The R eading A nd P arents P rogram RAPP

What is RAPP? The R eading A nd P arents P rogram - RAPP, is a resource lending program for parents and their children who are 0 to 6 years of age. RAPP was created by Kingston Literacy in 1990.

RAPP was designed to encourage family reading and help parents support their children’s emergent literacy skill development RAPP is adaptable for use in different situations RAPP packs are loaned to families and tailor made for each family See “RAPP pack definitions” in Resources

What kind of resource is it? RAPP is a special book pack which families borrow every two weeks.

Each RAPP pack contains 5 items: A quality children’s picture book and – Reading and language hints – A craft – Poetry and finger plays – Age appropriate activity sheets All resources in the RAPP pack are related to the theme of the children’s book. RAPP packs can also include single books for younger and older siblings.

What does a RAPP pack look like?

The Children’s Books The books chosen to become RAPP packs have language rich content and are suitable for children from 2 to 5 years The books to become RAPP packs were selected because they contain elements considered essential for the development of pre- literacy and literacy skills There is a list of the books included in the RAPP manuals. Look at “List of Contents of RAPP Manuals” in Resources

The Contents

Reading and Language Hints The reading and language hints help parents understand how to make more of the shared reading experience with their children The Reading Hints encourage parents to ask questions about the book The Language Hints give ideas of how to extend the content of the book into daily life See “RAPP pack definitions” in Resources. See sample RAPP pack

Craft As with all the RAPP pack contents, the craft is related to the theme of the book There is a brief explanation of how to complete the simple craft included in each pack The exact number of individual craft packs given in the pack equals the number of children in the family who are old enough to enjoy the craft See craft page in sample RAPP in Resources.

Craft Sample

Poetry and Finger Plays The value of poetry and rhymes is emphasized because children learn from repetition, rhyme and rhythm Finger plays are an excellent way for children and parents to interact For those children who learn best by moving, finger plays and rhyming songs are great ways to move and learn at the same time See sample RAPP pack in Resources

Activity Sheets The RAPP pack contains activity sheets designed to provide opportunities for children to use thinking strategies and fine motor skills Three activities for pre-schoolers and three activities for older school-aged children are included in each pack See sample RAPP pack in Resources

The RAPP Collections There are five RAPP collections Each collection is made up of ten or twelve children’s books which have been made into RAPP Packs which can be photocopied for your program See “List of Contents of RAPP Manuals” in Resources for book titles

RAPP Manuals

The contents can all be photocopied The manuals include everything that is necessary to prepare RAPP packs except for the actual books and craft materials

Where do I buy RAPP? There are five RAPP manuals available at: RAPP Classics Collection RAPP Holidays Collection RAPP Spring and Fall Collection RAPP Winter and Summer Collection RAPP Early Literacy Collection

To provide the RAPP program in your community you will need: Clear plastic containers in which to store each set of books and the accompanying resources Multiple copies of each children’s book, between 10 and 20 for each RAPP pack Multiple photocopies of the RAPP pack contents and craft supplies to be stored with the books in the bins

Label the boxes

A Book Collection A collection of other children’s books such as baby and toddler books, chapter books for older children and books on special topics which can be used to add single books to individual RAPP packs thus meeting the needs of each family

If you want to begin a RAPP program, start small It is not necessary to have a large collection of books to start A small selection of books may be chosen and the RAPP collection built up slowly For example, if you only have 24 different book titles which are RAPP packs, you could potentially lend RAPP to 24 different families every 2 weeks for a year

Preparing RAPP packs for your program Staff and volunteers photocopy the reading and language hints, rhymes and activity sheets and, prepare craft supplies for each RAPP pack The RAPP boxes are kept topped up with 15 reading and language hints 20 crafts 20 younger activity sheets 5 older activity sheets

Preparing a RAPP pack RAPP packs are prepared for each family according to the age of the children in that family. The packs are put into report covers Each folder has a plain white label at the top right hand corner of the folder on which the parent’s last name is printed in pencil It is useful to have a label with the return date and your contact phone number Example “Return labels Avery 8162” in Resources

RAPP covers

The RAPP pack for a family with a baby, a 3 year old and a 7 year old would contain: 1or 2 baby books 1 pre-school book 1 young reader 1 reading and language hints 2 craft 1 set of older activity sheets 1 set of younger activity sheets Look for “RAPP Lending Record” form in Resources

Record Keeping It is essential to keep clear, up to date records for each family who borrows books so that you know where the books are. The names and ages of the children, the name of the parent and a contact phone number are kept on a Parent Information Sheet A lending record is maintained for each family and has all the books on loan to that family listed Look for “Parent Information Sheet” and “RAPP Lending Record” In Resources

Maintaining the RAPP Collection Lending Schedule -Staff deliver RAPP packs every two weeks -Families borrow the packs for two weeks - It is helpful to have a large calendar or planner clearly marked with the lending schedule for staff and volunteers to access easily Reserving book titles - One book title is chosen per group, per visit (usually every two weeks) - You will need to allow six weeks from when books are loaned out to a group until they are returned See “RAPP Planner” under Resources

Maintaining the RAPP collection Pack Preparation: -Volunteers or staff put the packs together according to the lending record - Master Copies of each RAPP pack, sample craft bags and craft templates are stored alphabetically in files - The appropriate number of handouts, activity sheets and crafts are prepared ahead of time - It is important to produce good quality photocopies - It is best to have a big table to lay things out on and make the packs up like an assembly line See “RAPP Preparation” in Resources

Preparing RAPP packs

Volunteers Volunteers are an excellent resource for the RAPP Program. Responsibility for one group typically requires two hours of volunteer time per week. RAPP volunteer opportunities include: - RAPP pack preparation -Maintenance of the RAPP books and boxes including numbering and labelling books and keeping the boxes topped up with the requisite number of handouts, crafts and activity sheets -RAPP Delivery

Volunteers Continued Remember, if you use volunteers: 1. It is necessary to have an up to date Police Records Check for anyone working with children 2.To emphasize the importance of confidentiality especially if the volunteers are involved with parents with low literacy skills as well as having access to private information about families. -Have the volunteer fill in an volunteer application form with references. It helps to validate the job and makes it possible to find the best person for that job. See “Volunteer Application Form” in Resources

Maintaining the RAPP Collection Always check books off on the record sheet as they are returned. Check for damaged books. Clean and repair if possible. Give each set of books numbers 1 to 15 on the label so that you can trace lost books more easily. Accept that you may lose a few but it will not happen often if you keep good records.

Maintaining the RAPP Collection Tools: -Tote boxes for delivering the RAPP packs -Storage containers for the books -Shelving -Craft supplies -Photocopier and paper -Evaluation forms –Send home evaluations half way through and at the end of the program Evaluation forms available in Resources as “Final RAPP Report”

Tools

RAPP as an Outreach Tool Provide information about other agencies’ programs or events inside the packs Form partnerships with other agencies Promote other programs for parents with preschoolers Flyers Example of a “RAPP brochure” is available in Resources

Different Uses for RAPP One-to-one tutoring Playgroups Small parent discussion groups Kindergarten programs School Readiness programs Enhancement to other programs Community pick-up spots Ontario Early Years Centres

New RAPP Development The Centre For Expertise in Family Literacy is currently working on new ways to use the RAPP concept. These are: -Math RAPP- Books that illustrate links to the five strands of math. Math concepts explored through RAPP -Multicultural RAPP- RAPP developed with more sensitivity to our diverse culture -Informational Text RAPP- Books that refer to real people, places and things -Infant Development RAPP- Working on books for RAPP that will be suitable for younger babies and toddlers under the age of two years.