A busy summer in Children’s Services at the Appleton Public Library

The teeth have quit clacking. The tent is packed up and there are fewer giggles in the children’s services area. What happened? It’s the end of the 2003 Laugh it up @ the Library summer reading program. One Appleton elementary school will be the winner of the Reader’s Cup for having the highest percentage of students reading in the summer reading program. Students participating have kept up their reading skills and preschool children have longer attention spans from having parents and older children read to them.

Educators and daycare providers have provided the opportunity for children to participate in the children’s reading program: English language learner teachers have brought 55 students to the library to participate in the reading program; 337 children from family and center daycares have visited and been a part of the reading program.

A grant from the Library Foundation provided funding for presenters for the July programs with high attendance at each program. With the large crowds on Tuesdays, programs have had to be moved from children’s services to the larger lower level library meeting room. WROE morning announcer, Chuck Lakefield read stories with an average of 100 children attending each storytime during the six-week session. Over 1100 people attended the kickoff programs featuring Tom Pease.

Everyone enjoyed the books and programs, but children also enjoyed playing library games and collecting points for prizes at the library store. Area merchants donated many prizes so applause should go to the following: Hardees, Culvers, Old Country Buffet, Plexus Corporation, and the Appleton Library Foundation FOAL Endowment fund.