As a new school year approaches, parents might worry about how their children will perform in the classroom, especially if they’re struggling academically or coming from disadvantaged environments.
Families might not realize that Cuyahoga County Public Library is ready to provide extra support that pupils need at any grade level and can also assist adults in career growth and transitions.
Tracy Strobel, executive officer of the county library system, says educational support programs fit the library’s mission of helping people read, learn, create and connect.
“We’re responding to the needs of the residents of our communities,” Strobel says. “Providing books and quiet spaces for reading and contemplation is still extremely important, but we can do and be so much more.”
Here are a few examples of free library programs that even regular library patrons may not know are available to them:
Student Success Centers. These centers are in 12 of the library system’s 27 branches. If children are struggling with specific homework assignments or classwork in general, they can visit a success center after school. Tutors study with kids in groups. Many of the tutors are college students working toward education degrees.
Strobel says success centers received nearly 10,000 child visits during the 2022-2023 school year. When the library surveyed parents and asked if the tutoring improved their children’s understanding of homework assignments, 96% said yes.
Kindergarten Club. Not all families can afford high-quality preschools, where children are first exposed to learning and reading. Those who miss out fall behind academically by the time they start kindergarten.
Kindergarten Club, which children and their families attend before and during the first six months of kindergarten, fills the preschool learning gap. The club teaches early literacy skills to kids. Meanwhile, parents learn how to deal with their children’s separation anxiety, pack nutritious lunches for their kids and prepare them for standardized testing.
In the past school year, of the 147 families who participated in Kindergarten Club, 99% of the children scored on-track in kindergarten readiness, Strobel says.
1-2-3 Read. Teachers in local school districts identify pupils who are behind in their reading skills and in danger of failing their third grade state reading test. These children are sent to 1-2-3 Read after school. Volunteer tutors provide reading support. Strobel says more than 2,000 children in grades one through three took part in 1-2-3 Read in the 2022-2023 school year. About 98% made progress toward grade-level reading.
Aspire Greater Cleveland. This is a division of the library system that provides classes that help adults who never finished high school prepare for their high school equivalency exams. The program even sends instructors to prisoners in the Cuyahoga County jail.
Rise Up. Adults in career transitions receive training and certification in sales and customer service. When they graduate the program, they are guaranteed job interviews with Rise Up-connected companies. In the last fiscal year, 30 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) students completed the Rise Up program.
In addition, the library system offers technology classes and houses innovation centers where patrons can learn to use equipment like 3D printers, laser engravers and embroidery machines. The library also teaches ESOL and citizenship classes, which prepare them to complete the steps required to become U.S. citizens.
“It’s quite rewarding when participants of both our ESOL and citizenship classes participate in the naturalization ceremony and become citizens of the United States,” Strobel says. “It’s a huge achievement, and there’s quite a lot of work involved. We’re really happy to be part of that.”
