Childrens Services Minutes - February 16, 2022

Family Expectations – Free parenting workshop for new and expecting parents. Cultivating a safe environment for new baby. For first-time parents and young parents. Pregnant or infant under 3 months. Both parents must be in a committed relationship with each other. Parenting skills, communication skills, financial skills. Date nights for parents occasionally with catered meals and childcare for children under 3 years old. Provides transportation support. Evening and weekend classes. Provides childcare support for children older than 3 years old. Does not require a referral. Crib cash incentives for parents who attend classes to purchase baby items (bottles, car seats, etc.). Coaching support for couples. VISA giftcard that is loaded with $50 for each class attended. 

True Dads – Familihood program. Program for fathers + coparents. 18+ and have a co-parent (can be friend, family member, girlfriend, etc). Create a support system for dads. Same supports as Family Expectations (reloadable gift card, transportation support). Classes are 2 weeks long. Help with employment and can co-enroll in WorkReady Oklahoma. Must have at least one child that is 12 or younger. 

Wellspring – Foster and adoptive parents.  Parents caring for children with special needs. Parents raising grandchildren. Blended families. Free weekend retreats for personal growth and community support. 

Safe Families Oklahoma – People who want to take action to better their lives and have families who need help with temporary support with their children. Meets immediate childcare need and helps build support system. To help take advantage of job training opportunities, find better housing, tackle temporary challenges, heal through rehabilitation. 

WorkReady Oklahoma – Employment workshops. Build skills, resources, and build confidence. Must be SNAP recipients. Helps get into a career mindset and stabilizing employment. Have tools to get the job they want. Help build resumes, interviewing skills. If they come through TrueDads or Family Expectations they can co-enroll. 

Two locations: Bricktown Location and NE 23rd 

Emailed EMs last week about moving back to in-person Children Reading to Dogs. 

Use volunteer software to schedule volunteer dog teams 

All dog teams will need updated background checks, and most need recertification. 

Will have dog teams visit the library prior to the program and get used to being in the library again and see children and staff. 

Question: How will we handle social distancing? 

– SO used to have program on public floor. Will use the meeting room and create different pods in the room to read. Check-in at the door and limit people in the room. Children waiting to read to a dog will be outside of the meeting room. All volunteers will be masked. Can use foam mats to demarcate where children should sit. Put out hand sanitizer and meeting room has sink. Have children clean hands prior to petting dogs. 

– BE has been doing Rocket Readers in-person. Spacing out in a meeting room and limiting the amount of time. 

Suggestions:

– Could we make N95 masks available to volunteers? 

– Can we space the children farther away from the dog while reading and then have a short period of time petting the dog at the end?

– Limit small group interactions for less than 15 minutes. 

– Check to see if volunteers are comfortable with in-person if we can’t require masks. 

– If people are still participating virtually, we should continue to offer it virtually until it is safe to move back to in-person. 

– Could do what a lot of teachers have done and hand out masks to kids as they enter the room. 

Discussion of requiring registration for all locations so it is consistent. 

Heidi will put together parameters for doing in-person programs. Will survey volunteers about their comfort level. 

We still have Winter Reading Mugs, order early in the week. 

Summer Reading – Books are being ordered, leftover books will be sent out in April. Prize giveaway will be June1-Aug 15. Goal prize will be 2 children’s books, 1 adult book, or 1 pair of sunglasses. 

Outreach – Check outreach kits. Contact Zach in CD for bookmarks about databases. Will be ordering generic bookmarks with hours of operation. We still have giveaway books. Some schools are allowing school visits.  

Calendar – Put outreach events in Library Market so we can track our outreach efforts.  

40% more participation at this point in time  

Participation has increased 249% since the first year of the program at this point in time.  

15% more completions than where we were last year  

Fewer reviews have been added.  

Fewer books have been logged. 

Community Goal is 12 million points! Read it Forward recipient is Smart Start Oklahoma, will receive at least 1500 books if we reach our goal. 

No school mailer this year – OKCPS and Mid-Del are not allowing physical materials to be distributed in class anymore, will have digital info uploaded to school portals 

Looking at ordering yard signs as an alternate promotional tool 

Planning on in-person teen volunteers and starting recruitment 

Teacher training on Niche Academy instead of SLMS breakfast 

You can order supplies through the supply catalog. 

We are about to reorder some items, so don’t worry is the supply looks low. 

Let Kristin know if you want a training for your location. 

We will not do in-person 123! Play with Me this spring. 

Discussion about take home kits 

Kristin will send out request for take-home kit ideas and will make supply list and instruction insert page available for locations to purchase materials and put together themselves. 

Breana (DC) – Family Art Night. Josh is doing book boxes (25-30 a month). Spring will be doing play and learn at home take-home kits. 

Sally (VI) – Take-home kits, coding club, chess club. Will be starting Children Reading to Dogs. Outdoor storytime starting in March. 

Bridget (RE) – Black History Month. Nicholas created a listening station. Doing an event at Homeland this weekend.  

Carol (MC) - Scavenger hunts. Thinking of ideas of Summer Scavenger hunt. Lego club in the lobby. 

Tara (MC) - Twig engineering challenge in March. NY Eve dance partnership with the city. Wanting to start outdoor storytime. 

Mary & Shana (CL) - Read Across the Community Libraries – Pete the Cat. Books and toys for prizes. Outdoor storytime starting in March. Lego club and game fest. 

Sam (AL) - Chinese New Year program was supposed to happen during snow storm so it was turned into a kit. 

Amy (AL) - Focus on Zoom programming alternating storytime and Mother Goose on the Loose. Having better attendance than in-person programs, but most attendees are not from the service area. Started craft program offered every two weeks. Leftover supplies are turned into a take-home kit. 

Haley (DN) - Starting Maker program for elementary kids. Spring break program all STEAM related in-person and take-home kits. Putting together escape room for summer reading. Lots of passive programs. 

Brittney (ED) - Started in-person programming in February. Bought a new bubble machine. Mitch Park story and hike program. Looking for a Zumba instructor for kids. Itty Bitty Dance Party in April. 

Andrew (ED) - Lego club in starting up again. Scavenger hunts on the kids side of the library. Terrarium kit idea for April. Shrinky Dinks. 

Anne (ED) - Goldfish and Swedish fish in a bowl. Guess how many. 

Cheryll (SO) - Fan art contest. Help promote and it is on the slider. Work will be displayed at the library. Lots of take-home kits: stress ball, mini disco ball. Lots of passive programming: scavenger hunt. Movie club that is virtual. Random acts of kindness bingo. Phil created beautiful display for Black History Month. Will begin outdoor programs in mid-March. 

Laura (BE) - Lego program last weekend. Humane Society program to take toys to shelter animals. Tammy has been doing storytimes once a month. Rocket Readers being offered in-person and virtually. 

Tammy (BE) - Storytimes and craft. Working on protocol for Makerspace. Mother’s Day cricket workshop to make felt rose. 

Tess (NW) - April for outdoor programs. Got new toys. Take-home kits are popular. I-spy tank 

Robin (NW) - Live programs in January and pivoted back to virtual. Lots of take-home kits. Large community puzzle. Lucille Mulhall (statue by bookdrop) live program. Cowboy trunk and scavenger hunt. Western background photo op. Program with OKC history center 

Daniel (WA) - Emily has been doing LEGO club and I Survived programs as come-and-go. Chelsee started as new children’s librarian at WA. Created early childhood kits. Creating Juneteenth kits for all locations.