my favorite as a child. I still, even as a 56-year-old librarian, I still read it every year. I have the puppet of it, I have the felt board story of it. It is so wonderful. It has every concept colors, numbers, metamorphosis as a concept. Um, it has a food concept. It's just it's so rich in every way. It was amazing, just an amazing book. Um, when I was a young librarian years ago, I got to meet Eric Carl at a library conference, and here he is my hero, uh children's book illustrator and author. So I went up to him and I said, I was gonna say something profound and how his picture books have changed my story times, et cetera, et cetera. And all I could say was, I love your books. He stared at me and he said, Thank you, young lady, and he like gestured to push me along. So yeah, I humiliated myself in front of my hero, but I do love his books, and he's been gone for a few years, but um I still use his material, you know, every every month usually.

Lara Griffin 25:39

His books are very memorable.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

And they're big and they're they're bold, and they're just he was wonderful.

Lara Griffin 25:46

So, what's one song that you would recommend every caregiver should know?

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Uh one song. Oh, I don't know if I have one song, but just songs in general. You know, some of these early children's songs and and nursery rhymes are becoming lost to the ages, and they're just so wonderful. So, and and you know, YouTube and and the internet, you can type in a song and you can look up a video on how to sing it, how to share it, how to count with your fingers, you know, five little ducks went out one day. I mean, they're all there. They have wonderful teachers and librarians that share these songs. So um music is essential. Play it at home, play it in your car, uh, you know, put on put on Siri, put on YouTube for children. Um, music needs to be a part of their life. And so I I love all music and and I use so many songs every day. We do a welcome song at Storytime, make sure everyone gets a chance to help sing it. We do a concluding song, we do songs in between. So, yeah, it's it's a really important part. It should be an important part of a child's daily life.

Lara Griffin 26:49

That's great. What's one children's book every adult should read?

SPEAKER_02 26:55

Um, let's see. One children's book every adult should read. I would say where the wild things are, because it really captures what it what children are. And children can be insolent, right? And children can talk back. And Max is a real child. And that book was a little radical for the time because he talks back to mom. She tells him to go to bed, and he says no. And you know, and in fact, that book has been on banned lists because the child is acting like a normal child. So to read that is to realize that children are what children are, and we have to love them, and and you know, they're they're they're learning their independence and sometimes standing up for themselves, and that's okay, that's part of life. Yeah. Yeah.

Lara Griffin 27:37

So what's your this is the last question. What's your favorite part of being a youth services librarian?

SPEAKER_02 27:43

Yeah, I was thinking about that actually um the other day, like I someone was asking me a similar question, and it is really the variety. In one day, you know, I can be doing story time, I can be answering a reference question about the eclipse, I can be doing a podcast, um, I could be, you know, uh creating a box of with a pretend dinosaur inside for our summer reading club. So I think it's just the variety. I I do something different every day, and that keeps me uh energized even after 31 years. So um definitely the variety. I'm not saying being a manager doesn't have variety, but sometimes it's some some of the same thing. So and I truly, with programming and and our environment here at Rockford Public Library, um, we get quite a quite an interesting slot of things to do. So that that's that's a good part.

Lara Griffin 28:32

Thank you, Amy, for being here with us today. Appreciate all that you've been doing for decades here at the library and just your investment in these little kids and helping them to be early readers. Um I love it. And plug away at it if humor you just pass on my knowledge to the younger crew. So if you haven't been to Amy's um preschool storytime, come take a look. It's a great place to bring your child and also to learn from her and just to see how like to read, like just to get an idea of reading to your kids, um, to play, to play with play with your voice too. It makes such a difference. Definitely. We have a lot of fun. Yeah. Thanks, Amy.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

You're welcome.