The Arlington Public Library is very excited to kick-off its AISD Pre-K visits to the Central library!

Four year olds from Adams Elementary excitedly arrived at the library this morning for a great storytime about cats and kittens and a tour of the Children's area. Students and teachers alike were fully enthralled as the librarian, Ms. Kayla, shared wonderful kitty stories, rhymes, and songs. By the end of the reading, the whole group was really having a blast as they sang and moved with the book, Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes and the Cool Cat song. With a little extra time on their hands, Kayla improvised by pulling a few more books about cats off the shelves and enjoyed experiencing the stories for the first time along with the children.

After storytime, Kayla led the preschoolers through the Children's area to learn about all the fun books, music, and movies that could be borrowed during future trips to the library with their parents. Students called out things they wanted to learn more about and seemed very interested in the informational books covering topics such as robots, dinosaurs, and motorcycles. At the end of the trip, the students that turned in a completed library card application prior to the visit received a free My First Library Card.

With the tour over, the students eagerly lined up to receive a bright red library bag with a free book, recommended book list, and other handouts. The preschoolers happily trooped back to their bus with their new bag slung proudly over their shoulders. Many of the children stopped to give Kayla a friendly hug goodbye. As the bus drove away, little hands could be seen waving back at the smiling librarian.

These visits are made possible because of a strong partnership with AISD and funding through Texas Literacy Initiative and United Way grants. Throughout the year, the Library is expected to host hundreds of Pre-K students at 32 AISD elementary schools.