The family place to be

The Henry Waldinger Memorial Library has officially upgraded. After hosting five weeks worth of early child development and parental education seminars last year, the village’s library has earned the designation of a Family Place Library. The library now joins a nationwide network of 260 libraries that offer programs and services for the literacy development of new born children and toddlers.

According to its Web site, Family Place Libraries — an organization based out of the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach — focuses on helping libraries around the country become community hubs for healthy child and family development, parent and community involvement and lifelong learning beginning at birth.

Library Director Mamie Eng said they applied for the designation in September 2008 and hosted five training sessions for parents, children and librarians the following month. Some of the sessions, Eng said, included having parent-child workshops, inviting a speech and language pathologist, a child development social worker, a nutritionist and a health and development resource expert to come in and speak to parents and children. The library also increased its collection of books, toys, music and multimedia materials for babies, toddlers and parents, she said.

“What we are trying to do is combine early literacy with child development training at the library,” Eng said. “The philosophy behind it is encouraging literacy from birth and up. It’s a commitment we are trying to keep.”

Kathy Deere, national coordinator for Family Place Libraries, said the organization helps libraries learn about serving children and families through the collaborations with agencies, underscoring the need for infant brain development, and aiding in the creation of appropriate library spaces for parents with small children.

“It designs the library environment as a welcoming place for kids at birth,” Deere said of her organization’s efforts. “It connects parents with resources and the services of the library. The experience and interactions that a child has with its parents is really vital for the brain to develop.”