Kentwood — For Amber and Kyle Brandt, a trip to the library for Family Literacy Night meant loading up their daughter, Bowen Elementary third-grader Winslow, with books and reading resources, while connecting with the community.
“I want her to be a confident reader, to understand what she is reading and to be able to apply it,” said Amber Brandt. “In terms of the library, we grew up in a much smaller community, and so to live here and to have so many free resources and really quality experiences has helped us become more engaged in Kentwood, more connected and given us more opportunities to do things that are no cost and really high value.”
Bowen families explored the Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch of Kent District Library during a night just for them, learning about programs, signing up for library cards, playing reading games, participating in STEM activities and leaving with gift bags full of new books. The night ended with dinner and dancing at a silent disco, where families danced to music with headphones on.
The goal was to promote reading literacy by bringing families to KDL, said Principal Mary Campione. Many families at Bowen are not native English speakers, and were visiting the library for the first time.
“We have it at the library so we can get parents involved, so they can get library cards and see the resources they have here that are free. Even students coming to see there’s more than just books here: the computer, the free Wi-Fi, things they are going to need in the future,” she said. “It’s also a nice opportunity for us to dive into reading experiences outside of Bowen, so students have a bigger picture of how important reading is. You don’t just read at school; you can read everywhere.”
Clare O’Tsuji., KDL branch outreach and programming specialist, said partnering with KPS for Literacy Night provides a venue and resources for a big event, complete with stations, a chance to sign up for the K-5 Legendary Readers and other programming.
“We are the outside school time education support,” she said.
The Brandt family had fun coloring, playing LEGOs and checking out the whole library.
“It’s great to see, through the partnership between the district and our individual school, that we have such a great turnout,” said Kyle Brandt. “There are so many fun activities, and it encourages the kids to be interested in reading but also use the library as a resource and a fun place.”
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