Literacy Lab

LITLAB'S MISSION IS TO CREATE CONNECTED AND INTERACTIVE EARLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS BY DEPLOYING BOOKS, DIGITAL CONTENT, AND BLENDED LEARNING SOLUTIONS FOR UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDREN, THEIR CAREGIVERS, AND EDUCATORS.

SPECIAL INITIATIVES - LITERACY LAB STAFF ARE CONSTANTLY PROTOTYPING NEW WAYS TO HELP CHILDREN SUCCEED IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY. DURING 2018, GITLAB DEVELOPED A BACK-END UTILITY APP THAT ENABLES MONITORING OF THE LITTAB MULTI-APP ENVIRONMENT USAGE, TO HELP PROVIDERS AND PARENTS GAIN INSIGHTS INTO HOW BEST TO GUIDE LEARNERS AS THEY USE THE LITTAB PROGRAM. WE CONTINUE TO PILOT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT WILL GET INTEGRATED INTO OUR FULL SUITE OF PROGRAMS AND PRODUCTS.

INTERACTIVE READING & LEARNING TOOLS: THE LITTAB PROGRAM COMBINES A TABLET, EBOOKS, AND LEARNING APPS TO TRANSFORM HOW A CHILD EXPERIENCING POVERTY DEVELOPS LEARNING PATHWAYS FOR SCHOOL READINESS AND SUCCESS. LITERACY LAB MAKES LEARNING RESOURCES TO CHILDREN BY PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY EBOOKS AND LEARNING APPS, ACCESSIBLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, THE LITTAB PROGRAM ALSO CHANGES ACTIONS BY OFFERING INTERACTIVE BLENDED LEARNING SOLUTIONS THAT ENGAGE PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO INTERACT AND DRIVE THEIR CHILDREN'S LEARNING.

ACCESS TO BOOKS - LITERACY LAB BELIEVES IN AN INTERACTIVE BLENDED APPROACH TO EARLY LEARNING. MANY EDUCATION CENTERS LACK THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO HELP BRIDGE THE 30-MILLION WORD GAP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN LOW-INCOME CHILDREN AND THEIR HIGHER-INCOME COUNTERPARTS. OUR BOOKCASE LIBRARY PROGRAM PLACES BOOKCASES FILLED WITH APPROXIMATELY 30 AGE-APPROPRIATE BOOKS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, STATE FUNDED PRESCHOOLS, AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. ALL OF THE BOOKS ARE NEW CHILDREN'S BOOKS SELECTED TO BE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE, LANGUAGE-DIVERSE, AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT SELECTED TO SUPPORT CRITICAL THINKING, VOCABULARY, AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT. BOOK LISTS REFLECT COMMON CORE AND STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, AND MATHEMATICS) CONTENT.

FAMILY & EDUCATOR ENGAGEMENT - RESEARCH HAS REPEATEDLY CONFIRMED THAT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN A CHILD'S EARLY LEARNING SUPPORTS LATER ACADEMIC SUCCESS. AT LITERACY LAB, WE BELIEVE THAT PARENT AND CAREGIVER INVOLVEMENT IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF A CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT. OUR FAMILY & EDUCATOR WORKSHOP PROGRAM EDUCATES, SUPPORTS, AND ACTIVATES PARENTS, CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND TEACHERS ON THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF BEING INVOLVED IN A CHILD'S EARLY LEARNING AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES THAT FOSTER A CHILD'S LITERACY, LANGUAGE, AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND SUPPORTERS GET ACTIVATED, CHILDREN ARE READY TO LEARN AND READY FOR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITIES GET STRONGER. THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO REACH A CHILD'S "FIRST TEACHER"-THEIR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS AS WELL AS SERVICE PROVIDERS AND TEACHERS.