Can you believe it’s almost time for children to head to the classroom? Here at the Aurora Public Library District (APLD), we want to ensure that our youngest customers have all the tools necessary for school success. Our Children’s Department puts a strong emphasis on early literacy resources, services, and programs to help families raising children in the community of Aurora.
Customers can expect APLD’s early literacy resources to spark the beginning of a lifelong love of reading, which will be a benefit to their children’s futures and better prepare them for school. One of the first things families can do is participate in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. This incentive encourages families to instill the habit of reading early in their child’s life. In many cases, storytime librarians are a child’s first teacher outside of family members. This is why we present storytimes at all our Library locations, including the Bookmobile. At storytime, library staff members interact with children just as their future schoolteachers will do.
As preschoolers prepare to enter kindergarten, many parents worry that their children may not be ready to leave the nest. Early literacy specialist Gretchen Schulz offers a “Ready, Set, Kindergarten” program this Summer as a way for preschoolers to prepare for concepts introduced in kindergarten. These concepts include writing, basic math, letter recognition, class participation, and taking direction. According to Schulz: “Young customers who attend this program will experience a small taste of kindergarten through the practice of school-readiness skills, and will have the opportunity to read books, do crafts, and complete activities that will get them excited for school this Fall. For those who might be nervous, they will be able to make their own Jitter Glitter for those first day jitters.”
Once the back-to-school buzz dies down, stay tuned for future playful and beneficial early literacy offerings. Senior manager of Children’s Services, Monica Boyer, has exciting things planned: “We in the Children’s Services Department at APLD are dedicated to our early literacy audience and are here to inspire and teach them that this phrase by Albert Einstein is indeed true, ‘The only thing you have to absolutely know, is the location of the Library.’”
If you have young children, please take a look at the Library’s comprehensive and robust offerings for children ages birth to five years old. Aurora Public Library District’s early literacy resources are amazing tools as you prepare your child for school. For more information contact the Library at 630-264-4117, or visit www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/children.
Andrea Tiberi is the communications coordinator for the Aurora Public Library District.