October is National Disability Awareness Month. All month, families and kids with special needs can find fun at the library, with programs featuring stories, songs, and movement, plus tools and supports to help all children be successful. The fun includes yoga, spooky stories, and exploration of our just-launched sensory garden at Maze Branch. Accessible and … Read more
This spring, parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 5 participated in a special workshop at the library, learning how to enrich their children’s lives with language and play. Pediatric speech-language pathologist Clare Kilbride from Kids Unlimited Therapy Services in Oak Park joined us to discuss communication milestones, red flags for communication, and … Read more
Know someone without a card? September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Help us spread the word about all the great things libraries have to offer! Learn more about getting and using your card » #1: You get to say yes more No late fines and automatic renewals? Go ahead, get all the books, music, and movies … Read more
Last year, the founder of local Facebook group Raising Race Conscious Kids in and around Oak Park reached out to us. Although she had been raised to be “color-blind,” Andrea Kovach wrote, she is raising her 3- and 6-year-olds differently because “research has shown that instead of dismantling structural racism, that way of parenting just … Read more
“One way we welcome all families into the library is providing supports for kids with disabilities,” said Early Literacy Librarian Shelley Harris. Pens that scan and read text aloud With one of the scanner pens available for checkout (pictured above), you can scan text in a book and hear the words read aloud. You also … Read more
Earlier this year, Library Assistant Hal Patnott (pictured above) saw an opportunity to spark conversations about gender identity with families in the Main Library Children’s Services department. As a transgender man who’s often mislabeled as “she,” Patnott said, “it gets exhausting after a while.” So he put up a sign at the service desk: “Ask … Read more
“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read … they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” —Rudine Sims Bishop, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (1990) Bridging diversity gaps This spring, a new Children’s Services task force with diverse staff … Read more
The following letter to the editor, by staff from the Oak Park Public Library, the Collaboration for Early Childhood, New Moms, and the Park District of Oak Park, was published in the June 12 edition of the Wednesday Journal and has been lightly edited for our website. Although rewarding once you arrive, it’s not always easy to get to … Read more
This summer, families with young children who sign up for our summer reading program also have the opportunity to sign up for our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. It asks families to read—you guessed it—1,000 books together before their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers become kindergarteners. After finishing 1,000 books, each child gets to pick out a … Read more
Share books, songs, and play in our parks Weather permitting, come check out books in Oak Park parks, engaging with neighbors, and signing up for our kids’ summer reading program, Reading Takes You Everywhere. Then, see where else the Book Bike will be this summer » “This idea stemmed from what we heard while talking with young families and … Read more
