Adopt an ATD Fourth World Street Library!
My name is Happy Little Caterpillar.
My name is Happy Little Caterpillar. I know you're wondering who I am, because that's not a name you hear every day -- well, I am a book! I get to visit children of all ages each week at ATD Fourth World’s Street Libraries. It's great fun because I get to visit the children with lots of other books, educational toys, and art and craft materials in lots of different colors. I get to see them laugh, ask thought-provoking questions, and stretch their imaginations, as they flip through my pages with their families and Street Library facilitators!
Street Libraries bring books, art activities, and creative workshops to under-resourced communities, and create respectful and stimulating environments where children and families gain valuable skills and relationships that are essential to overcoming the daily challenges of poverty.
Studies show something we all know -- that reading is important for children’s minds to develop, and for them to do well in school.
Limited access to books, spaces to read and interact with others, and educational toys and learning tools in under-resourced communities create serious learning gaps for children. That's why ATD Fourth World’s Volunteer Corps members and facilitators not only take me and other books to ATD Fourth World Street Libraries but also sit with children to read and discuss books together. Family members often join the fun too! It can be hard to find peaceful times and places at home to read together, and family members tell us that Street Library spaces help bring their families together, feel pride in each other, and inspire them to try to recreate those moments at home.
Amy Joyce, writer and editor on Parenting at the Washington Post noted in her article titled, Why it’s important to read aloud with your kids, and how to make it count, in February 2017, that several studies show that early reading with children helps them learn to speak, interact, bond with parents and read early themselves. She also shared that reading with kids who already know how to read helps them be empathetic citizens of the world, while feeling close to caretakers and better understanding the world around them.
The reading gap for children in underserved communities is most notable in the summer, since they often lack access to books and educational materials. Parents and other family members are concerned about this gap, ask for support in providing opportunities to their children, and offer key help in running the Street Library in their community. To respond to parents’ concerns, ATD Fourth World not only continues Street Libraries in the summer, but often increases the frequency with which Street Libraries are organized and held. This increased frequency helps bridge the summer learning gap.There are many children in communities across the US who lack access to books, but thrive in environments where they are nurtured, and in turn, long-lasting, trusting relationships are built.
