The revamped summer reading programs are seen as a huge success at the Jake Epp Library in Steinbach.
“We’ve got so much going on,” says Steph McLean, Child and Teen Program Coordinator. “We are so excited! Programming is back and it's in full swing.”
There are weekly programs for kids that are in grade school, from children entering kindergarten all the way up through high school.
“That programming is mostly 45-minute classes and clubs that are geared towards creativity, imagination, and literacy,” McLean says. “So, we've got board game club, we've got Lego building, creative building club, we've got craft clubs, and art clubs and drawing, and pretty much anything you can imagine that's going to spark imagination and that we can tie into literacy. We’ve got clubs all week, all summer long for kiddos.”
McLean is blown away at the strong response to all the classes so far this summer.
“It is way more successful I think than even I could have imagined,” she admits. “You know, we had no idea, there's no precedent. It's a brand-new program, we kind of revamped the whole summer program. And coming off of two years of offering nothing, we had no expectation.”
So far this summer, weekly classes are at or near capacity. McLean notes there are many eager readers enjoying the literacy programs they are offering during the summer months.
“We get full classes and they have just been a blast,” she adds. “I think people are raring to get their kids into things and getting them social, and the literacy aspect is kind of a bonus on top. It's a fun way of promoting reading without making them feel like they're, you know, stuck in the classroom. It's kind of a win-win for everybody. And for us, it's amazing because the library has just been full already. We're only on week two and it's just been full, so it's been great.”