Libraries are seeing a growing number of immigrant children and caregivers at their programs, but what do you do when storytime leaders and storytime participants don’t speak the same language? Learn how Brooklyn Public Library has developed simple strategies and techniques to make storytimes for young children friendly to parents and children who are English Language Learners by creating visual schedules, incorporating simple props, using translated resources, using Plain Language, and more! Discover how to incorporate multilingual content into your programs even if you do not speak the language of your participants. Hear about BPL’s lessons learned about presenting storytimes in over ten languages throughout the borough.

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DETAILS The webinar will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 1:00 PM Mountain Time.  Live captioning will be provided. A recording and transcript will be made available afterwards if attendees cannot participate in real time. Please contact info@clel.org with any additional access needs. The Zoom Meeting link will be provided immediately upon registration after clicking Submit. If registering on the day of, please save this information! A reminder with the meeting link will also be emailed to registrants who sign up in advance.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Jessica Ralli is the coordinator of early literacy programs at Brooklyn Public Library where she coordinates grant-funded programming for BPL’s First Five Years initiative. She has an M.A. in Early Childhood Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and has taught in museums, schools, and libraries. Jessica has written about play, early literacy, social justice, and library services to young children in School Library Journal and Library Trends. In 2020, Jessica received the prestigious Library Journal Movers and Shakers Award for her advocacy work in libraries. She is currently co-authoring the award-winning, critically acclaimed First Conversations series supporting early conversations about race, gender, consent, and bodies, published by Rise X Penguin Workshop.

Rachel G. Payne is the coordinator of early childhood services at Brooklyn Public Library where she leads BPL’s First Five Years initiative, manages new early childhood initiatives, develops new programs, and facilitates professional development. She contributed to Reading with Babies, Toddlers, and Twos (Sourcebooks, 2013) and Library Services Birth to Five (Facet, 2015). She has written for School Library Journal (where she authors the “First Steps” column), Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Library Trends. She served on the Caldecott Award (she chaired the 2016 committee), Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, and Schneider Family Book Award selection committees, and has presented at multiple conferences. She received her master’s degree in early childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education, and her master’s degree in library science from Long Island University. Beyond Bilingual: Making Storytimes ELL-Friendly