Initiating Infant and Toddler Programs

Several libraries around the state of Indiana are producing successful infant and toddler programs (also known as lap-sit or baby programs). Evaluations of comments and concerns collected at past Indiana Library Federation Children and Young People's Division conferences indicate a continued interest in information about how to initiate and sustain programs for the youngest members of the population we serve. Librarians are asking for guidance in this area for many reasons. Some are genuinely excited by the prospect of offering baby programs. Others are being encouraged by patrons, administrators, or library board members to begin baby programs.

Whether you come to the process with enthusiasm or apprehension, there are many resources available to help you establish infant and toddler programs in your library. Working with infants and their caregivers can be enormously rewarding for you, your library and the community you serve.

You may begin the process by answering the basic questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Let's start with "Why".

I: Why should we offer programs to infants and toddlers in the library?

  1. Does your library have a mission statement which expresses a commitment to lifelong service? Has your library or your children's department attempted to address the recreational and informal educational needs of your clientele?

  2. Do you collect parenting books, baby board books, cds and audiocassettes of music for babies, videos for infants and toddlers, and toys that circulate? Do you want to promote these materials?

  3. Does your library have a stated commitment to promoting literacy? Do you offer tutoring for adult learners? Does your collection contain books about early childhood development and the acquisition of early literacy skills?

II. Who is your target audience?

  1. Define your population. How young will you go? The State of Indiana defines infancy as birth until the child has taken three unassisted steps. At that point the child is called a toddler. The term toddler can refer to a child who walks independently (often around the age of 12 months) until the age of three. Some early childhood specialists prefer to divide that age group into toddlers and two-year-olds. That would yield three categories: infants, toddlers and two's. How will you group and divide the ages? Will you allow siblings to attend?

  2. Who should attend your program? Do you want to offer it to the general public or target a specific group such as teen parents and/or families at risk for not encouraging literacy in the home?

  3. Are there other agencies in your service area who can help you identify and reach your target audience?

  4. Will you allow daycares to attend? If so, will you establish a ratio of adult to child which must be followed? Are you trying to reach nannies, grandparents and caregivers as well as parents?

III. What will you do with those babies in the library?

  1. What do you know about early childhood development? Do you have books or videos in your collection to use as resources? Do you have early childhood experts in your community who will consult with you? What about local colleges, vocational schools, daycares, health and welfare agencies or First Steps and Step Ahead agencies who could serve as resources? (Please see the attached list of librarians who are currently doing baby programs.)

  2. Will you use your preschool story hour as a model to revise for infants, toddlers and twos? Will you consider designing something uniquely tailored to the developmental stages of the young children in the program? (Please see attatched list of resources and sample programs.)

  3. Will you need any special materials such as toys, store bought or homemade for these programs?

IV. When, where and how will you provide this program?

  1. When, where and how you pull this together depends on your community and your library hours and space. Do you have a program room which can be "babyproofed" to ensure relative safety for the babies? Do you have room to store any toys and materials you may decide to use?

  2. Do you need to consider babies' nap times, traffic/parking issues, evening or weekend times for single parent and two-income families?

The answers to these questions can form the basis for your goals and objectives for infant/toddler programs. This discussion should help you form some ideas on where and how to put your program together. Please see the bibliography of resources which can help you develop the actual content of your programs.

And please contact MCPL Children's Librarian Mary Frasier if you would like a list of librarians who offer infant and toddler programs around the state. There is at least one librarian located in most of the Indiana Library Federation districts. These people would be happy to serve as mentors to any librarians who are starting infant and toddler programs. They have agreed to correspond with you and to let you observe their programs. Observing a program will certainly inspire and encourage you and you will most likely walk away believing that you can produce a successful baby program.

Infant and toddler programs are fun and very satisfying. Your public will be extremely grateful for these programs and you will find a new audience of devoted parents and children.

By Mary Frasier, MCPL Children's Librarian (10/99)