Castlegar parents can put away their tents and lawn chairs in anticipation of lining up for this summer’s library programs. This year, all library program registration will be done online.
Castlegar librarian Laura Zaytsoff says online registration will occur on Wednesday, June 20th. The link will be a banner on the Castlegar Library website closer to the date. The link will go live on June 20th at 11 a.m. and parents and guardians are reminded to sign up that day as spots fill quickly.
Motion Commotion, the theme for this year’s programming, is a BC-wide summer reading theme.
“I think the theme is a natural fit for children,” Zaytsoff says. “We’re so lucky to be surrounded by lots of nature.”
Zaytsoff explains that the programming offers a variety of activities for different ages. “We try to offer something for everybody,” she adds. Zaytsoff runs the regular children’s and youth reading programs at the library in the remainder of the year. She was also recently accepted a three-year term as one of two co-chairs on the BC Summer Reading Club Committee.
There are a couple areas parents and guardians should be aware of during registration and programming time. Children must be registered in the group of the grade they just finished. For example, a child who has finished pre-school would need to be registered in the pre-school reading group not the kindergarten group. Zaytsoff emphasizes the importance of registering children in the right groups. “Make sure you register [your children] in the correct age group because once the groups are full – they’re full.”
Parents and guardians should note that children register for one program time slot per week. Programs run for 75 minutes for pre-school groups and 90 minutes for the kindergarten to tween groups. A typical program includes a craft, activity or game, and story time. For the older groups, story time may be replaced with silent reading or a reader’s theatre.
There are three slots to choose from for pre-school age group: Thursday morning 10-11:15 a.m., Thursday afternoon 1-2:15 p.m., or Friday morning 10-11:15 a.m. Children in the pre-school could must be at least three years of age and also must be toilet trained. The pre-school group starts July 5 and ends August 14th.
The kindergarten-grade one group runs programs on Wednesday morning 10-11:30 a.m. or Wednesday afternoon 1-2:30 pm. The kindergarten-grade one group starts July 4 and ends August 15.
Children in the grade two-four group can be registered in the Tuesday morning 10-11:30 a.m. slot or the Tuesday afternoon 1-2:30 p.m. slot. The grade two to grade four group starts July 3 and ends August 16.
The tween reading group (grade five and up) can be registered in the one time slot on Friday 1-2:30 p.m. The tween group starts July 6 and ends August 17.
Zaytsoff notes that the Castlegar Public Library is also happy to announce that they received two grants this summer and have hired two post-secondary students. The students, Victoria Francis and Nathan Kline, will help run the summer programs. “We are grateful for the grants,” she says. “We never know. One year, we got one grant and the Friends of the Library supplemented [extra money]. The grants allow the library to run two programs a day, four days a week.” However, due to funding and space constraints, the Castlegar Library cannot offer additional programs beyond what is already offered. The library does make a wait list for children who don’t get in.
For more information on summer programming, visit the library and follow the Castlegar Summer Reading Club Facebook page.