Learn more about how to bring Prime Time to your community.

How Prime Time Works

• Understanding Prime Time

  Prime Time serves families who have elementary-school-aged children who could benefit from participating in a reading program together with their families. During a series of six weekly sessions held in the evenings at public libraries, between 20 and 25 families have dinner and then experience storytelling and discussion modeled by a skilled scholar-storyteller team. Families learn how to discuss ethical and cultural themes and how to connect literature with their own lives. The program empowers families to read and discuss together, improving literacy and critical thinking skills.

• Bringing Prime Time to My Community

  A local library branch partners with a local elementary school, and together apply to Humanities Washington for full funding and support. Applications to host Prime Time are accepted on an ongoing basis. Find out more below at the Apply section or contact us with any questions.

• Removing Barriers to Participation

  In order to make Prime Time as accessible as possible, all participating families receive a healthy meal at each program session, a set of gift books for their home library, and programming specifically for younger siblings between three- and five-years old.

• Meeting the Needs of My Community

  Prime Time can be easily adapted to meet the needs of your community. The program is also available in a bilingual Spanish-English format, and has been successfully conducted in communities where over eight different home languages were spoken by participating families. Culturally appropriate gift books and meals can be selected by team members to ensure the program will be welcoming to families. Rural libraries and schools have had great success with this program as well. If you have any concerns or questions about how Prime Time might fit within your community, please contact the Program Manager.

The Prime Time Team

• Humanities Washington's Role

  Humanities Washington provides all approved partners with funding for healthy weekly meals, preschool supplies, and team member stipends. Humanities Washington also supplies training workshops for team members, and all program materials including curriculum books, book bags, recruitment aids, and gift books. All partners receive direct support and guidance from a dedicated staff member throughout the program.

• The Library’s Role

  The library partners with a local elementary school to apply to Humanities Washington for funding to support Prime Time programming for six weeks. The library and the school also work together to recruit between 25 and 30 families for the program in order to serve more than 15 families each week of the program. If approved, libraries reserve suitable rooms, recruit team members, arrange catering, and facilitate delivery of the program. Libraries should begin planning at least four months before the first session of the series.

• The School’s Role
  • Identifies and recruits 30 or more students and their families in order to serve at least 15 families each week of the program
  • Submits a letter of support explaining need and program support strategies
  • Allocates staff time to support the library program
  • Communicates the benefits of program participation to students and their families
• Prime Time Team Members

  Each Prime Time series is delivered by five team members, each integral to the program in important ways:

  • The Program Coordinator oversees the logistics and success of the program. This role is often filled by the librarian who applies to Humanities Washington to fund a Prime Time program.
  • The Community Organizer recruits 30 or more families, supports the program coordinator, translates if necessary, and contacts families each week to maintain steady attendance.
  • The Humanities Scholar leads discussions using the Socratic Method, modeling techniques families can adopt for at-home reading and lifelong learning.
  • The Storyteller reads the stories in a way easily replicable during at-home reading and works with the scholar to model positive reading and discussion techniques.
  • The Preschool Assistant delivers the Prime Time Preschool program for younger siblings between three- and five-years old.

Apply

Humanities Washington is now accepting applications to host a limited number of online Prime Time Family Reading programs in the fall of 2021, and both in-person and online programs in the spring of 2022. The online program uses the same reading and discussion techniques used for in-library Prime Time program, but adapted for an online environment. All Washington State public libraries are eligible to apply.

Apply to host an ONLINE Prime Time

Apply to host an IN-PERSON Prime Time

View a list of Prime Time partners

Contact Us

For more information about Prime Time, please contact the program manager, George Abeyta, at george@humanities.org or 206-682-1770 ext. 104.

Contact the program manager