Early Literacy and Children's Services

From the website, "The problem was twofold: 1) Our existing space already saw a lot of use. With a large carpet and small interactive panels on the walls, parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers loved using the room as it was. I didn’t want to invade their space by introducing giant play sets. And 2) I was wary of those play sets. Many of them are not designed to take the daily abuse that is inevitable in a busy public space. I didn’t want to quickly wind up with a collection of junky looking objects and furniture. Thus was born the idea of Play Boxes!"

From the website, "Despite the challenges, our program saw lasting results:
-Both regular and new users love the space. Parents rave about it to us, and share their enthusiasm and their pictures on both their own and our Facebook pages
-Families come to play then stay longer.
-Parents interact more with their children."

From the abstract, "The article looks at ways in which children's librarians can design early literacy education activities with limited space and budgets. Particular focus is given to the Preschool Literacy and You (PLAY) room at the Noble Neighborhood Library, part of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Libraries in Ohio as an example. The author discusses software, the design, and games that were used for the literacy education room. Activities of staff members and volunteers are also covered, including creating word labels, teaching reading techniques, and implementing activity guide sheets in play areas."