Library receives grants from local foundations

Westlake Porter Public Library and Connecting for Kids have received a total of $33,000 in grants from the Cleveland Foundation and Nordson Corporation Foundation to provide education and support to families with questions and concerns about their child’s development.

The Cleveland Foundation’s $23,000 grant to the library will fund Connecting for Kids programming in 2013, including Parent Discussion Groups on topics related to childhood development, Music Therapy and More, Teach Me to Play and Kids in Motion Sensory Storytime. All programs will be provided free of charge at Westlake Porter Public Library.

In addition, the Nordson Corporation Foundation has given the library and Connecting for Kids $10,000 to offer additional sessions of Music Therapy and More and Teach Me to Play. Both programs are hands-on parent training classes that teach parents how to use music, positively discipline and foster play skills in their children. The funds will also be used to train staff to work with children with developmental delays and to purchase special toys for use in the library’s “Kids in Motion Sensory Time” programs. The “Kids in Motion” programs are designed to engage children with autism or other special needs/sensory challenges.

“We’re grateful to the Cleveland Foundation and Nordson Corporation Foundation for enabling us to provide programming and services to this group of families and children,” said Library Director Andrew Mangels.

"These grants ensure that we will be able to offer a full range of high-quality, free programs to help families whose children are struggling," said Sarah Rintamaki, Executive Director of Connecting for Kids. "These therapy and parent discussion groups are an excellent way for us to make contact with west side families and introduce them to the broad array of resources that Connecting for Kids offers to assist them in putting into place the best possible development plan for their child."

For more information on the grant-supported programs please visit connectingforkids.org or the library’s online calendar at signup.westlakelibrary.org:8080.

Read More on Libraries
Volume 5, Issue 1, Posted 9:12 AM, 01.08.2013