Children's and YA Services

Each storytime session is an opportunity to reaffirm children's identities and expand their knowledge of the world around them. By purposefully incorporating content from an EDI framework, we are helping young children value and respect people who are both similar to and different from them. In this lecture session, participants will learn how to effectively evaluate books for authenticity and appropriateness, discover multilingual songs and rhymes, and how to create a program plan that will engage children and their caregivers.

Sophie Kenney is the Youth Department Director at the Glen Ellyn Public Library in Illinois. She is dedicated to the ongoing work of increasing access, representation and resources for all children and families, especially those from historically marginalized communities. Sophie is a nationally recognized speaker on topics of early literacy, diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a former ILA Executive Board member, co-chaired the ALSC EDI Task Force for several years, and founded the RAILS BIPOC Library Workers networking group.

Watch the recording and view the slides for Embedding EDI into Early Literacy Programming

While early literacy programming has evolved to incorporate more elements that act as mirrors and windows, it's not enough to include diverse materials. It's critical for storytime staff to know how to deliver them accurately and empathetically. In this session, participants will learn best practices for presenting programming with a culturally aware inclusive lens, and how to respectfully use materials that are outside of your own lived experiences.

Sophie Kenney is the Youth Department Director at the Glen Ellyn Public Library in Illinois. She is dedicated to the ongoing work of increasing access, representation and resources for all children and families, especially those from historically marginalized communities. Sophie is a nationally recognized speaker on topics of early literacy, diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a former ILA Executive Board member, co-chaired the ALSC EDI Task Force for several years, and founded the RAILS BIPOC Library Workers networking group.

Register for Creating Empathetic Learning Experiences in Storytime Tuesday, February 25 2:00-3:00