Library adding Saturday storytime
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 11, 2012 1:50 AM
A Saturday storytime has been added to the lineup at Wayne County Public Library.
The program is part of a collaboration with Partnership for Children of Wayne County, said Nicholle Johnson, head of children's services at the main branch of the library.
"We're working with Cassie Kermode, (Partnership) director of Young Moms Connect," she explained. "It was actually her idea to offer something because she deals with young moms ages 13 to 24. A lot of them are in school during the day."
The library already offers regular storytimes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, for specific ages of children, Ms. Johnson said. The Saturday addition, held the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m., is open to all ages.
"We have had everything from newborn babies to probably about 10 years old, but it's geared more to preschool to kindergartners," she said. "We want to give moms who can't come in during the week, a chance to still come in and have a fun time with their kids, an opportunity to enjoy literacy together.
"Our goal is to reach as many children in our community as possible. It's not difficult to get kids to enjoy reading. It's fun."
The sessions, held in the auditorium, are free and registration is not required.
The first Saturday storytime kicked off in January, with about 47 children showing up with their parents.
"Dora the Explorer was a huge draw," she said. "We're going to try to characters pretty much every time."
The 45-minute event will run similarly to the other storytimes, she noted -- offered through the month of May, then breaking for the summer programs and resuming in the fall.
So far, Ms. Johnson said, there has been a lot of interest in the additional program time and the opportunity it affords to parents as well as children.
"It's worked out exactly as we wanted it to," she said. "We won't chase anyone out of here when it's over. Hopefully, the moms will talk to each other, the young moms will talk to the older moms and learn from each other."
For more information on this or other programs at the library, visit the website at www.wcpl.org or call 735-1824 ext. 5105.