Whether or not they agree on the funding and implementation of programs, nearly every parent, teacher, and general citizen agrees that preschool education promotes learning at an early age and helps prepare children to be better learners. Studies have shown that, “these early years before children ever show up for the first day of kindergarten are crucial for their brain development, and for fostering the very kinds of cognitive and social skills — concentration, impulse control, emotional stability — that help them do well later in school and in the job market.”1
So, most agree on the value of early education if not the means. While politicians and educators wrangle over the best way to approach this issue on a large scale, what can libraries do for their communities to bypass the argument and get to effective solutions?
Introducing a library-based, digital pre-K curriculum
With Miss Humblebee’s Academy, a new, interactive online early literacy program from Gale, now you can bring a fun and interactive learning program to children ages 3 to 6 in your community that supports their early academic development. Prepare preschoolers for kindergarten and beyond by delivering an educational program that introduces key concepts in math, science and social studies, language and literacy, art, and music. It’s the only solution that helps children learn while having fun AND provides parents with tools to measure their child’s progress.
Miss Humblebee’s Academy uses solid educational principles and lovable, appealing characters to prepare children ages 3 to 6 for kindergarten proficiency. Beyond making learning fun for children, it:
- Includes hundreds of guided lessons with sound cues across many disciplines
- Assesses skill levels and reports outcomes regularly
- Emails parent’s a notification that a weekly progress report is ready to view
This program offers parents flexibility and offers children variety. With a combination of online and offline learning opportunities, kids can play and learn anywhere.
- Access at the library or at home on a computer
- Access on mobile devices (iPads and tablets)
- 20% of the curriculum available as printables and practice worksheets, giving children practice using writing tools
Best of all, learning outcomes are measured with such tools as the cognitive assessment, observational checklist, and progress report. Feedback is available to parents as well as to the library (in aggregate).
And because we want to see your pre-K literacy program flourish, Gale provides tools to help you promote and support the use of Miss Humblebee’s Academy among your youngest patrons. Subscribers can order through their GalePromo account in-library promotional items, such as trading cards, stickers for kids, bookmarks, and much more.
Meet the cast of characters who make learning fun
Miss Humblebee, Raffi, Mic, Jia, and other charming learning partners await to help guide the children in your community discover math, science, language, art, and music. Introduce them today and let the exploration begin with a free trial!
1 “Why Conservatives Should Get Behind Obama’s Push for Universal Pre-K,” The Washington Post, February 2, 2015.
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