The Summer Reading Program is the library’s busiest time of year, at least in terms of volume. But when summer ends, a lot of the library’s most important work begins. As parents are preparing their kids for their return to the classroom and teachers are making plans for what’s to come in the new year, library staff are working to make sure that we have the resources available to support student success at home and in the classroom.
Leading up to the first day of school, our libraries are offering a range of programs to help parents prepare kids for learning – our branches have programs for preschoolers on counting, spelling and the alphabet, and our Countdown to Kindergarten series helps children develop early literacy skills, motor skills and social skills that can help set them up for success.
For parents of older children, our sewing instructors are offering classes on how to embroider and make handy DIY back-to-school gear, like drawstring backpacks and pouches for earbuds. We’ll also work on helping teens and tweens get in the right headspace for the school year with a session on developing leadership skills and tips for surviving the first day. Our website is full of resources to help kids of all ages with homework, research, projects and recommended reading. Check out ocls.info/backtoschool to find out more.
In addition, the library’s School Partnership Program provides every public school in the county with a library staff liaison, who shares news about library events and resources with teachers and media specialists. Through the School Partnership Program, teachers can request that the library schedule a storyteller to conduct a classroom storytime for students, find a curated list of resources that can assist with lesson planning and classroom inclusion, organize virtual library field trips and more.
Homeschoolers, we’ve got you covered, too! Our ongoing homeschool series has events on animals, art, languages, acting and more. Some of our branches host homeschool meetups, where homeschooling families can get together to socialize, share resources and support one another as they navigate the homeschooling journey.
Whether you’re a parent, an educator or a student, don’t sleep on all of these resources the library has to offer you. They’re educational and helpful, and they are also free for library cardholders. Don’t have a library card yet? It’s fast and easy to sign up online at ocls.info/getyourcard.
We hope to see you soon, but if you’re just too busy to stop in, we get it – life is busy! But you can still take advantage of what the library has to offer from wherever you are – check out our website and log into a virtual class, stream an audiobook or find out about the amazing online tools accessible from anywhere you can get a Wi-Fi connection.
