Faye Flanagan
Co-Director
504.620.2485
flanagan@leh.org
Miranda Restovic
Co-Director
504.620.2486
Dianne Brady
Senior Consultant
318.728.0026
bountifulw@aol.com
Shantrell Adams
Assistant Director
504.620.2625
adams@leh.org
Christopher Robert
Program Assistant
504.620.2639
Michael Sartisky, PhD
President
504.620.2480
sartisky@leh.org
National Partners:
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Partner Spotlight: Louisiana Children's Museum Target's Literacy with Families at John Dibert School |
 From September 22 - October 27, the Louisiana Children's Museum hosted a very special PRIME TIME program on Tuesday evenings. The "Target Literacy" project is an ongoing collaboration of 12 metro New Orleans agencies that is aimed at improving literacy outcomes for local families. The generous support of the Target Corporation and the spectacular leadership of the United Way's New Orleans Kids Partnership (NOKP), along with The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities' PRIME TIME program, made it possible for parents and children to participate in an innovative literacy project that combines the efforts and resources of the following organizations:
First Baptist New Orleans
John Dibert School
Kid smART
Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities/PRIME TIME
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
Playworks
Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR)
The Children's Bureau
The Louisiana Children's Museum
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans
Teaching Responsible Earth Education (TREE)
Each of these agencies is delivering high-quality literacy programming and additional support to the students, families and classrooms at John Dibert School. The Fall 2009 "Target Literacy" project is the second in what the PRIME TIME staff hopes will become a series of collaborative programming in New Orleans.
Carolyn Freeman, Community Engagement Director at the Louisiana Children's Museum, hosted the PRIME TIME program at the agency's beautiful Julia Street facility. Carolyn was a truly stellar Program Coordinator and has graciously contributed to this issue of News and Views. Click here to read Carolyn's essay on the logistics of this incredible partnership and its impact on participating families. |
| PRIME TIME Presents at the Feria Internacional del Libro (International Book Fair) in Puerto Rico |
 The 12th International Book Fair of Puerto Rico (FIL-PR), one of the largest book fairs supporting reading and literacy in the Caribbean, took place from October 21-25 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. National and international publishers are invited to converge and present their latest publications. Organized around the traditional Café de los Poetas (Coffee of the Poets), the fair gathered approximately 350 publishers from Spain, Argentina, México, Colombia, United States, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Canada, and Guatemala, among others.
This year's theme was "Reading Shortens Distances." The PRIME TIME staff could not agree more; which is why Miranda Restovic, PRIME TIME Co-Director, accepted the invitation from Cyril Anis, Executive Director of Alliance Française in Puerto Rico (which has a large presence on the island territory) to lead a session on PRIME TIME's innovative bilingual programming for Francophone and Spanish-speaking families at the conference. The presentation was generously sponsored by the office for Educational Affairs at the Embassy of France to the United States. On Friday, October 23, Ms. Restovic presented a session entitled PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME: Innovative Approach to Strengthening Families and Communities to an international audience of approximately 30 education and literacy professionals.
The LEH and PRIME TIME appreciate the hospitality of the Alliance Française in Puerto Rico as well as the generosity of the Embassy of France to the United States, our conference sponsor.
