Wicklow County Council Library service is again linking with almost 150 pre-schools, playschools, Naonraí and registered childminders across the county with the distribution of a second round of First5 Little Library Bags.
The Little Library Initiative aims to develop an ongoing link between early learning and care service and their local library to encourage a love of books and reading among young children.
The First 5 Little Library Initiative will:
- Distribute a selection of books and resources to all early learning and care services, from your local library
- Ensure that the same collection of books is also held in libraries which can be loaned out to young children and their families
- Encourage membership and use of libraries among early learning and care services and among young children and their families
- Encourage ongoing collaboration between the early learning and care services and libraries and support families in establishing or developing the practice of reading
This significant initiative was launched in June this year with the first rollout of library bags to all services. These bags of books were collected from their local library by Pre-school professionals and laid the foundation for a meaningful link between early learning and child minding services in County Wicklow and all 13 libraries around the county.
Wicklow County Council Library Service is encouraging all ELCs to get a group library card which will allow up to 30 items to be borrowed at a time. Library staff are keen to see children with their own library cards.
Director of Services with Wicklow County Council, Michael Nicholson, said: “Children aged from new-born can get their My First Library Card which has been created by children’s author and illustrator, Chris Judge when they become library members for the first time. All libraries have a phenomenal collection of children’s picture books and each child may borrow 12 books at a time, ensuring a plentiful supply of reading material in these important early years”.
This second tranche of First5 library bags will each contain five story books and other reading resources for children. All items have been selected by the national library service. Naonraí will receive five Irish titles and each general ELC will receive four English titles and one Irish title. After school services will receive picture books more suited to the older child.
Please contact your local library or call 01 2866566 for further information.
