Early Learning BLAST

Early Learning BLAST Programs

Over the past two years, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Early Learning BLAST (Bringing Libraries and Schools Together) School Outreach has brought public library programs and resources into the Preschool and Headstart programs in the city of Pittsburgh. Early Learning BLAST has responded to the need of methodological support of local preschool and Headstart educators. The purpose of the program is to provide the teachers with diverse techniques for delivering early literacy programs to their young students. The Early Learning BLAST program gives the preschool teachers examples of how to utilize their local libraries.

The Early Learning BLAST program was developed through an LSTA grant to enhance the needs of the Supplemental Headstarts served by the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The program’s components of quality children's literature, developmentally appropriate learning activities, rich vocabulary, and dialogic reading prepare students to enter Kindergarten and provide a model of best practices for preschool teachers and caregivers.

The Early Learning BLAST team:

• schedules a minimum of one visit per classroom each month.
• provides a literacy rich experience for both teachers and students through multicultural interactive read-alouds and informational text read-alouds.
• enhances the classroom library by providing new and diverse literature, as well as new vocabulary words to accompany each thematic book.
• provides extension activities and literature recommendations for the teachers.
• provides developmentally appropriate games and activities to be rotated throughout the classrooms.

The purpose of these programs is to:

• provide each classroom with a enriching read-aloud experience.
• provide each classroom with creative and effective activities and vocabulary.
• provide each classroom with an array of literary rich texts.

  Return to Early Learning BLAST