Title: Baby Playdate

Day of the week/Time: Tuesday, 11-11:45, 1 time a month

Ages: 0-2

Goals: Provide a space for a community partner to talk about the benefits of play. Allow babies a chance to explore new toys. Help caregivers learn how to play with their children.

Reasoning for Program: Caregivers may not think of play as helping babies develop early literacy skills. By having a specialist talk about the benefits of play and model how to play it will help them play with their children at home. This program also has the benefit of partnering with a community organization that caregivers may not know about.

Activities: A variety of toys for babies will be set up in the storytime room. A volunteer from the County Early Childhood Services program will talk for 5-10 minutes about the benefit of play for babies and how different toys can encourage development. Babies and families will then explore the toys together. As the families are playing the Childhood Services Specialist will visit with families and talk with them about their babies,

Supplies: Toys from the library storytime collection, toys from the County Early Childhood Services program.

Staff: 1 youth librarian or library assistant, 1 volunteer from County Early Childhood Services

Community Partners: County Early Childhood Services

Budget: $300, yearly budget for toys for babies to use during storytime, built into the annual budget.

Photo Credit: Science Photo Library. Baby playing. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
https://quest.eb.com/search/132_1578350/1/132_1578350/cite

Davies, V. & Kindersley, D. Two toddlers sitting on the floor playing with wooden toys. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
https://quest.eb.com/search/118_821883/1/118_821883/cite