Reading in the Park

It all began in 2013, when a school principal, librarian, and parks director met at a Henderson Leadership meeting. Aleisha, Danielle, and Mitzi were working on a totally different project, but their side conversations and friendship gave way to an amazing idea where kids could read and play in the park. 

Mitzi Weber, Henderson Co. Parks and Programs Director, recalls, “I had just transferred to the parks director. The new position gave me a good perspective on what was important to me and my community. My little one was doing the Accelerated Reader program, and we were heavily involved in finding ways to stress the importance of reading. The three of us started talking about reading and what an important foundation it was for a successful education.” 

Aleisha Sheridan and Ginger Ashby, past and current principals of Thelma B. Johnson Learning Center (TBJ) along with Stephanie Dowell, TBJ Family Resource Coordinator, were able to bring great insight and resources from the Early Childhood Council to aid everyone in this endeavor. 

Danielle Anguish, Henderson Co. Public Library Children’s Services Manager, explains, “We started in Freedom Park with the little shelter and one table. Before summer was over, we had outgrown the space and had to move into the Johnny Mathias Pavilion at the Fairgrounds, where we’ve been ever since. We have more and more kids attend every year.” 

Building a Reading Foundation 

Reading in the Park takes place every summer, rain or shine. The program starts the first week in June and lasts until the third week in July.  Danielle explains, “It started out being every Tuesday with the county parks, but then the city parks saw how much success we were having and wanted to become involved as well. Now, we have two sessions each week at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the fairgrounds and Thursday at Central Park.”

Each week, one early reader type book is read aloud to the kids. A character from the book is also present for the kids to meet and take pictures with such as: Ladybug Girl, Peppa Pig or Pete the Cat. New and used donated books are available for the kids to borrow or keep, and the bookmobile is located at the county park each Tuesday. 

“We have a lot of avenues set up to get books into the hands of kids. We started out just reading a book and doing a craft, but now we have a lady that comes in and does exercises with them, which is great because it lets them get their wiggles out before we settle down to read,” Danielle adds.

Continued Success

Reading in the Park was created to target early childhood reading literacy, and to give the kids something to do during the summer besides just technology. It wouldn’t have been possible without such a strong collaborative effort from so many different people and organizations. Danielle states, “The most rewarding and amazing part to me is how much people want to get involved and how gracious they are with their donations. People give because they truly believe in the program.”

The farmers market has been involved since the beginning, and they often provide healthy recipes to stress the importance of healthy eating. Last year, Methodist Hospital provided healthy snacks as a part of their Better Bites program, and Henderson County Schools provide a free sack lunch to all the kids who attend. The program incorporates all the important elements for engaging with the kids. They get to eat, play outside in the park, and get a story read to them, and the entire community is invited to this free event.

Mitzi confesses, “One of the things that kept coming back to us each week was how amazed we were at the success of it. Parents, grandparents, and babysitters were actively engaging with the children, not just sitting at the tables playing on their phones, but sitting on the ground and playing with the kids. Watching the interactions was one of the best things we could have seen because that’s what kids need. They need adults to engage and play with them. They need to know that we can play with them. You have to be an example setter, but you also have to be able to play with them, which isn’t hard at the park because it is the perfect setting for playing. How many places can you take your child to do that many things for free?” 

Please visit hcpl.org or contact Danielle Anguish at HCPL for a complete listing of engagement and reading activities scheduled for this summer. Mitzi Weber also has some teen engagement programs in the works, and she can be reached at 270-826-8843 or email [email protected]. 

Erika Henderson is a freelance writer and life-long resident of Henderson County. She’s a nature lover and enjoys cooking, baking, and growing her own food.