Member Spotlight: Fort Worth Public Library
This month, we are spotlighting the Fort Worth Public Library. Did you know that the Fort Worth Public Library provides early literacy programming, birth to age five, for both children and their caregivers? The library provides the following programs:
Story times (e.g., Baby Story Time, Toddler Story Time, Preschool Story Time, Family Story Time, Bilingual Story Time, Hora de Cuentos en Español)
Music and Movement (ages 3-5) introduces simple engineering in the Little Builders and Toddler Towers programs
Kinder Prep series provides caregivers resources and confidence in helping their child be ready to enter Kindergarten. This 8-week series is offered bilingually.
Trevor Naughton is a Youth Services Manager for the Fort Worth Public Library and he is currently serving on the ELA Leadership Team. Trevor shared about the library’s work and partnership with ELA.
How did the pandemic impact your early childhood programs? And what modifications were made to re-engage families in today's time?
The pandemic had a tremendous impact on how the library offered programs. We quickly pivoted to a virtual model and wanted to accommodate families regardless of what their new day-to-day routine looked like. We hosted live, virtual story times and then had pre-recorded story times available, on demand, through our social media channels and also launched our weekly Kinder Prep series (offered in both English and Spanish). Our story time and Kinder Prep series also offered take-and-make kits, available through our curbside service. We were also able to maintain community partnerships, as we partnered with the Fort Worth Nature Center to co-host their virtual version of their Discovery Club, which was designed for preschool children with nature-themed books and crafts.
When we returned to in-person programming, we knew it would take some time for the community to establish new usage habits and for us to gauge the community’s evolving needs. Days, times, and programs that were successful in the past, weren’t guaranteed to be successful moving forward. We slowly built out our entire programming catalog over the course of a few seasons and laid the foundation on having early literacy programs happening at every branch weekly.
How does ELA advance your organization’s mission?
The Fort Worth Public Library’s mission is to build a community of learners, dreamers, and doers and to set children up for a successful path of life-long learning which begins at birth.
Libraries are connectors. We connect the community to resources and information through our collection, programming, resources, and strong community partnerships. The ability to be involved with ELA allows us to hear, first-hand, the work other organizations are doing in Early Literacy and internally assess areas of increased focus or potential for collaborative opportunities within the Alliance.
Why do you think ELA is an asset to the community?
ELA’s ability to cultivate early literacy-focused relationships within a group of committed and passionate organizations is second-to-none. The Alliance understands and advocates for all the essential elements needed to build a strong foundation for future success. ELA’s advocacy for equitable access to success paths and making data-driven decisions allows the group to share their individual strategies, open pathways for collaboration, and identify service gaps across organizations.
Where can we learn more about your programs and events? Any special announcements?
All of our programming, for all ages, can be found on our Fun Finder and on the Parent Pass App. Our newest branch, Clifford Crossing, will be opening in early 2024.
Join ELA at our Holiday Social on December 14 to learn more about the Fort Worth Public Library as our member spotlight of the month. RSVP here to secure your spot!
