Literacy Programs for
Childcare Providers and Parents

Never Too Early

Trainings for Childcare Providers

The Never Too Early program brings childcare providers together for training sessions to learn about children’s language and early literacy development and fun, instructive, and engaging ways to share books with children.

Each of the program’s components—all structured as lively book discussion and activity workshops—provides wonderful age-appropriate books suitable for use with newborns, toddlers, and young children. Trainings are conducted statewide by experienced early childhood professionals.

Trainings happen throughout the state and are free to childcare providers and other early care and education professionals.

Read With Me

Trainings for Parents and Guardians

Read With Me is a free program of engaging and interactive workshops for parents and guardians of children from birth to age six. The program is especially for adults who may not have as much experience reading books with children, and who wish to learn what books are age-appropriate and how to engage children in conversation about books.

VHC facilitators share the joy and importance of sharing picture books and conversation with the youngest children. Participants journey into the world of children’s literature, and through hands-on exploration of children’s books they are introduced to early literacy and related developmental issues. They discover ways to make books come alive through animated readings, rhymes, and extension activities that encourage language development and communication. Each participating household takes home a set of gift books to encourage daily reading as a family.

Read With Me programs are hosted by organizations such as child care centers, preschools, Head Start, parent child centers, teen parent and other programs who work with the youngest children and their parents.

Organizations apply to host a Read With Me series, at no cost to the host.

There are three series from which to choose, each with a set of eight or nine books: Read With Me Now, Read It Again, and Read and Discover.

The Never Too Early program has reached thousands of providers, parents, and young children in Vermont since it began in 1997.

To Learn More

Jan Steinbauer, Director of Literacy Programs, 802.262.2626 x310

Photo: A Read With Me event at the VNA Family Room