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In this largely Hispanic community, eight out of ten new kindergartners can’t recognize the letters in the alphabet. Now, the Waukegan Public Library is opening a new door to early literacy. The Early Learning Center, a cutting-edge facility featuring interactive, bilingual displays and programs, will start welcoming visitors following a grand opening ceremony, Sunday, November 2, at 1 pm. The 2,200 square-foot center will be located adjacent to the children’s area at the library’s main location in downtown Waukegan.
The concept for the center sprang from a 2006 United Way survey that showed only 43% of Waukegan kindergartners ever attended preschool, and 77% speak Spanish as their primary language. Over half the kids surveyed had little or no exposure to books before entering public school.
“I was astounded by the percentages,” says Richard Lee, Executive Director of the library. “Looking at those deficiencies, we decided to set some measurable goals.” With guidance from Waukegan School District 60, the library began planning an Early Learning Center (ELC) dedicated to developing four pre-literacy skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Developers based the design on the Illinois Early Learning Standards set by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), creating stations for science and math, pretend play, storytimes, arts and crafts, nature, music, and infant development.
Using the Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview as a model, designers crafted the space to engage the senses and appeal to each child’s inner explorer—with costumes to don, bells to ring, dough to squish and paint to dab. Of course, the center also holds an extensive collection of picture and board books, as well as games and puzzles to foster pre-reading skills. Signage appears in English and Spanish.
“Learning starts at birth,” says Verna Wilson, principal of two EPIC District 60 preschools. “Even though the kids can’t yet read or write, the exposure to language, whether it’s hands-on or just hearing the sounds, helps promote creativity, as well as social and emotional development.” Partially funded by ISBE, the EPIC program Wilson administers provides no-cost preschool to District 60 kids, especially targeting those at risk or experiencing poverty.
So, with preschool available for free, why don’t more Waukegan kids go? Either families aren’t aware of the program, or they’re wait-listed, or just choose not to apply. One goal of the ELC is to provide these kids with similar learning opportunities as District 60 preschoolers. Early Learning Specialists will distill and share the same curriculum, in a setting that welcomes parents as participators. “The library is going to be instrumental in capturing a demographic group who may never have considered preschool,” says Wilson.
The new ELC will offer Story Camps Monday through Thursday, some bilingual, each featuring stories, songs and a learning activity such as rhyming. Recognizing the critical role of the parent as a child’s first teacher, the ELC will also host Family Learning Time and caregiver workshops with strategies for nurturing early literacy, based on the Every Child Ready to Read project.
“There is currently nothing like this in Waukegan, nor in Lake County for that matter,” says Lee. “Although there are many programs such as the EPIC program, Success by 6 and Head Start … there are no destinations specifically designed for children that are free and readily available days, nights, weekends and summers.”
Cyndy Colletti, Literacy Program Manager at the Illinois State Library, says more explorative pre-reader areas are now beginning to emerge in public libraries. “We have seen a general trend to make children’s spaces more inviting in an experiential way rather than a dogmatic or pedagogical way,” she says. Colletti notes the trend is more common in affluent areas, where it’s easier to absorb renovation costs.
Yet, as the United Way survey illustrates, lower-income communities like Waukegan often show the greatest need for pre-literacy intervention. Initiatives like the ELC can drive long-term economic payoffs for these communities as well. A study by the University of Chicago shows early education investments reap benefits that tend to compound, “by creating a solid foundation for later human capital investments, such as education, youth development and job skills training.” (“Making Cities Stronger,” p. 7, Urban Libraries Council)
Because the median income in Waukegan is so low,* the library is attempting to fund the project through public and private sources to avoid overburdening taxpayers. To date, the library has raised $150,000 of the $300,000 needed to build the facility, primarily through grants, private donors and fundraising events, like the upcoming Third Annual Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival. New donors may join the ELC “Partners in Reading” at four different levels of giving, from $50 to over $5,000, or secure naming rights to one of the six ELC stations with a contribution of $10,000 or more.
The library is also pursuing partnerships with businesses interested in contributing dioramas or other materials for a series of rotating exhibits. Offering fresh, local perspectives on learning, these ever-morphing exhibits will give the ELC a dynamic landscape—always full of new wonders and curiosities for Waukegan’s earliest learners.
Winner of the North Suburban Library System’s “Library of the Year Award” for 2007, the Waukegan Public Library has served the community for 110 years, providing opportunities to learn, gather, be informed and entertained. The main library, housing one of the largest collections of materials in Lake County, is located in downtown Waukegan at 128 N. County Street, just north of the County Building. The Hinkston Park Branch is located at 800 N. Baldwin, in the Waukegan Park District’s Field House.
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elizabethstearns[.]waukeganpl.info 
