Mother and child reading togetherGet a Library Card
Your child’s first library card comes with the gift of an adorable Read With Me t-shirt.
Playing guitar for an event Get Ready to Read
With talking, singing, reading, writing and playing, you can prepare your child to read.
Kid Events, kids working hands on and having funKid Events
Check out Baby Bookworms classes, then graduate to Toddler Time 1 and 2. Storytimes happen almost every day at the library.
The library’s first Community Impact Goal is “Every child ready for kindergarten.” When children enter school ready to learn, their chances for academic and life success have already taken root.

Get ready to Read

You are your child’s first teacher. Your home is where your child begins to learn. Help your child get ready to read by providing enriching activities. Here are five ways to get your child ready to read:

sing-buttonChildren learn about language through rhythm, rhyme and using words to tell stories through song. Sing silly playtime songs and calming bedtime songs with your little one.
talk-buttonHaving conversations with your child builds vocabulary and helps them understand the world.
write-buttonPut a crayon in that little fist, and watch as shaky fine motor skills grow into practicing drawing letters. Drawing and the beginnings of writing teach the brain to communicate language through symbols.
read-buttonAccess our huge collection of board books and picture books to read often to your child. It’s a no-brainer! Reading to your infant, toddler or preschooler is the number one most important activity in growing a reader.
play-buttonPlay helps children think symbolically and helps children express themselves and their thoughts through words.
Additional Reading Tips
Reading Tips
The library provides you resources to encourage your child to embrace reading from early childhood to adulthood. Here are some good tricks of the trade for building a love for reading and sustaining it through all stages of development.

Community Resources

  • Oh Baby – Healthy mom, healthy baby resources.
  • Parents as Teachers
  • Zero to Three – Provides information and tools to support parents. Download the app on your device.
  • BabyWebMD – From baby bottles and bedding to development and sleep, WebMD’s Baby Center helps parents know what newborns need during the first year.
  • Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas – A local resource in the areas child care, child development, and school readiness (plus much, much more).