Prime Time

Would you like to have Prime Time Family Reading® at your library or school in 2025?

PRIME TIME FAMILY READING is a six-week reading, discussion, and storytelling program held at public libraries or schools. A university scholar and a storyteller (who act as discussion leaders) conduct weekly storytelling and discussion sessions based on award-winning children's picture books. Participants are elementary age children and their families.

What does PRIME TIME do? It reinforces the role of family as a major social and economic unit; it trains parents and children to bond together around the act of reading; it teaches parents and children to read and discuss humanities topics such as fairness, greed, honor, and deceit; it encourages low-literacy, low-income parents to enter or continue their own educational programs; it helps parents and children learn how to select books and become active library users. Prime Time is a powerful tool to stimulate communication between children and parents.

Kentucky Humanities and Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives will select at least five public libraries (statewide) and ten schools (statewide) to host Prime Time Family Reading® projects in 2025.

Participating libraries will receive

assistance engaging and paying a scholar and a storyteller
training for a librarian/school/community center coordinator along with the scholar and storyteller (February 2025)
training and access to online program management manuals
set of books containing 20 copies of each book to be discussed
reimbursement for participants who need assistance with travel
reimbursement for child care provider and translator (if needed)
11 books for each participating family
assistance and support from Kentucky Humanities and Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Participating libraries will be expected to

provide adequate space for approximately 50 participants
designate a staff member to be the project manager
recruit approximately 20 families to participate in the program
work with community partners to enroll families considered ‘at risk’ because of low literacy skills, low income, or low educational levels
provide a simple meal before each discussion
provide door prizes for participants
designate a staff member to conduct a story hour program for younger siblings during the discussions
create and present simple library commercials each week to inform participants about services offered by the library
register all participating families for library cards
complete registration forms for participants, evaluations of the program, and simple financial forms

If you want your library/school/community center to be considered to be a 2025 Prime Time site, please complete the form below.

Libraries and schools that have previously sponsored Prime Time programs will be considered.

Selections will be based on geographic distribution of potential sites and availability of scholars and storytellers in the areas.

APPLICATION TO HOST PRIME TIME IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE, KEEP SCROLLING DOWN.

Click Here to View Prime Time Schedule and Other Information

www.leh.org/category/prime-time

LIBRARY/SCHOOL/COMMUNITY CENTER APPLICATION for PRIME TIME FAMILY READING PROGRAM

If selected to sponsor a Prime Time project, my library/school/Community Center will be able to fulfill the following expectations:

designate a staff member to be the site coordinator (project manager)
send site coordinator to training (February 2025)
provide adequate space for approximately 50 participants
recruit approximately 20 families to participate in the program
work with community partners to enroll families considered ‘at risk’ because of low literacy skills, low income, or low educational levels
provide a simple meal before each discussion
provide door prizes for participants
designate a staff member to conduct a story hour program for younger siblings during the discussions
create and present simple library commercials each week to inform participants about services offered by the library
register all participating families for library cards
complete registration forms for participants, evaluations of the program, and simple financial forms

Questions? Please call: Kathleen.pool@uky.edu - (859) 257-5472

Submit applications to KH by September 15, 2024 to host programs in 2025.

PRIME TIME FAMILY READING®, a registered trademark, is a project of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. National expansion is in cooperation with the American Library Association Public Programs Office and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to expanding American understanding of history and culture.