Dayton Reporter

Dayton Metro Library is proud to announce they have received a Libraries Accelerating Learning grant from the Ohio Department of Education in the amount of $250,000. “We are grateful to the Ohio Department of Education for the commitment to Dayton Metro Library and the children and families we serve,” said Allison Knight, Youth Services and Programming Director. “Their dedication to transforming educational outcomes in Montgomery County is inspiring and will surely create a more equitable and just future.”

This is one of DML’s largest grants to receive to date, and monies will be used to fund a two-part program that helps prepare students for learning success: Kindergarten Club and Homework Help Centers, both of which already have footing in DML programming.

The Kindergarten Club initially began as a pilot program at the Miamisburg Branch in the summer of 2022. It proved to be so successful that other school districts asked DML to offer it at other locations. Now, with dedicated funds from Libraries Accelerating Learning, Kindergarten Club will be expanded to all DML locations by September 2024, to prepare area children and parents/caregivers for success in kindergarten. Branches will be able to host multiple eight-week sessions during the year and fund school readiness bags with materials to extend learning and literacy that parents/caregivers can take home and use with their children.

Additionally, DML aims to expand its Homework Help Centers to ten Branch locations by September 2024. As of January 9, Homework Help will be offered at four Branches: Trotwood, Northwest, West, and Burkhardt. Burkhardt’s Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3-6 pm. The Centers at the other three locations will be open Monday through Thursday, 3-6 pm, and all will be open for this school year through May 25. Homework Help Centers allow trained DML staff and volunteers to help students in grades K-12 with a variety of homework and project needs, with STEM and STEAM-related activities also available.

This gift from the Ohio Department of Education will thus allow, by the end of 2024, for DML to reach approximately 900 students through the Kindergarten Club and host almost 9,000 sessions in its Homework Help Centers. “We are excited for the opportunity to expand our Kindergarten Club and Homework Help Centers across more of our locations to better accelerate the learning of our young patrons during their out-of-school time,” Knight concluded. “We are especially delighted that, between these two programs, we can serve children from pre-kindergarten through high school seniors, leaving no learner out.”

Dayton Metro Library was one of 32 public libraries in the state to receive funding from the Ohio Department of Education this year. As additional programming for Kindergarten Club is added, please check DML’s calendar at DaytonMetroLibrary.org/Programs for updates on available dates, times, and Branch locations. For more information on DML’s Homework Help Centers, visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org/HomeworkHelp. Questions may also be directed to the Library’s Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.

Original source can be found here.