After long hours in the office organizing educational programs and activities from behind the scenes, stepping into a library reminds Greenbelter Pamela Hamlin why she does what she does.
“This is what it’s all about, seeing kids develop a love for books, seeing them interact with their friends and parents,” said Hamlin. The family literacy specialist for Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) coordinates learning programs and activities for libraries across the county.
In October, Hamlin was named a PBS Kids Early Learning Champion, one of 14 in the nation honored this year. Started in 2018, the award honors “committed and talented early education professionals who work with young children and their families,” as PBS describes the award on their website. This year’s honorees include teachers, librarians and daycare providers from 15 different states.
Hamlin had worked with Stephanie Terezon, WETA education manager, and Ferne Barrow, director of engagement at the station, on a number of different early childhood groups in the county.
WETA has also had learning programs through PGCMLS and Hamlin said the station told her she was on their radar to be nominated for the award.
Selection
PBS stations across the country nominate educators through an open call, then they review candidates and select the class of honorees to join the program, explained Terezon via email.
Early Learning Champions are placed in a two-year cohort and are offered professional training and development. This includes attending workshops at the National Association for the Education of Young Children and working with organizations like Fred Rogers Productions and PBS.
Hamlin is a part of various county, state and national groups whose members share ideas for how childhood education can be improved. “I’m looking forward to the professional development that is offered to us and then we’ll also really be working with our local PBS station, which is WETA, for programming to reach kids, parents and childcare providers,” she told the News Review.
“It’s good to see what people in other parts of the country are doing … sometimes you know that it will work here and other times it wouldn’t because of different situations libraries are in,” said Hamlin.
She would encourage those interested in early childhood education to consider becoming a librarian. She said she loves how the library is a less stressful learning environment than school can be. “There are things that they can learn about on their own that may not be something they’re learning about in school and I think it empowers them,” Hamlin said.
Family Engagement
A mother herself, Hamlin says that family engagement is a crucial part of early child development, and she has brought a lot of these experiences to the county. About seven years ago, Hamlin helped bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program to the county. Books From Birth, administered through PGCMLS, sends a free book to children’s homes each month until their fifth birthday. “I think when you’ve got books in the home and parents are interacting with their kids, it’s a great thing,” she said.
Hamlin also said the program gives books to some families who otherwise would not have books in their homes. And now, PGCMLS has partnerships with some hospitals in the county, so parents are able to sign their newborns up right away.
But libraries have more to offer than just books. “We have so much going on. We have STEM kits,” said Hamlin. “We do STEM programs for elementary kids, we have teen programs.”
Hamlin optimizes the learning experience for everyone involved. Parents join in for activities like story time and she tries to get them involved as much as possible, which helps engage children. She said that when a parent is participating or reading, their child is more likely to take an active role. But family engagement doesn’t end there. Hamlin said the time children spend with their parents learning at home is immensely important for kids. She likes to give parents what she calls “early literacy tips.”
“We try to do one little fun fact for the parents to take home each time to either encourage them to keep doing what they’re doing,” she explained, “or go, ‘Hey, I never thought about that …’ and they’ll take some of that home.”
Hamlin said that even before starting school, parents should take on some form of education with their children. Simply singing songs and nursery rhymes is a great way to start, and incorporating books prepares them for when they start reading in school. “We now know that the fastest brain development is between birth and 3,” said Hamlin, “so we want families to know this is an important age.”
Integrating Media
In an era of technology, Hamlin is now tasked with integrating media into learning. While there are beneficial learning tools available through PBS Kids and Fred Rogers Productions, she said they must be used properly to be effective. She recommends that families do activities and watch programs together rather than giving a child an iPad when they’re bored.
With a new generation of so-called “iPad kids,” it’s partly up to educators like Hamlin to help children make friends and keep them from being attached to a device. “Sometimes we’re the first group that a child may be in … so they’re learning how to socialize, how to take turns, how to answer questions,” Hamlin said, noting that it’s important to teach social skills and emotion in practice, just like the ABCs.
Hamlin said she believes the work PGCMLS does with WETA and PBS provides strong opportunities for early childhood education. These professionals are helping children learn how to act toward new faces for the first time, and Hamlin believes more investment should be made to make quality care available for each child in their earliest years.
“I want to empower parents because you know your child best, you’re their first and best teacher and we’re here to support you,” said Hamlin.
Cavit Ireland is a student at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism writing for the News Review.