| Programme name | Country | Date of information |
| Welcome Baby, Edmonton Public Library | Canada | March 31, 2022 |
| Question | Answer |
| About the Organisation | |
| Organisation name | Edmonton Public Library |
| Organisation address | 7 SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL SQUARE, Edmonton AB, Canada T5J 2V4 |
| Goal/objective: this may be your vision/mission | Our mission: We share. Our vision: EPL is the gathering place for people and ideas, enabling a lifetime of learning, engagement and possibility for every Edmontonian. As Edmonton’s largest lender of information and entertainment, our greatest passion is creating connections to help, grow, inspire and change. |
| Contact Person | Elaine Jones |
| Position of Contact Person | Manager, Youth Services |
| Organisation website | www.epl.ca; https://www.epl.ca/welcome-baby/ |
| Organisation type | Public Library |
| How many staff does your organisation employ? | 600 |
| About the Programme | |
| Basic details | |
| Programme name | Welcome Baby |
| Country/Province/City where the programme takes place | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Year started | 2013 |
| Programme goal/objective | The Welcome Baby program at EPL seeks to promote early literacy by introducing caregivers of children 0-36 months old to the importance of language and literacy for the long term development and success of children. Through the gifting of board books at the library and at local health centres and hospitals, Welcome Baby introduces families to the importance of reading, as well as the role the library can play in supporting this. Welcome Baby allows us two key touchpoints with families—at the two-month immunization at Public Health Centres/admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at hospitals and upon registering for a library card in our branches. |
| Funding sources | Library |
| Geographic coverage | The City of Edmonton, 684 km |
| The programme is not for profit.Purpose of the programme | |
| Not for profit? | The programme is not for profit. |
| Religious or political purpose? | None |
| Local consistency of model | |
| Is your programme model consistent across your geographic area, or are there regional differences? | Consistent |
| Book Packs | |
| What are the contents of your gifting pack? | At public health centres: · EPL Welcome Baby canvas tote bag · Board book – e.g: Kiss by Kiss by Richard Van Camp · Music CD (and download code) – e.g: It’s a Beautiful Day by Kathy Reid-Naiman · Two brochures that introduce the importance of early literacy and language, and provide information about services and resources available at the public library for children and families At library locations: · Board book – approximately 11 different titles that the customer may select from · One rhyme booklet that introduces popular songs and rhymes for families with young children, and provides information about services and resources available at the public library for children and families. Rhyme booklet is also available in 6 languages (free digital download). · Free Edmonton Public Library card |
| Is your programme offered free of charge to all families? | Yes |
| Partnerships and Delivery | |
| What are your primary ‘points of contact’ with the population you serve? | Library Hospital Health clinic |
| Who gifts/hands-out your pack to families? | healthcare workers librarians |
| Please list your other programme partnerships | Alberta Health Services Convenant Health Both these organizations provide healthcare services and facilities, including health centres/clinics and hospitals, in the province of Alberta in Canada. |
| Does your programme use volunteers? | Volunteers pack the contents of the Welcome Baby kits for public health centres and hospitals, as well as deliver the kits from EPL branches to health centres and hospitals – we have 17 volunteers working on Welcome Baby city-wide, with 259 volunteer hours spent on Welcome Baby in 2019. |
| Audience | |
| Is the programme universal or targeted? | Universal |
| How many children does your programme serve a year? | 10,220 Welcome Baby packages were given out at health centre and hospitals in 2019, while 3,748 Welcome Baby packages given out at EPL locations in 2019. |
| At what age/gifting period do children receive your programme? | birth to 36 months |
| Diversity provision | |
| Does your program include provisions or resources for children with special needs? | no |
| What language populations does your programme serve? | The books and contents of the Welcome Baby packages are in English; however, the rhyme booklet provided in the in-branch package is also available on our website or in-branch in multiple languages including: Chinese, French, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. |
| Evaluation and research | |
| Have you conducted programme evaluation or research? If yes, has this evaluation/research been published? | Yes – we internally assess and evaluate our programming on an ongoing basis. Additionally, we have received support from Dr. Amber Reichert, a local Neonatologist, whose research shows the science behind why language plays such a crucial role in our overall health and the low language outcomes in Edmonton’s premature population. Find out more at: https://www.epl.ca/sharing-voices |
| Further information | |
| In March 2022, EPL added a second bookgifting program: Ready. Set. READ! (RSR). Ready. Set. READ! is offered in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. EPL has secured funding and committed to offering the program to 1500 children for a minimum of 5 years. The program provides a free book mailed directly to the home every month and is available to children 0-5 residing in 13 neighbourhoods (indexed for social vulnerability and other factors related to literacy) in Edmonton. EPL is working with a research team from a local university to develop a longitudinal research project for RSR. EPL is also working with another partner, the United Way Alberta Capital Region, to provide special programming and distribute the United Way Kid Kits The Kid Kit – United Way Alberta Capital Region (myunitedway.ca) to RSR families as well. More information on RSR is available here: Ready. Set. READ! | Edmonton Public Library (epl.ca) |
Videos
March 2022 – Library-health partnership in Canada
Elaine Jones: Welcome Baby, Edmonton Public Library, Alberta, Canada – Beyond Library Lending Edmonton Public LIbrary
- Elaine Jones: Welcome Baby, Edmonton Public Library, Alberta, Canada – Beyond Library Lending Edmonton Public LIbrary 22 March 2022