Youth & Family

In Summer 2018, over 40,000 youth and families signed up for the Summer Learning Challenge. From June through July, over 3,000 hours of robust, active learning activities ranging from inclusive musical storytime, LEGO clubs, STEM programs with squishy circuits or creating magnetic slime, ukulele jams, and much more. Each child who participated in the Summer Learning Challenge received a free book at the beginning and end of the program.

The award-winning Talk Read Sing (TRS) program utilizes LENA voice recording technology to promote early literacy by training families to increase interactive talk and conversation with babies and toddlers, methods that research shows accelerates brain growth and language acquisition. TRS shows performance gains amongst family participants as well as increased reach and collaboration with community partners. Since 2015, the Libraries served 276 families, in English and  Spanish cohorts. Participants report increased shared book reading time and surveys showed children gaining over one and a half months of developmental skill for every month of participation. Cohorts are currently in East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Brisbane.

The Big Lift Inspiring Summers is an award-winning academic and experiential learning summer camp, and the kind of experience that is usually out of reach for low-income families. The program provides Kindergartners through 2nd graders with project-based, hands-on STEM learning activities, healthy meals, exciting field trips, and books to fill home libraries all at NO COST to the families enrolled. In 2018, the program served over 1,000 children at eleven school sites in seven districts. Camps are currently in Daly City, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, La Honda-Pescadero, Redwood City, San Bruno, and South San Francisco.