(Dover, DE ) Delaware First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Delaware Libraries, and United Way of Delaware join the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) in launching National Summer Learning Week, a celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe and healthy every summer; ensuring young people return to school ready to succeed.

Delawareans can embrace summer learning fun with a high-energy show for children and their families featuring Antonio Rocha, Storyteller, co-sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts on Wednesday, July 8 at 10 a.m. Also, on Thursday, July 9 at 6 p.m., families will have a chance to celebrate their love of reading with DJ Mike during Get Delaware Reading’s Family Breaks. Plus, many more programs will be offered online by Delaware libraries throughout the week and all summer long!  View the Calendar

“This summer, more than ever, it’s important to keep children engaged in learning in ways that are creative and fun,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Our libraries and their partners—including families, the most important partners of all—are finding innovative ways to appeal to kids’ curiosity and energy this summer. A library card can help—a lot.”

At the onset of the pandemic, libraries launched online library card registration for eBook check out, and now Curbside Check Out is available for print books.

“For more than 40 years—for generations of Delawareans—Delaware libraries have been cultivating reading and learning passions, in multiple ways and in multiple formats,” said State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman. “Whatever your interest, whatever your talent, the library supports it.”

“Summer learning is even more critical today than it was yesterday. Students are faced with a growing achievement gap due to COVID and the summer slide. Now is a great time for students and their families to continue to engage in activities that nurture a love of learning, especially reading,” said Schlonn Hawkins, director of Get Delaware Reading, presented by United Way of Delaware. “United Way is excited to be a part of programs that will help build the love of learning within our students as they prepare for the upcoming school year.”

For a full list of programs or to register for the Summer Library Reading Program visit delawarelibraries.org/summerreading. Delaware libraries encourage Delawareans of all ages to track their reading and learning during the summer and throughout life.  A variety of tips, tools, and techniques for tracking individual interests are available on the Unleash Inner Genius guide.

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Summer arts programs are supported by the Delaware Division of Libraries and, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division of Arts promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com. The Delaware Division of Libraries, a state agency dedicated to unleashing the potential in all Delawareans in partnership with Delaware Libraries and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, offers free access to the online catalog (delawarelibraries.org); Wi-Fi; computers/internet; eBooks; programs/workshops; community partnerships; and more.

Founded in 1946, United Way of Delaware (UWDE) works to advance the common good by focusing on three key areas: Early Education, College and Career Readiness and Financial Stability. UWDE is engaged in a long-term strategy to eliminate the root causes of Delaware’s most pressing social problems in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. UWDE works collectively with businesses, government, social service agencies, academic groups, community organizations and concerned individuals to establish positive, long-lasting solutions for today and into the future. For more information or to support UWDE, visit www.uwde.org, follow us on Twitter @UnitedWayDE, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayofDelaware, or call  (302) 573-3717.

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is the only national nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement gap by increasing access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. NSLA recognizes and disseminates what works in summer learning, develops and delivers capacity-building offerings and convenes and empowers key actors to embrace summer learning as a solution for equity and excellence in education. For more information, visit www.summerlearning.org.

DOVER  – The Division of Public Health (DPH) invites parents with children from birth to 5 years old to participate in its first Books, Balls and Blocks event, which will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, October 13, at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle, Delaware.

Presented in partnership with DPH’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems program, Help Me Grow Delaware, United Way, Delaware 211, the Delaware Division of Libraries, and New Castle County Public Libraries, the event is fun, educational and free. Parents should plan to stay for the duration.

While children engage in games and activities at six different stations, parents learn how these interactions help stimulate their child’s healthy development. While the children are playing, parents will complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). The ASQ-3 is a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use tool recommended to screen young children for developmental delays.

Originally created by Help Me Grow Utah, the Books, Balls and Blocks model is a fun and educational way to provide developmental screenings to children within the first five years of life. The model provides opportunities for families to engage with their children through a variety of play-based activities that promote child development in areas such as early literacy, fine motor skills, gross motor skills and social skills. It also provides families with the resources they need to monitor their children as they meet developmental milestones and how they can get help if they have questions or concerns.

During the event, professionals from Help Me Grow Delaware will administer the ASQ-3 and then share the results with the parents to learn if his or her child’s development:
• Appears to be on schedule.
• Needs to be monitored and the child provided with learning activities.
• Requires further assessment by a professional.

Parents will receive child development resources, new fun playtime activity ideas and a goodie bag. Other community resources will be on site.

Why should children be screened?
• To understand what milestones your children can and should be reaching as they grow.
• To be able to better identify your children’s strengths.
• To give you ways to talk to your doctor or other professionals about your concerns with your children.
• To track your children’s progress over time – a simple way to “journal” their milestone achievement.
• To give you new ideas to use in play with your children and make this time more useful in their development.

What is a developmental screener?
• A tool that has been tested by researchers to ensure that it is measuring developmental milestones seen in all children as they grow.
• Questionnaires meant to be used by all parents and providers to monitor children as they grow.
• A tool to capture patterns of development in children early, helping increase better outcomes for later life, if action is taken.

What is the Ages & Stages Questionnaire?
• Help Me Grow Delaware uses the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) for general development and social-emotional screening.
• It is to be completed by the parent; parents are the experts of their children.

For more information about the Books, Balls and Blocks event, call 302-740-8447 or visit http://dethrives.com/events/event/books-balls-blocks.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

It’s never too early to read or be read to. And to help build the reading, learning, and library habit, Delaware’s First Lady, Tracey Quillen Carney, announced the My First Delaware Library Card and the kids Super Library Card this summer. These new library cards target babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (birth to 5 years old) and school age children (6 to 12).

