Courtesy of the Topeka Rescue Mission
The Children’s Palace is a 18,000-square foot facility located just west of the Topeka Rescue Mission. The Palace will be available to families staying at the Rescue Mission as well as families who have moved out of the Mission but who continue to participate in the Mission’s “Parenting is a Gift” program.
After many months of planning and construction, the Palace is ready to open to families.
Joey works to set up the checkout station
Just off the main doors within the Palace, there is a cheerful room called “The Flourishing Center.” It is here that the library has installed a collection of several hundred brand new materials for both adults and young children.
Working closely with Jessica Hosman, Director of Children’s Services at the Rescue Mission, library staff created a book collection for adults focused primarily on life skills, faith and religion, health and wellness, parenting, job skills and personal development.
“Many of the adults served by the Rescue Mission struggle with low literacy. We put a lot of work into selecting materials that would be accessible and empowering to adults who struggle with reading,” says Scarlett Fisher-Herreman, technical services supervisor.
For the children, we have a large, diverse collection of board books, picture books, and beginning reader books. We have materials in Spanish for both adults and kids. We also have a large collection of toys, traditional games and wooden puzzles available for families to check out and enjoy together.
Reading and playing nook for young preschoolers
Family members enrolled at the Palace will receive special library cards specific to the collection at the Palace. In the Flourishing Center, they will be able to select their own materials and check out at a desktop computer station installed and managed by a library technician.
“We are actively partnering with the Children’s Palace in bringing library services and collections to the families they serve at the Palace,” says Fisher-Herreman.
