Contact: Yvonne Dodd, 301-946-1680

For Immediate Release: June 19, 2001

Linkages to the Library Kicks
Off Summer Program

County officials will tonight join Comcast executives and local families to kick off the Linkages to the Library program at a barbeque dinner at the Wheaton Community Center. Linkages to the Library is an effort of the County’s Linkages to Learning program, pairing Linkages schools with five local libraries to promote family literacy, improve students’ reading skills and encourage parental involvement.

One evening each week throughout the summer, shuttle buses funded by Friends of the Library will transport families from their local schools to their neighborhood libraries. While families are at the library, each child will pair up with a reading buddy to read, look for books and spend time on computers. Preschoolers and younger children will be read to in English and Spanish while parents look at books, participate in story telling and learn computer skills.

It is expected that more than 300 families will children and their parents will participate throughout the summer at five sites, pairing Linkages to Learning schools with local libraries – Highland and Kemp Mill Elementary Schools at the Wheaton Library, Greencastle Elementary at the Fairland Library, Summit Hall Elementary at the Gaithersburg Library, Harmony Hills Elementary at the Aspen Hill Library, and Broad Acres Elementary at the Long Branch on Wheels Mobile Unit.

Currently operating in more than a dozen County schools, Linkages to Learning provides school-based services to at-risk children and their families to improve adjustment to and performance in school, home and community. Services include social services, mental health services, health services and educational support through prevention and early intervention programming. Services are offered in the schools to allow for easy access by the families.

Linkages to the Library is sponsored by the Linkages to Learning program, the Department of Public Libraries, Montgomery County Public Schools, Comcast and Friends of the Library. Special programming has been developed for children and parents by the Montgomery County Public Schools ESOL Department. Comcast is funding coordinator positions at each site to reach out to families and encourage participation. In addition, children will receive backpacks and adults will receive book bags provided by Comcast.