Off to School!
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has elevated literacy as a specific focus area across the state, and as a part of this effort the department has identified family engagement as one of Louisiana’s Literacy Pillars. Knowing that Prime Time is uniquely equipped and experienced at engaging families in humanities-focused literacy activities, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities was pleased to respond to the LDOE’s request for programs to support this work. As a result, the department has recently added Prime Time’s suite of programs to their approved list of family literacy engagement support vendors. This approval allows school districts and leaders to apply state and federal funding towards engaging Prime Time to provide our award-winning programming for their students, educators, and families. We are thrilled to be included and are working hard to connect with public school districts to understand their family engagement goals and find ways our programs can support their efforts.In 2021 Prime Time celebrates 30 years of providing high-quality literacy programming in Louisiana that engages families, students, teachers, and communities in humanities-focused learning while strengthening literacy outcomes and connections across school communities. In schools, our model utilizes teachers, librarians, and other trusted community members to lead students and families through discovery and enjoyment of curated book series focused on humanities themes that provide a lens for students and the adults in their lives to explore, celebrate, and understand our shared world—together. Districts, charter management organizations, and schools will have the opportunity to partner with and offer Prime Time’s Family Reading Time and Preschool programs as well as Spark Boxes (analog Prime Time when in person and virtual options are not available), HomeRoom and HomeRoom@Home professional development for educators and families, and Prime Time Head Start. Our programs provide school districts with concrete and proven outcomes that directly address Louisiana’s Literacy Pillars:
- Families play an essential role in the literacy development of children at all ages and stages.
- Ongoing professional developmentis an essential component of effective teaching and literacy development.
- Literacy outcomes will improve when students are provided high-quality care instruction together with explicit literacy interventions and extensions based on individual students’ needs. Student literacy outcomes will increase when schools create and monitor literacy goals.
We stand ready to support the inclusion of Prime Time in public school districts’ literacy and family engagement efforts across Louisiana, and are excited for all the ways these offerings will increase humanities access for all.
