Summary

The Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) and the City of Eureka Community Services Department have collaborated to promote family engagement and learning at home by installing Free Little Children’s Libraries at local parks.

EUREKA (February 2, 2024)— The Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) and the City of Eureka Community Services Department have collaborated to promote family engagement and learning at home by installing Free Little Children’s Libraries at local parks. Children exposed to reading at a young age have an increased vocabulary, oral language development, and listening comprehension, yet not all families have access to quality books at home.  HCOE and the City of Eureka address this gap by partnering with local schools and organizations to install Free Little Children’s Libraries in two Eureka locations:  Ross Park located on M and 12th Street and Hammond Park on E and 14th Street, with plans for more throughout the County in years to come.

Friday, February 2, marked the ribbon cutting for the Hammond Park Free Little Children’s Library.  Ashley Kane, Library Systems Technician at HCOE has been a key player in the planning and implementation of these libraries since the fall of 2022.  On the difference between this Free Little Library and others around the county Kane had this to say, “These libraries are larger than others in order to accommodate the size of children’s books, with a special focus on board books, Spanish language books, and books emphasizing social emotional learning.”

Michael Davies-Hughes, Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools, was on hand to lend his support for the ribbon cutting.  “We know that by working together as a community to focus on early literacy, we can improve the learning outcomes for our children and youth,” Davies-Hughes said.

HCOE will supply additional books twice per year.  Donations of new or gently used children’s books can be made directly at the Free Little Libraries or at the Humboldt Educational Resource Center (HERC) located at 901 Myrtle Avenue in Eureka.

HCOE wishes to acknowledge the Industrial Arts classes at Pacific View Charter, Alder Grove Charter, and Northern United Charter for the construction of the libraries, and the South Bay Union School District After School Program for painting the libraries.

Take a book, leave a book, and help share the joy of reading.