5 minute read
Where a Love of Learning Begins: Youth Services are Vital for a Thriving Community
BY SKYLER NOBLE
You see it every time you enter a public library. Families browse the shelves for picture books, children exude joy while playing in the playspaces, babies discover their voice at storytime. It starts here: a love of reading, a love of community, and a love of learning—and they all flourish with each passing day.
When your child attends a class on painting their feelings, they start to understand how to emotionally express themselves. When a teenager joins a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, they meet new friends while exercising strategy and imagination. When your little ones build with LEGO®, they learn to share, dream, and create. These skills are crucial to the development of our future leaders. The specialized Youth Programming team at Spokane Public Library develop free, educational events in key categories to create a safe place for young minds to learn and grow.
EARLY LEARNING
Our Early Learning Specialist focuses on fine motor skills, vocabulary, social-emotional learning, and more through story, song, and play to support early literacy for our youngest visitors.
According to data collected by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for the 2021-22 school year, more than 38 percent of K-4 students recorded read below grade level. Instilling early literacy skills before a child enters school is crucial for word recognition, reading comprehension, and building confidence. Early experiences at the library can foster these skills and participation in reading challenges such as 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten can overcome disparities in early literacy.
Not only do these programs benefit children but caretakers as well. “People might not know how great our libraries have become,” said local parent Lauren Schubring. “They’re a nice place to connect with other parents and people who have just moved here who haven’t built up a community yet. I think people are looking for that. I hope everyone can go!”
ARTS EDUCATION
Art is vital for developing creativity and imagination. Our Arts Education Specialist works with kids and teens to develop and refine skills in drawing, digital design, sculpting, paper, journaling, and more. Children have created magical wands, sketchbooks, 3D models, walnut ink, and more. Expressing creativity early on can promote problem solving, collaboration, communication, and well-being. Creativity is an endless well of potential. As beloved poet Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The effects of human activity on our planet spread far and wide. In breaking down topics like sustainability, composting, renewable energy, and biodiversity for a young audience, students are informed early about their own effects on the planet and how they can advocate for a healthy environment. Our Youth Environmental Specialist develops engaging and informative events to promote ecological awareness.
Environmental education goes beyond climate change and pollution. Kids and teens have made tiny terrariums, demonstrating ecosystems and their relationships with living organisms. They’ve made their own paper with recycled materials and worked with Spokane Zero Waste to mend their own clothes to learn how to prevent unnecessary waste. These are some of many events focused on the environment.
Environmental education goes beyond climate change and pollution. Kids and teens have made tiny terrariums, demonstrating ecosystems and their relationships with living organisms. They’ve made their own paper with recycled materials and worked with Spokane Zero Waste to mend their own clothes to learn how to prevent unnecessary waste. These are some of many events focused on the environment.
STEM EDUCATION
Fueling future minds one experiment at a time. Our STEM Librarian offers activities based on age and skill to sharpen young minds and instill curiosity and experimentation. We’ve learned the science behind diapers, broken down the DNA in fruits we eat every day, and explored surface tension, space, and weather —all to show how our world works in a fun, bite-sized format.
STEM occupations are expected to grow over the next decade. Providing children with a place to let their passion grow is the first step to discovering which path they may want to take in the future. At the library, young learners can explore which topics interest them and supplement what they’re learning in school, all for free.
TEEN PROGRAMMING
Entering middle and high school hosts a set of new challenges and experiences for students. Navigating these experiences with friends in a comfortable and safe environment can help take away some of the stress that comes with growing up. That’s exactly what our Teen Programming Librarian strives to do. The library hosts regular events like Dungeons & Dragons, Cozy Hangout, Anime Club, Game On, and more to help middle and high schoolers develop social skills while having fun.
“Attending the different Library programs has been invaluable to myself and my child,” said Elizabeth Tanner, a local parent. “She loves going to the different libraries around Spokane. I am hoping it instills a lifelong love of books and libraries.”
WHERE THE LOVE BEGINS
Libraries set the stage for young minds to uncover their futures. It’s a testing ground for new interests, a safe space to build community with people who have similar passions, a trusted presence that will never leave your side. Scan the QR code or visit go.spokanelibrary.org/KidsEvents to find upcoming events.