*Some conference details were excerpted from www.repeatingislands.com; a website offering news and commentary on Caribbean culture, literature, and the arts. |
| Natchitoches Historic Foundation Presents PRIME TIME on the Cane |
 The Roque House on picturesque Cane River Lake was the setting for an eight-week PRIME TIME program on Thursdays during September and October. The house history has been traced to 1803. The three original rooms and the plank lean-to in the rear held 10 to 12 families during the sessions, and it felt as if everyone had stepped back into the 1800s. Angelique Feaster, a master storyteller and actress, enthralled adults and children with the award-winning children's literature from the Favorites series. Discussion leader Lisa Keele of Natchitoches encouraged participants to discuss the important humanities issues that these books raise, and by the third session everyone had something to say about the greedy sister in Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters and the trickster Anansi the spider. The Natchitoches Parish Library, located two blocks away, sent representatives to the program to register family members for their library cards and donated books for door prizes. Local merchants, and Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen, were also very generous with material and service donations. One evening families picnicked on fried chicken, potato salad, and dessert beneath a canopy of live oak trees against the backdrop of Cane River. This beautiful community in northwest Louisiana exuded charm, and the program coordinators Priscilla Metoyer and Sylvia Morrow were devoted and gracious hostesses. This small house of mud (bousillage) and half-timber will now hold a special place in the PRIME TIME families' hearts and minds. |
| Georgia's DeKalb County Libraries are "Ready" for PRIME TIME! |
 In her contribution to the Association for Library Service to Children's (ALSC) official journal, Children and Libraries, Sharon Deeds, Youth Services Coordinator at the DeKalb County Library and ALSC Chair explains how PRIME TIME's bilingual programming has benefitted the DeKalb library system and participating families.
Click here to read Sharon's article in Children and Libraries.
Children and Libraries serves as a vehicle for continuing education of librarians working with children. It showcases current scholarly research and practice in library service to children, and spotlights significant activities and programs of the ALSC. |
| The Programming Librarian Blog Reports on PRIME TIME's ALA Session |
 Heather Lawson, a student and children's librarian assistant at the New York Society Library, clearly understood the message imparted by the panelists at the 2009 American Library Association Conference in Chicago. In an article entitled "PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME:Turning Low Literacy Populations into Your Library's Biggest Fans," Ms. Lawson testifies to PRIME TIME's success in instilling a love and appreciation of reading among families that are the most difficult for libraries to reach. Read Heather's article from the Programming Librarian website here.
Programming Librarian is an online resource center for all things related to presenting cultural programs for all types and sizes of libraries. The site includes two main sections: the library and the blog. |
| PRIME TIME Profiled at the 2009 Federaion of Humanities Councils Conference in Omaha, Nebraska |
 The 2009 Federation of State Humanities Councils Conference was held in Omaha, Nebraska from November 6 - 8. The National Conference examined how state humanities councils traditionally have fostered greater public awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the humanities and how councils can continue to shape public discourse on the nation's pressing problems.
As part of this conference LEH Executive Director, Dr. Michael Sartisky, moderated a panel session entitled: "When Life Gives You Lemons...: Creating and Sustaining a Humanities-Based Literacy Landscape during Difficult Times". The purpose of this session is to "help humanities councils devise alternative means of funding, particularly due to the recent budget cuts with which they have had to contend recently". Along with long-time PRIME TIME partners, Patricia Putman, Associate Director at the Florida Humanities Council; Kathleen Pool, Associate Director at the Kentucky Humanities Council; and, Erika Hamilton, Program Officer at the Nebraska Humanities Council Dr. Sartisky shared information on the fiscal creativity and ingenuity that has helped to sustain PRIME TIME programming; particularly through financial crises. This session, held on November 6, was attended by staff members and representatives from various humanities councils. Please visit the FHC website for additional details.
*Some conference details were excerpted from www.statehumanities.org; the official website of the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
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| PRIME TIME Announces Spring 2010 Louisiana Sites |
 Congratulations to all Spring 2010 PRIME TIME grant recipients! Approximately 20 PRIME TIME funding requests were received for spring/summer 2010 programming in Louisiana. However, due to drastically reduced state funding for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, only 4 programs could be covered by state funds. Donations solicited from private foundations will underwrite the remaining 16 programs. A listing of funded sites will be available soon.
Spring 2010 grant recipients must remember to submit Brochure-Flier Information Forms (BFI's) before the November 16 deadline. Please note that spring 2010 BFI's should be submitted electronically. Once BFI's are received, registration forms for training workshop participants will follow. The January Training Workshop dates are January 16 - 17, 2010. The workshop will be hosted at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in New Orleans. Please contact Shantrell Adams with any questions or concerns on the BFI submission process and/or the January Training Workshop. | |
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