Early Literacy
We are a Family Place library!
What is a Family Place Library? Family Place libraries build on the knowledge that good health, early learning, parental involvement and supportive communities play a critical role in a young child’s growth and development. The overall goal of Family Place Libraries is to develop and institutionalize a family friendly environment by transforming libraries into community centers for literacy, early childhood development, parent education and engagement, family support and community information. Core components of a Family Place Library include trained staff, special collections for young children and parents, specially designed place spaces, collaborations and outreach partnerships with local youth organizations, and a commitment to offer quality programing for young children, including our Parent Child Workshop. See our calendar for current programs for children ages 0-5.
Early Lit Resources
Great Youth Collections for Families and Educators
Preschool Directory
The information in this directory was supplied by the individual agencies. This list does not contain every preschool and childcare facility in the area and inclusion in this directory does not imply endorsement or recommendation. For further information, please contact Youth Services.
Storytime FAQ
Should I leave if my child gets noisy during storytime?
Children have different listening skills depending on their personality and stage of development. Sometimes a noisy or active child causes so much disturbance that others cannot hear. So, if your child doesn’t want to listen today, you can leave the room and rejoin us when your child is ready.
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May I bring a snack for my child?
While we do not limit the use of snacks at storytime, we ask that snacks are allergy friendly and are limited to the end of class.
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Should I sing the songs and do the actions with the librarian?
When you sing along and participate, you are showing your child that what we are doing is not only fun, but also important. All of our storytime classes promote the six early literacy skills, many of which you can duplicate at home. So don’t worry about being silly; we’re masters at it!
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Is it OK to chat with my friend or to use my cell phone?
Unfortunately, your chatting becomes a distraction for others. Please turn off your cell phone and have personal conversations after storytime class is over.
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Your schedule does not fit my schedule. May I bring my 2-year-old to a storytime for 5-year-olds?
Luckily all of our Little Lit storytimes are welcoming to ages 0-5, and are appropriate and fun for any child in this age range. Librarians will offer modifications of songs and movements to fit the attending age ranges. We also offer storytimes for specific age ranges, like preschool play-based storytimes and Busy Baby, for non-walking infants. An older child might be bored at a storytime class for infants, and a toddler might be overwhelmed by the complexity of stories for preschoolers. But we will always welcome all sibling children.
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Why all this information about early literacy?
Experts believe that reading, singing, and rhyming are the best activities parents can do with young children to get them ready to learn how to read. Librarians do those every week at storytime class! We take this opportunity to give you tips on what you can do, as well as model for you some of the fun ways to bring books alive.