Kelsey (right) leads ACL members in discussions on early literacy and early brain development at a recent professional development session at the Oakland Public Library.

On Friday, August 12^th, 2016, Tandem, Partners in Early Learning partnered with the Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California (ACL) to provide professional development training to a large, bright, and lively crew of local children’s librarians.

Kelsey Gottschalk, Community Literacy Specialist, and I walked down to a back door of the Oakland Public Main Library, where the ACL was gathered for its monthly meeting. We were greeted by a large room filled with buzzing discussion over which books the librarians were to review and put their support behind.

Shortly after arriving, Kelsey began the training, which focused on the impact of exposure to literacy-rich experiences during infancy. The presentation started with a discussion on early language and brain development, included informative videos on the ways infants build the foundations of their literacy skills, and ended with an interactive demonstration in which the librarians practiced engaging book-sharing techniques.

In hindsight, Kelsey said of the professional development training: “It was a joy, talking about interactive book-sharing with a group of 50 librarians who were so enthusiastic. It was fun to watch them share books because that’s what they do [for a living]. They had a lot of valuable input to share… So, it felt like a collaborative experience, rather than a lecture.”

Echoing Kelsey’s excitement, Angela Moffett, ACL Professional Development Coordinator, said: “Kelsey’s presentation to our organization of children’s librarians on the topic of babies’ and toddlers’ developing brains and the effects of literacy activities as they grow was exceptional. The valuable insight [we gained] will enable us to make even more thoughtful choices about storytime books and storytimes for the younger set.”

Development Manager Julie Barton, says that the ACL reached out to Tandem to schedule the event because they, “knew Tandem is a trusted source for impactful professional development. On this scale,” Julie explained, “it’s the largest [professional development training] we’ve done for children’s librarians.” As I talked with Julie, Executive Director, Molly Wertz, chimed in from the neighboring office space, “We’ve previously done trainings for Contra Costa librarians, but now the momentum for this type of work is really starting to pick up.”

Looking toward the future, Tandem is excited at the prospects of working with librarians and other community-based professionals more often. We hope that, in doing so, we will be able to support more families that we may not be reaching through our school and child care provider sites. San Francisco-based Community Literacy Specialist, Robia Lee said, “Being a more connected part of the community gives us a chance to grow and better provide for the community at large—we want to broaden our horizons and the people we reach.”

“True to our name, we value the impact of working together with other organizations that are doing great work in our community,” Kelsey noted. “We realize that the best way to reach our goals, and follow our mission statement is to work in tandem with our neighbors.”

For more information on Tandem’s professional development workshops and trainings, please email your inquiries to info@tandembayarea.org. For more stories from our various partners, check out Our Partners webpage. You’ll find testimonials from educators, school site directors, family support services professionals, and more.