The new cards are designed to encourage independent reading and book selection and parent/caregiver interaction with children, reading aloud together and talking about book choices and children’s interests. “Reading aloud and talking with babies and children builds skills in communication, listening, memory, and language development – skills that correlate with so many good outcomes later in life, including high-school graduation,” First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney said.

The My First Delaware Library Card features a baby version of Delaware’s state bird, the Blue Hen. And the Super Library Card features superhero children. Cards are currently being rolled out and they will be available at all public libraries by the end of September.

A tracker card comes with each of the new library cards to help develop the library habit. Get your tracker card stamped at every library visit and after 10 visits receive a prize! My First Delaware Library Card members will receive a growth chart after 10 visits; Super Library Card members will receive super hero zipper pulls.

Frequent, habitual use of the new library cards will help children “unleash super powers”!  “The library habit is about raising readers, as well as parent-child engagement and access to other services that support strong and healthy families,” said State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman.

Both cards are free for any child living in Delaware. To register, the parent or guardian should bring their child to their local library and present a photo I.D.  For more information visit delawarelibraries.org/kidscards

About:
The Delaware Division of Libraries, a state agency dedicated to unleashing the potential in all Delawareans in partnership with Delaware Libraries, offers free access to the online catalog (delawarelibraries.org); Wi-Fi; computers/internet; eBooks; programs/workshops; community partnerships; and more.

New measures will help libraries coordinate technology resources and offer additional educational opportunities

NEWARK, Del. – Governor John Carney on Wednesday signed into law House Bill 94 and House Bill 34, legislation that will allow Delaware libraries to further their efforts to coordinate technology resources statewide and offer more educational opportunities to library and archives professionals.

“Delaware libraries have become centers for exploration and innovation – places where people from all walks of life can ignite their passions and unleash their potential. Technology is the lynchpin of the modern library, and I’m proud that libraries across our state are working in such close collaboration to bring those resources to the public,” said Governor Carney. “I’m also proud to continue to honor the legacy of a true champion for our libraries, Ada Leigh Soles, by extending the scholarship that bears her name to more eligible professionals in the library and archives fields.”

The two measures signed into law Wednesday at the Newark Free Library include House Bill 94, which codifies the state Division of Libraries’ responsibility to administer the Delaware Library Consortium. Launched in 2010, this statewide network of libraries has partnered together to improve the quality and accessibility of technological resources available at libraries. The consortium’s efforts include the development of a statewide digital library catalog and the expansion of high-speed broadband internet access to all public libraries, as well as coordinated purchasing of computer hardware and a centralized tech help desk.

House Bill 34, also signed Wednesday, expands the availability of the Ada Leigh Soles Memorial Professional Librarian and Archivist Incentive Scholarship Program to include employees of non-public libraries in Delaware that join the consortium. Established in 2010 as a tribute to the late Newark legislator and tireless advocate for libraries, the Ada Leigh Soles award provides financial assistance to students who work for Delaware libraries and the Delaware Public Archives.

Both measures were approved earlier this year by the General Assembly with unanimous support. Newark-area legislators Representative Paul Baumbach and Senator David Sokola led the effort to pass the bills.

“It is my honor to have sponsored House Bill 34, which enhances the Ada Leigh Soles scholarship, given that Ada Leigh was my state representative when I moved back to Newark in 1990,” said Representative Baumbach. “Just as Ada Leigh was a cornerstone of our community during her tenure, libraries are cornerstones of our communities throughout our state and nation.”

“My mother was passionate about education, libraries and serving her community. A scholarship that helps educate librarians and archivists so that they can serve their communities is the perfect tribute to her,” said Catherine Soles Pomeroy, daughter of Ada Leigh Soles. “Of course, she always said that this type of recognition was just the whipped cream on top of what was a very fulfilling career. But who doesn’t enjoy some whipped cream every now and then?”

New Castle County administers the largest network of public libraries in the state and serves as a key partner in the Delaware Library Consortium. The Division of Libraries, which oversees the consortium, is an agency of the Delaware Department of State.

“Our library system enables countless residents to study, learn, and find work. We are extremely appreciative of the Department of State’s support for technology in libraries across Delaware, including the many libraries in New Castle County,” said County Executive Matt Meyer. “The statewide library consortium formalized through this legislation will provide residents with equal access to the information they need to conduct their daily lives.”

“The Delaware Library Consortium now enables libraries to ‘crowdsource’ community services through a growing network of partner agencies and nonprofits,” said Dr. Annie Norman, State Librarian and Director of the Division of Libraries. “Under the leadership of Gov. Carney, we look forward to maximizing these services on behalf of library patrons across the state.”

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DOVER – The Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and the Delaware Division of Libraries are sponsoring an all-day summit “Disaster Recovery for Delaware” on Tuesday, February 28.

The purpose of this statewide summit is to connect library staff with emergency planners to help communities bounce back more quickly following a natural or man-made disaster. The summit will focus on developing partnerships and strategies before an emergency happens. Emergency responders will speak on ways libraries can assist them in mitigation and preparedness, response and recovery. The program will incorporate National Library of Medicine resources, focusing on health and disaster information, to support responders, the community, and library staff. Libraries will learn what it takes to become “second responders,” including options for further partnerships to assist their communities in the event of a disaster.

• What: Disaster Recovery for Delaware: Exploring Potential Partnerships Among Emergency Planners, First Responders, Librarians and Others
• Who: Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long; Representatives from the University of Delaware Disaster Research Center, National Network of Libraries, and Delaware Division of Libraries; emergency planners, first responders, librarians, and organizations involved with disaster planning, response, and/or recovery
• When: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday, February 28
  (Contact Cathay Keough at cathay.keough@delaware.gov for detailed program schedule)
• Where: Dover Downs Conference Center, 1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover DE 19901