Des Plaines preschool partners with library on literacy

The Des Plaines Park District Creative Corners Preschool welcomed Courtney O'Keefe, preschool liaison for the Des Plaines Public Library, to class on Sept. 26 and 27. O'Keefe presented a half-hour program on trains to both the Terrific 3's and the Fantastic 4's and 5's.

“Reading success begins with children enjoying story time,” said Karyn Roth, recreation supervisor. “We are thrilled to form this community partnership with the public library and work together in our commitment to literacy.”

O'Keefe's mission is to visit every preschool in Des Plaines three times a year. The September program, “All About Trains,” included reading three stories, “I Saw An Ant on the Railroad Track,” “I Love Trains” and “Here Comes the Train.” Children used egg shakers to imitate the sounds of a train, sang and danced to the “Whistle on the Train” and “Choo Choo Train” and played a felt board game to learn the names and functions of different railway cars.

The goal of the visits is to foster a love of reading and to introduce the children to the many resources available to them at the library.

“The program uses a variety of literacy skills, such as predicting, questions and answers, and relating previous knowledge and experiences to events in the stories. When children successfully interact with the book this way, they form attachments to reading which will help them be successful later in school,” O'Keefe said.

Registration is open for the second session of the Des Plaines Park District Early Education Classes. For information about the park district programs and events, visit www.DPParks.org; for more information about the public library, visit www.dppl.org.