Puppet PALS (Positive and Affirming Life Skills) is a seven-week preschool program provided by RSVP of Dane County. It began in 1996 as a collaborative project of RSVP, Head Start, and PICADA, with the original mission of preventing drug and alcohol abuse.
Two teams of eight multicultural and intergenerational volunteers travel to Head Start centers and other nonprofit preschools in Dane County to share a weekly 45-minute program with children ages 3-5. The programs include a short puppet show, songs, and movement activities. In addition, each volunteer reads to two children and helps them make a puppet craft each week. The volunteers, who range in age from 10 to 88, work three hours a week (one a rehearsal and two program presentations) for seven weeks as a member of the Puppet PALS team. Other volunteers work behind the scenes, cutting or sewing craft materials or making bilingual books for the children at their homes.
Nancy Xiong, an Americorps VISTA, translated three preschool books into Hmong for the program. Text labels were printed, and senior volunteers spent many hours making bilingual books by cutting and pasting the Hmong text onto each page of the English-language books. Nineteen children on Madison's north side who attend Kennedy Heights preschool or Northport Head Start received these bilingual books, which were purchased by First Book, to keep and share with their families.
Because the bilingual preschool books are such a valuable resource for bilingual families, RSVP would like to have more of the preschool giveaway books translated into Hmong. Since Nancy Xiong is no longer available, RSVP is seeking another Hmong translator to translate 10-12 English preschool children's books. Books are typically 30 pages or less, with one to three sentences per page.
Translators can work at home, because the texts can be sent back and forth by e-mail). Volunteers who cut and paste the labels on each page, following a master copy, do not need to know the Hmong language and can also work out of their homes. RSVP will deliver and pick up the materials.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Casper Sunn at csunn@rsvpdane.org or (608) 238-7950. |
