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| May/June 2007 Issue
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 From the first program in 2001 through 2006, the Farmington Public Library has implemented 16 successful programs and reached over 300 families in San Juan County which is located in the Northwest corner of New Mexico. It is home to three distinctly different cultures: Native American, Hispanic/Spanish Decent and Caucasian. Consequently, in that region, Library Director and enthusiastic PRIME TIME supporter, Karen McPheeters searched for a program with a different approach to the stagnant low-literacy problem of her community, one that would embrace all kinds of families, celebrate local traditions of storytelling and be adaptable to any cultural setting. She found that approach in PRIME TIME.
This new approach appeared in the form of a grant opportunity from the American Library Association, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities….
Read “Farmington Public Library: New Mexico Celebrates PRIME TIME” by Karen McPheeters.
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|  Four recently completed PRIME TIME programs in Caddo Parish, Louisiana were supported by a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier. Broadmoor Branch Library offered a bilingual PRIME TIME, targeting Hispanic families in the community. This highly successful six-week program reached an average of 61 participants per session and reported total attendance of 366 participants. Also, Southfield School implemented a third PRIME TIME program, targeting Providence House residents as the audience with the school students, teachers, and parents serving as volunteers. Providence House is a residential development center for homeless families with children. Atkins Branch Library and Belcher Presbyterian Education Center also completed programs under this grant.
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 In recruiting PRIME TIME storytellers, it is often prudent to emphasize the fact that not only does the role require sharing a stage with a team member, the discussion leader/scholar, but that during the act of storytelling itself, the focus should be on the children’s literature NOT the person presenting the story. Mary Hamilton, a professional storyteller and a PRIME TIME storyteller and trainer in Kentucky since 2002 shares lessons learned in Reflection on PRIME TIME Storytelling. Mary knows she will never stop learning how to tell stories, how to read aloud, and how to help create successful PRIME TIME experiences.
Read "Reflections on PRIME TIME Storytelling” by Mary Hamilton.
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Participants from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, and the Boston Public Library attended a PRIME TIME training workshop in Boston on Saturday, May 5, 2007. To date out-of-state PRIME TIME training workshops have been offered in California, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin. A team of 4 from Brunswick County, Virginia and one participant from Hillsboro, Oregon were also invited to attend this intense one-day experience. Twenty-two individuals bonded as teams as they encountered the philosophy of this award-winning family literacy model, observed PRIME TIME demonstrations, and gained skill sets to implement the program in their communities. The Urban League hosted the training at their office in Roxbury, MA and provided an extremely hospitable setting for the workshop. |
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 Associate Director, Olivia Pass, Ph.D. and Assistant Director, Shantrell Adams, will present at the 2007 LA Afterschool Conference “Rebuilding Louisiana’s Future through Afterschool Programs” taking place May 9 – 10, 2007 in Lafayette, LA. The conference is sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Education’s Division of School and Community Support. Although PRIME TIME began as a library program, it has proven to be an excellent afterschool program for elementary schools across Louisiana in reaching out to low-literacy children and their families, and as a tool for attracting and maintaining parental involvement. In 2007, nearly 50% of programs in Louisiana will take place in elementary schools.
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 PRIME TIME is proud to announce that Faye Flanagan, Olivia Pass, and Judy Boyce along with Carol Baughman (Kentucky), and Trish Wilson (Ohio) will present “Prime Time Family Reading Time: Hardwiring Alliances for Success” at the Public Library Association (PLA) 2008 National Conference to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 25-29, 2008. The 2008 National Conference Program Subcommittee reviewed over 300 proposals, from which approximately 100 were selected for presentation. Thisprogram will offer valuable information on successfully implementing and sustaining this award-winning family literacy model. Look for more details on PRIME TIME’s program at the 2008 PLA National Conference in the near future.
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 If you are having a hard time understanding the connection that PRIME TIME makes between children’s literature and the humanities, reading “It's All Greek to Me: Finding the Humanities in Children's Literature,” by LEH President and Executive Director, Michael Sartisky, Ph.D. will prove more than convincing, but logical and perhaps even obvious (after the fact). PRIME TIME’s approach to introducing literacy and reading to its audience, comprised of mostly low-literacy, low-income and English learning families, is innovative and effective in that it models behaviors without prejudice or intimidation.
“What our PRIME TIME selections provides us is an opportunity to discuss the things which matter in life itself: fairness, honor, love, dreams, courage and community,” writes Dr. Sartisky.
Read “It's All Greek to Me: Finding the Humanities in Children's Literature” by Michael Sartisky, Ph.D.
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