QUALITY STORYTENTS

A resource for family, early childhood and community literacy workers

Personnel

Having the right workers is crucial to a successful Storytent. Positive, solution-based staff can salvage a poor location, ineffective books or a leaky tent. However, even if everything is perfect, staff lacking the necessary attitudes and skills will have difficulty ensuring a quality program.

A love of reading and children is important, as are patience, attention to detail and the ability to capitalize on a moment or know when to leave something alone. Storytent workers will also need the ability to:

• tell stories
• read aloud at length
• listen effectively
• engage shy or reluctant children
• manage large groups of children
• scaffold children’s play and learning
• match books with readers using interests and level
• support families
• set up and tear down the tents
• document effectively
• think critically about their own practice