Using the Lending Library in your program
In every Consultant's Connection newsletter we send, we have a section showcasing one of our many lending library resources. The Great Start to Quality Resource Center has several resources available to teachers, home visitors, parents/grandparents, and anyone else who spends time with children. The items are FREE to borrow and can be checked out at several locations throughout the region. As Quality Improvement Consultant's we are more than happy to bring along items when stopping in for a site visit or passing by on our way to another site other than your own.
Some of the programs we are working with have accessed the materials and have some good things to say:
I LOVE the Cares Bags! My program calls them Weekend Workshops. We give parents the bag that pertains to a skill their child is trying to master. The parent and child enjoy the item over the weekend and throughout the week. Then they get a new weekend workshop for the next week!
-Ms. Vernee', Loving & Learning Family Daycare
We sent flyers home to the parents with information about the lending library, it's different drop off and pick up centers throughout or county, which made it easy for parents to pick up and drop of bins and bags. We also brought a variety of bins and bags to our open house so our parents could have an actual hands on experience with the materials.
-Teresa Fleming, Woodrow Wilson Elementary GSRP Associate Teacher
We Love The Lending Library and will use the materials again in the future!!!!!
-Staff at Port Huron schools
The material used were very helpful and informative. Wonderful for staff meetings!
-Director, Saint Clair county
There are many items to use for parent information. Making copies for parent tables and using material for newsletters.
This is a wonderful resource that every teacher and director should utilize.
-Kelli Williams Algonac Preschool/Childcare Program
How can you use the resources available in your program? Programs have found a variety of ways to utilize the items as administrators, teachers, and to share with parents. We have included a list of some of the ways that lending library resources have been used in other programs as a reference for you. Please share with your Quality Improvement Consultant any additional ways you have used the resources within your program!
Administrators
- Borrow the High Scope videos focusing on specific PQA items. Use the information to share with staff at a staff meeting.
- Borrow the High Scope videos and assign specific staff members to view the video and share with staff during a staff meeting. Assign videos to staff depending on their individual goals.
- Borrow curriculum books and/or videos to distribute to staff members as tools for furthering their understanding.
- Borrow the sets of curriculum books to review and make a decision about which curriculum may be best for your program prior to purchasing and implementing.
- Review the ASQ as a possible assessment tool for the program.
- Borrow PQA booklets to review prior to receiving a visit for STARS.
Teachers
- Check out the resource books for additional ideas to do in the classroom to include on lesson plans.
- Borrow the experience bins to enhance the theme of study with new materials.
- Borrow the High Scope videos focused on PQA items that meet individual goals.
- Borrow curriculum guides to gain a better understanding of your program's curriculum model.
- Use the CARES bags during parent teacher conferences as a resource to provide families for those children needing more practice on some skills.
- Borrow PQA booklets to review prior to receiving a visit for STARS.
- Use the story stretchers at large group time to enhance the literacy experience for the children.
- Have the items on display and available to be borrowed during GSRP enrollment open house.
To Lend to Parents
- When a specific skill could use some additional practice, check out the CARES bags which are designed to focus on individual skills with fun activities. Lend these CARES bags to the families to practice at home for a few days.
- When studying a specific topic, send home the experience bin with a family each night to practice skills within the study topic at home too.
- Borrow the resource books that generate ideas for activities to do with young children that can also be done at home.
- Share the story stretchers with families to use at home.