Stocked with countless books, unique stories, and innovative ideas and opportunities, the Springfield City Library is committed to encouraging a love for learning and reading. With nine public library locations, Springfield dedicates resources, effort, and information to promote a goal for literacy within the diverse community. The Springfield City Library recently participated in the Lectio Institute, a professional development and early literacy program, to optimize the creativity, knowledge, and personal enrichment they offer.

The Lectio Institute guides stakeholders through an intensive process focused on improving the quality and results of their early learning and literacy programming services. Reading Success by 4th Grade (RS4G) brought the Lectio Approach to the Springfield literacy ecosystem. RS4G invited community partners and literacy leaders with a footprint in the city to learn more about early literacy, improvement in science, and creating and refining the literacy landscape.

The Lectio Institute upholds that “it is critical that we, as a field, take on a new approach to promoting children’s early reading skills—one that ensures our efforts and that help our children reach their potential.” Through a different approach and analysis of goals, they work toward “unlocking the power of our collective commitment to America’s youngest readers.”

Grace Larochelle, the program leader for Springfield City Library’s participation in the project, expressed excitement for the growth and framework plans developed for the Library. Lectio creates literacy design plans based on research, accessible resources, and desired goals for organizations.

“Our programs alone can't do everything,” commented Larochelle. “It’s better to have quality programs that we can evaluate, rather than a million programs that are less interactive and have lower quality for our early literacy participants.”

With participation from multiple organizations within the community and the development of quality programs, the Lectio program encourages this commitment toward intentional services and engaging growth. The city can benefit from the power of collective effort towards the same educational goal: developing passions for early literacy and a hunger for knowledge. 

Larochelle is hopeful in expecting marked progress: “I do think that the community will be impacted by this learning—overall, we learned to be more thoughtful with our programming planning.”

Through free access to books, technology, and creative services, the Springfield City Library provides opportunities for personal growth and enrichment. With a focus on early literacy for children, the Library enhances creativity, knowledge, and curiosity for all residents—transforming the way the community connects and learns.

Springfield City Library comprises nine library locations within Springfield, Massachusetts that offer free access to information and technology, social and civic engagement, and personal enrichment and learning. https://www.springfieldlibrary.org/library/  Facebook: @SpringfieldCityLibrary Twitter: @SpfldMassLib

Reading Success by 4th Grade is a community-wide initiative to get all of Springfield’s kids reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. Their projects bring people together to learn, share, and advocate for early literacy in Springfield, Massachusetts. www.readby4thgrade.com  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn: @ReadBy4thGrade

The Lectio Approach: Our mission is to unlock the power of our collective commitment to America’s youngest readers. We work to ensure that all children's literacy efforts and those they serve reach their potential, and that all stakeholders see the results and impacts they intended. www.lectioapproach.com Facebook