One of the highlights of the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library’s Play and Learn Time program has been to reach out to new community resource professionals and create stronger partnerships with existing resource professionals. Staff have dedicated time in our workshops to listen to the needs and interests of families. Community interest has expanded our resource professionals to include: a music therapist offering services for individuals of all abilities, child development experts, behavioral consultants, occupational therapists focusing on early milestones, early interventionists, parent educators, and staff from the Rancho Cucamonga Family Resource Center. An important focus in selecting resource professionals has been to select professionals who are warm and welcoming and eager to make their information accessible. Accessibility to information comes in many forms whether it is a pediatric dentist sharing tips about tooth brushing and oral hygiene with a puppet dragon, or a martial arts teacher speaking about toddlers’ self-regulation with an active demonstration.
It has been a joy for Library staff to watch parents for bonds with other families and become comfortable with tough topics as they discuss among themselves. This has led to continued conversations throughout our workshop sessions about the topics presented by resource specialists, with many parents and caregivers sharing their own experiences. It is rewarding to see the change in the children and caregivers’ comfort level from week to week as they become more familiar with the routine of the parent-child workshops, see their increased engagement, and see the relationships form. Both children and adults become accustomed to interacting with one another, the play stations and activities, resource specialists, and interactions with one another.
Some of our most memorable moments from the last year of workshops have included-
• Two mothers working together to coach their children together – a very rambunctious, energetic 2-year-old wanted to hug a younger, smaller child, who appeared a little uneasy. With both moms talking them through it, the children hugged, smiled ear to ear, and then hugged some more!
• Watching children play and learn together, as older siblings helping their younger siblings and other young children reach to place blocks on the top of tall towers.
• The development of new skills, like two children starting an impromptu soccer game and how far they were able to kick the ball.
• Brothers keeping the beat on bongos while we sang “If You’re Happy & You Know It!
• One of our shyest children opening up and feeling comfortable to interact the group. A visiting the resource specialist (a team from a local pediatric dentist) invited him to join the group. The little boy smiled, took the toothbrush and tried out brushing a toothy dragon’s teeth, and even sang along with their tooth-brushing song!
Parent child workshops have helped to provide the community continued opportunities to build relationships with other, opportunities for play and access to valuable information available in their community.