HCPL is here for you and your child every step of the way. HCPL connects parents and caregivers with resources, programs, services, and information with our award-winning Growing Readers Early Literacy initiative to help children become lifelong readers and learners. Below are resources available for parents and caregivers.
Story Times
What's a library without story time? Story Times are a great opportunity for caregivers and children to explore stories, songs, games, and crafts in a family-friendly space. At story times, library staff provide an enriching experience that helps children learn early literacy skills as they engage in the 5 Early Literacy practices: Talk, Sing, Read, Write, and Play. Click here to find an upcoming story time. Can't make it into the library? Check out HCPL's Story Time Playlist on YouTube.
Family Place Libraries
If you walk into our branches, you are most likely to hear the Family Place area before you see it, but being a Family Place library is much more than having a play area. It’s about connecting families with the services and resources in our community to support them and their child’s growth and development. We do this by providing:
- Parent/Child Workshop a five week series facilitated by specially trained HCPL staff and supported by Community Resource Professionals to provide information on the weekly topic. Weekly topics include Early Literacy, Speech, Hearing & Language Development, Child Development, Nutrition, and Music & Movement. Check with your local branch about upcoming workshops.
- Parenting Collection can be found at every Family Place Library. The special collection is curated by librarians to include books, DVDs, magazines, and brochures with a range of subjects from pregnancy, parenting basics, health and nutrition, child development and behavior, safety, potty training, and family dynamics.
- Play Areas are safe spaces specially designed to encourage learning through play. When a child plays, they use their imagination, problem-solve, and socialize—all important skills they will need when they begin school.
More than half of HCPL’s branches are Family Place Libraries, and the goal is to have all branches Family Place Libraries within the next few years. Family Place Libraries are made possible by the generous support from community partner the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.
<<<Click here to find a Family Place Library near you.>>>
Online Resources
Getting to the library is not always an easy task for busy families, so HCPL has numerous resources available online for families.
- Parent TV is the newest resource available for families! Parent TV offers hundreds of on-demand videos and courses to support the parenting and care of children from birth to teens. ParentTV works with leading psychologists, pediatricians, mental health specialists, nutritionists, occupational therapists and parenting educators across the globe. To access this incredible resource, login with your HCPL library card (if you don’t have a card, insert 24028) leave the PIN section blank (it’s not required), and check to agree to Terms & Conditions. Click here to log into Parent TV.
- Bright By Text is a free messaging service that provides families with information on development, language and early literacy, health and safety, behavioral tips, and more from trusted partners like PBS Kids. All information is curated to match your child’s age. Click here to sign up here.
- Gale Presents: Miss Humbleee's Academy is a FREE interactive learning program to prepare your child for success in kindergarten and beyond! Children 3 to 6 can safely explore hundreds of lessons that align with preschool and elementary standards. Activities introduces children to key concepts in math, science, and social studies, language and literacy, art, and music.
- Beanstack is a web software that allows readers to log their reading and earn prizes in reading challenges like 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and Summer Reading Program. Click here to learn more about how 1000 Books works here.
- Book Hunters is a FREE service that matches readers with books they love. Are you looking for books on the alphabet? Counting? Animal books? Book Hunters can help! Specially trained Book Hunters create custom, curated reading lists for you based on the information you provide about what books you are looking for. Use this service to find books for your children or books for yourself! Click here to request a personal reading list.
These are just a few of the resources HCPL has available for caregivers. Visit our website to see all the Online Resources you can access with your HCPL Library Card. Click here to learn more about HCPL's Growing Readers Early Literacy initiative.
Want a fun and engaging book to read to your little one? Check out a book from the 2024 Texas 2x2 List.
2024 TLA Texas 2x2 List
Texas Library Association's annual list of beautifully illustrated, often humorous and instructive books meant for children 2 years old to grade two
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