Elementary School Library Usage after school?

[horseshowmom]

Ok, this might seem like the opposite of what you are going for, but could you have a movie night? I am kind of going off of what Magic Mom suggested...a once a week "party"? You could have a theme or book series with a related film (Magic School Bus has cartoons, for example) to organize the night around. This would help get them in the library, which would be the first step. Good luck!

I like this idea! I can implement without too much money involved. In fact, I have movies at home, and I could also check them out from the public library. (I don't think either of us -public or school- view it as competing at all. In fact, I would love to have the kids start using the public library and encourage them to do so regularly.)

I even thought last night that if I could get some of the costumes that I could pretty easily let the kids have their picture taken with the character (already have the camera and photo printer, would just need supplies).

Does the library have a computer lab? You could offer seminars covering basic computer skills, resume help, budgeting - for example coupon sites on the internet, etc. That might get adults in the door.

The school has a computer lab, and we have discussed the possibility of doing just what you suggested. You have a good point about putting them together.

What about doing a story-time for the preschoolers?

My only concern - as I am a working parent - a closing time of 5:30 isn't that much different than the local library that is open until 5:00.

Is there any possibility of opening back up from 5-7 or 6-8? I'm tired and hungry when I get home from work (as is my family). If you were only open until 5:30, we would have to pass.

However you institute this program...GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks!

The story time was one of the things I had thought about. When I started here (in the library), I did that with all of the kids, and they loved it. They hadn't had a regular librarian in quite awhile. Now, I'm only here half days (due to budget cuts, I teach classes at the middle school in the afternoons), and we don't have time for that now. There is a possibility that I may be able to go back to full time librarian next year, but we don't know that for sure yet.

I am actually open to the time thing. My thought had been to send out a survey to the parents asking about their interest in a program such as this and asking for time preferences.

You could do a story and then let the kids and parents work together on a craft that goes with the story. Let the story be one of a series and have the other books displayed to encourage parents to check the books out.

I had thought about crafts, but no money for that. I had however started checking into possible grants that could provide some much needed funds, and it's possible that they could be used in this way. Thanks for reminding me!

One thing they did at my dd's former elementary school in TX was to have the kids perform something at a PTA meeting in order to get parents in for every PTA meeting.

Excellent idea! This would help with the PTA attendance (which definitely needs help) and could then spill over to the library. This way parents could kill two birds with one stone (so to speak).

A small suggestion based on something our public library has in the children's section:

We have the 'red bag' program. The local public library bought a bunch of red zippered tote bags (with the library's logo on the front). Inside each bag, they made placed a bunch of books (usually about 9-10) with a similar theme (snow, the beach, apples, dinosaurs, families, numbers, etc) and ONE activity thing of some sort that related to the theme (some of them are puzzles, some are flash cards, some have a puppet, some have stamps and an ink pad, etc.) The bags also have a folder with a list of other books related to the subject, a few websites that might be appropriate for kids to learn more about the topic or that have related online games, and a list of a few other activities to try at home. Perhaps you could make some of these bags up and have the children take turns taking a bag home on the weekend or something like that?

Excellent idea! I've never heard of this, and I can see the possibilities. If the parents come in, it's easy for them to select what they want. If they don't come in, students can deliver them home. I have no doubt that grant funds would cover this and possibly Title I funds.

We currently have a parent center, but it hasn't been used. Most of the stuff is still wrapped in celophane so I know I'm fighting an uphill battle.

Do chicka chicka boom boom and have each family that comes decorate a letter to display on the coconut tree in the libary. You could do somthing like if we get all the letters we can do X during libiary time at school.

That's a creative idea as well!

What I would do is to enlist high school aged kids as volunteers to run homework help programs for the kids of all ages, K-12, have FREE after school care for any kids (or a sliding scale fee but make it CHEAP) but make the parents come INTO the library to "sign out" their child. It will take time but as the kids grow to like the library, many of their parents will eventually want to see what it is all about.

It gives the kids a place to go after school, gives the high school kids great experience and something to put on college applications, gives parents free after school care and it exposes the kids to books, more learning, gets them to get their homework done with assistance that their parents probably can't offer.

Get a grant writer on board and gets some grants to fund things like snacks after school, possibly pay a few adults to oversee the programs, materials for the programs, etc. Since it is at a school I am going to guess that there is playground equipment so the kids can do their work from say 3-4 and play from 5-6, for example.

Then, a few times a month have family programs-I like the movie idea-but even just games, etc. Offer free food and people will come.

I'll have to start small because I'm willing to donate my time, not everybody else is - nor is able to for that matter (my child is grown, and I don't have the constraints that most of the teachers do which I completely understand).

It wouldn't be hard to enlist a few high schoolers as long as I can figure out transportation home. That could be a problem. I like the idea of providing them with volunteer work for college apps. I made sure my daughter had many opportunities, but it's probably not on most of these kids radar.

I was fairly successful at grant writing when I was in the Central Office. I'm hoping that I can come up with some funds (fingers crossed here).

Thanks everybody! You've given me some good places to start.

 

[luvsJack]

I like this idea! I can implement without too much money involved. In fact, I have movies at home, and I could also check them out from the public library. (I don't think either of us -public or school- view it as competing at all. In fact, I would love to have the kids start using the public library and encourage them to do so regularly.)

I even thought last night that if I could get some of the costumes that I could pretty easily let the kids have their picture taken with the character (already have the camera and photo printer, would just need supplies).




The school has a computer lab, and we have discussed the possibility of doing just what you suggested. You have a good point about putting them together.




Thanks!

