The library is more than just books, and our Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about.
This month, we’re highlighting MPL’s partnership with Reach Out and Read, a literacy nonprofit that incorporates books into pediatric care to encourage families to read aloud together.
A Big Family Playdate
Together, MPL and Reach Out and Read are hosting a Big Family Playdate on Sept. 19. Families with children 5 years old and under are invited for a morning of fun, games and learning at Central Library. They’ll have arts and crafts, sensory play, a toddler obstacle course and a variety of activities that parents can re-create at home.
“With this Big Family Playdate, we want all our families to come together and find unity in saying, ‘It doesn't take much to play. You don't have to buy toys. Sometimes you have all the things already in your home to make learning fun and to spark curiosity,’” says DeDe Williams – Reach Out and Read Wisconsin executive director.
A 'prescription' for reading
The event comes as part of the “Prescription for Literacy” initiative, sponsored by Johnson Controls. As part of the program, health clinics give families with 0- to 5-year-old children a “prescription” to visit MPL’s Villard Square or Good Hope branches. Kids receive a book, a library card and a tour of the library.
“Our goal with this prescription is, by the time every child in Milwaukee is five, they have a library card. And they visited at least one library,” Williams says.
Participating clinics include Milwaukee Health Services’ Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, Ascension All Saints-Family Health Center, Children’s Wisconsin’s Good Hope Pediatrics, and Aurora Health Care’s Good Hope Clinic.
“We've kind of journeyed together in parallel, aware of each other's work, learning from each other, and just looking for the right opportunity – and we were able to connect around this idea,” says Kelly Wochinske, MPL’s public services area manager for education and outreach services.
Promoting literacy and encouraging families to read together
At a moment when only 27% of MPS fourth graders can read at a basic level, the program is an intervention into Milwaukee’s literacy crisis. And with 80% of a child’s brain development occurring between birth and 5 years, Reach Out’s “prescription” for reading is also an intervention at a critical time in a child’s life. Williams says the best time to start reading with your children is at birth.
“We are all about helping parents to understand, from birth: those 10 to 15 minutes that you can squeeze in daily with shared reading, taking time to cuddle with your loved one, your child, you're establishing a safe, nurturing relationship that helps brain development,” she says.
You can listen to Audrey Nowakowski’s full conversation with MPL’s Kelly Woschinske and DeDe Williams from Reach Out and Read above.
