Muhlenberg library officially a place for families
Liam Migdail-Smith
Reading Eagle
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| The Family Place Libraries early learning program has become a part of the Muhlenberg Community Library. Acknowledging the designation are, from left, Lisa Nuss, children's librarian; Marcina Wagner, library director, and Family Place librarians Amanda Pendzick and Kristin Todd-Wurm. |
Children often get involved with the library through school, she said, but it's harder with younger kids. Getting toddlers some exposure early on could influence whether they develop a love for learning, she said.
"The first three years of a child's life is when they're making the most connections," Nuss said.
So a year and a half ago, Nuss pursued a state grant to transform the Muhlenberg Township library into a "Family Place Library." The designation, awarded by a Centereach, N.Y.-based group, is given to libraries that take steps to include early-childhood education among their offerings.
Officials from the Family Place program were in Muhlenberg this month to officially incorporate the library into the program. There are 356 libraries nationally that have the designation, including the Reading and Kutztown libraries.
The goal is to expand the role of libraries as places parents and children come to for learning, said Amanda Pendzick of Family Place.
"Libraries are really community centers," she said. "People come because they feel welcome."
Since getting involved with the campaign, the Muhlenberg library has revamped its play area to include toys for young children and books about parenting.
Twice a year, the library hosts a five-week Play and Learn Workshop in which parents can listen to speakers on topics such as child development and nutrition while children play with educational toys.
"It's to educate the parents." Nuss said. "It's also to get families into the library to have the kids from a very young age learn that reading is fun."
That's what led Amber Herb of Muhlenberg to participate in the workshop with her 2-year-old son Wyatt.
Herb said the speakers were informative, and she was happy to get a chance to meet other parents and learn about parenting while also spending time with her son.
"It was nice to have those kind of answers while your child is with you," she said.
Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or lsmith@readingeagle.com.
*http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=415102
