Last month, Patsy Pelland filled the back of her car with 240 Book Buddy bags to deliver to Headstart and local childcare programs. She has delivered over 270 bags to 15 participating child care and Headstart centers.
The Book Buddy Program, an initiative of Longwood's Speech, Hearing, and Learning Services JumpStart and Heartland Virginia Quality, is a program that supports literacy and language in local preschools, childcare centers, and the homes of young children. The Book Buddy Program is available in Farmville and the surrounding counties; Prince Edward, Cumberland, Nottoway, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Buckingham, and Amelia.
The Book Buddy Program comes in two forms: one for teachers to use inside the classroom and another to be sent home for parents and caregivers to use. Teachers are provided a classroom book, lesson plans, tips, and sample art projects. Children have the opportunity to take a Book Buddy bag home which includes a book, activities to do at home, and tips for parents and caregivers that mention the importance of reading books to children. Currently, there are over 250 Book Buddy bags placed among the local counties. Mrs. Anna Labosier, director of Project JumpStart, stated, “Our hope is that we can support preschool teachers and provide some fresh and fun ideas for literacy in the classroom.”
SHLS is grateful for the Kraemer Family funding a graduate assistantship to support Project JumpStart's early literacy initiatives. These Book Buddy bags have been a project of Hannah Millirons and Gabrielle Scarpa, recipients of the Assistantship in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years.
Patsy Pelland, Local Lead for the Virginia Quality program in the Heartland, would like to see the program to expand as well as developing newsletters, or flyers for parents of preschoolers with literacy tips and information.
For more information about the Book Buddy Program, contact Anna Labosier at (434) 395-2713 and by email at labosieral@longwood.edu or Patsy Pelland at (434) 395-2974 and by email at pellandpg@longwood.edu.