Newton, NC – To expand the reach of its storytime offerings, the Catawba County Library is launching a bilingual storytime for preschool children aged 3-5. Taking place Tuesday evenings at 6 pm at the St. Stephens Branch Library, the dedicated sessions will be presented in English as well as Spanish. As with all storytimes, children of any age and families of any background are welcome to attend.

Early childhood literacy is one of the Catawba County Library’s signature efforts, and each week, a wealth of programs helps engage children, teaches parents and caregivers how to connect kids with the world, and promotes reading and education. Getting children started when they’re young provides a much better chance that youngsters will develop personal curiosity, along with healthy bodies and minds, to last throughout their lives.

At each of the library’s branches, families will find a combination of storytimes and baby bounce sessions. These entertaining activities ensure that babies and children are stimulated through all of their senses – and that they get a chance to interact as well. In a given class, children and parents are encouraged to sing songs, play games, make crafts, and tell stories, complete with fun voices and big gestures. Key to it all is the necessity of doing these things together, which allows families to bond, children to feel safe to explore, and socialization to happen.

Best of all, storytimes and baby bounce classes take place on a weekly basis throughout the year, and they make for a great routine that kids can look forward to. And since they happen on different days, families can find the ones that best fit their busy schedules.

To discover all the storytime sessions throughout the system, visit www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/library/newsletters/. And to keep the learning and engagement going year-round, parents and grandparents are invited to speak to staff members about the library’s resources for kids. Many of them are electronic, like Tumblebooks and ABC Mouse, and can be enjoyed at home, in the car, or elsewhere.

To learn more about the Catawba County Library System and its programs, visit www.catawbacountync.gov/library, call 828.465.8664, email [email protected], or visit them on Facebook.