The story time was one of the things I had thought about. When I started here (in the library), I did that with all of the kids, and they loved it. They hadn't had a regular librarian in quite awhile. Now, I'm only here half days (due to budget cuts, I teach classes at the middle school in the afternoons), and we don't have time for that now. There is a possibility that I may be able to go back to full time librarian next year, but we don't know that for sure yet.

I am actually open to the time thing. My thought had been to send out a survey to the parents asking about their interest in a program such as this and asking for time preferences.



I had thought about crafts, but no money for that. I had however started checking into possible grants that could provide some much needed funds, and it's possible that they could be used in this way. Thanks for reminding me!




Excellent idea! This would help with the PTA attendance (which definitely needs help) and could then spill over to the library. This way parents could kill two birds with one stone (so to speak).




Excellent idea! I've never heard of this, and I can see the possibilities. If the parents come in, it's easy for them to select what they want. If they don't come in, students can deliver them home. I have no doubt that grant funds would cover this and possibly Title I funds.

We currently have a parent center, but it hasn't been used. Most of the stuff is still wrapped in celophane so I know I'm fighting an uphill battle.




That's a creative idea as well!




I'll have to start small because I'm willing to donate my time, not everybody else is - nor is able to for that matter (my child is grown, and I don't have the constraints that most of the teachers do which I completely understand).

It wouldn't be hard to enlist a few high schoolers as long as I can figure out transportation home. That could be a problem. I like the idea of providing them with volunteer work for college apps. I made sure my daughter had many opportunities, but it's probably not on most of these kids radar.

I was fairly successful at grant writing when I was in the Central Office. I'm hoping that I can come up with some funds (fingers crossed here).

Thanks everybody! You've given me some good places to start.

Be very careful though with calling it "afterschool care", you don't want to find yourself dealing with child care regulations. There are usually exceptions to the child care regs (# of children in care, # of hours children are present, etc), just find those out and stay within those.

 

[horseshowmom]

Be very careful though with calling it "afterschool care", you don't want to find yourself dealing with child care regulations. There are usually exceptions to the child care regs (# of children in care, # of hours children are present, etc), just find those out and stay within those.

Yeah, there's no way I can provide afterschool care. I won't have the manpower for it. I may be able to pull in a few high schoolers to do some tutoring, but the number would have to be small. My focus will have to be on getting parents in primarily.

 

[golfgal]

Another idea, how about "dinner at the library" or "meals with books' or something. Maybe start with one or two nights/week where you serve dinner from 5-7, free will offering and maybe get some local restaurants to donate meals (easy stuff, soup, spaghetti, etc.) and offer some "programs" during the meal. Get the high school kids to help with homework, offer resume services/interview services for parents, have financial aid officers from local colleges come in and talk to these families about how realistic college IS for them and if they are in the income class you say, will be pretty much free for them. If there is free childcare, again, have the middle and high school aged kids help with this, parents can come. Offering free food will get people there.

 

[horseshowmom]

Another idea, how about "dinner at the library" or "meals with books' or something. Maybe start with one or two nights/week where you serve dinner from 5-7, free will offering and maybe get some local restaurants to donate meals (easy stuff, soup, spaghetti, etc.) and offer some "programs" during the meal. Get the high school kids to help with homework, offer resume services/interview services for parents, have financial aid officers from local colleges come in and talk to these families about how realistic college IS for them and if they are in the income class you say, will be pretty much free for them. If there is free childcare, again, have the middle and high school aged kids help with this, parents can come. Offering free food will get people there.

That's a great idea, we just don't have the resources. We don't even have a restaurant in town. Like I said, this is going to pretty much just be me. Great idea though!

 

[HM]

What about getting the local library to change it's hours a couple days a week to include the evening? Closing at 5pm every day? Most families would have no way of using the library even if they wanted to. I'd start there instead of with the elementary school.

So if current hours are 9-5, two days a week they open at 12 and close at 8. They could do some of the activities that others have mentioned and because it's the public library and not just the children's library, parents and older siblings can take advantage of checking out books and DVDs for themselves too.

 

[NotUrsula]

I like this idea! I can implement without too much money involved. In fact, I have movies at home, and I could also check them out from the public library. (I don't think either of us -public or school- view it as competing at all. In fact, I would love to have the kids start using the public library and encourage them to do so regularly.)

I even thought last night that if I could get some of the costumes that I could pretty easily let the kids have their picture taken with the character (already have the camera and photo printer, would just need supplies).

This does have an additional cost; and depending on the film you choose, it could be substantial. If you show entertainment films in the library to members of the public, that normally requires paying for public performance rights, even if you are not charging admission.

The school has a computer lab, and we have discussed the possibility of doing just what you suggested. You have a good point about putting them together.​

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This was where my security concern came in. I have a friend who is a school librarian who had it happen that members of the public who were admitted to the building after hours in order to use the library ended up jimmying the door to the computer lab and making off with several laptops. The lab was in a different hallway and it there was no security in that part of the building.

Unless you have hall gates to keep the visitors away from the office and the computer lab (or at very least have heavy deadbolts on those rooms), you are opening the building to theft, and your district's insurance policy may have issues with that.​

I don't want to seem like I'm slamming the idea; I'm not. It's worthwhile if you can manage to do it, but as with any program being held in a public facility, there are things you need to think about. (I manage a special library now, but I was formerly a public branch manager.)

ALA has a nice blog website that discusses programming; you might want to futz around on it a bit: http://programminglibrarian.org/home.html

There is a report on using school libraries as public satellites that was published by the State of Wisconsin a few years ago, that might be helpful: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/pld/comblibs.html

 

[golfgal]

That's a great idea, we just don't have the resources. We don't even have a restaurant in town. Like I said, this is going to pretty much just be me. Great idea though!

How about a grocery store in town or where people in your town shop? They might be willing to help out in some way. Could the school cafeteria help out with something like this?