If you’ve spent much time at the Handley Library branch lately, you’ve likely seen this logo in a few places when you’re on the children’s floor. This is the logo for our new brand that we are launching this spring: Grow a Reader! This brand is something we have been working on for a long time, and we are so excited to bring it to life starting this month. This brand is part of our initiative to become a nationally accredited Family Place Library in 2025 and to continue bringing early literacy and school readiness education to our community.
The brand will have three big components that we are excited to share with our community:
- Grow a Reader Playgroup
This playgroup is happening twice in 2025- April and August! It’s a 5-week program designed to provide a play and learning space for littles and caregivers with local community professionals. You can read more about the program here! This parent-child workshop requirement of Family Place Libraries allows the Handley Library branch to become the trusted source for early childhood support in Winchester.
- Grab and Grow Kits
A little bit like our STEAM-to-Go kits, these will be kits you can checkout and bring home to play with! Each kit will include several books and a toy/game/puzzle, as well as an activity sheet on how to play with your child- all on a theme! These kits will be geared to children ages 0-5, but children ages 6-8 will likely enjoy them as well! Kits will follow library themes like 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and Every Child Ready to Read, as well as the early literacy themes of Talking, Singing, Reading, Writing, and Playing. These kits will be available for checkout as early as the end of March, with more kits coming in the summer!
- Grow a Reader Reading Program
This program will begin in the summer along with our Youth Summer Reading Program and will be a little bit like our Passport to Reading program. Reading will continue to be logged into Beanstack, and each reader will receive a “seed packet” depending on their age group with challenges and activities to complete as well. When you complete your activities, you bring your seed packet into the Youth Services Department at the Handley branch for both kid and caregiver prizes. We hope this program will allow children and families to Grow with us as readers!
Finally, the official launch of this brand will be happening during our Reading Carnival on March 29th, from 11am-1pm! Join us in the Youth Services department at Handley for a storytime, puppets and lots of spring-themed activities- plus you get to be the first to check out a Grab and Grow kit to take home! We can’t wait to see you there!
