I would agree with the way the storytimes are currently split up between registered vs. non-registered. Walk-ins should be available to families who cannot make weekly commitments, but registered storytimes do have the ability to provide a more cohesive learning experience for the children and parents.
I definitely can see both pros and cons in regards to whether we should have registered storytimes. One of the main issues is the space that we have available, which leads to the necessity of requiring registration for many of the storytimes, but also so that people don’t have to worry about not getting a spot that day. I think we definitely should keep registered storytimes, but it might be a good idea to see if we can offer more walk-in times, geared towards specific age ranges. For example, baby storytime oftentimes has 20 or more people on the waitlist, so maybe we try offering a walk-in baby storytime. More walk-in family storytimes might also be helpful (or at least another one at Archibald during the week). I’ve experienced before having preschool kids who are not ready for an individual storytime, so I suggest family storytime to the parents. Some of the parents don’t like going all the way to VG for Family Friday (I’ve heard both: because of distance or they just don’t like going to the mall area), and they are not able to come on Saturdays because of schedules. That leaves them with no other options for storytime/storytime practice until their children are ready for individual preschool storytime (which could be months away).
I could definitely see an advantage to offering more walk-ins, as some families may not be able to commit to whole sessions. In the case of DC, I think it's fine as a walk-in. However, it could be a neat experience to offer sessions that were more succinct in theme for the older kids--perhaps being able to take two weeks on a subject to "discover" things in more depth.
I would agree with the way the storytimes are currently split up between registered vs. non-registered. Walk-ins should be available to families who cannot make weekly commitments, but registered storytimes do have the ability to provide a more cohesive learning experience for the children and parents.
ReplyDeleteI definitely can see both pros and cons in regards to whether we should have registered storytimes. One of the main issues is the space that we have available, which leads to the necessity of requiring registration for many of the storytimes, but also so that people don’t have to worry about not getting a spot that day. I think we definitely should keep registered storytimes, but it might be a good idea to see if we can offer more walk-in times, geared towards specific age ranges. For example, baby storytime oftentimes has 20 or more people on the waitlist, so maybe we try offering a walk-in baby storytime. More walk-in family storytimes might also be helpful (or at least another one at Archibald during the week). I’ve experienced before having preschool kids who are not ready for an individual storytime, so I suggest family storytime to the parents. Some of the parents don’t like going all the way to VG for Family Friday (I’ve heard both: because of distance or they just don’t like going to the mall area), and they are not able to come on Saturdays because of schedules. That leaves them with no other options for storytime/storytime practice until their children are ready for individual preschool storytime (which could be months away).
ReplyDeleteI could definitely see an advantage to offering more walk-ins, as some families may not be able to commit to whole sessions. In the case of DC, I think it's fine as a walk-in. However, it could be a neat experience to offer sessions that were more succinct in theme for the older kids--perhaps being able to take two weeks on a subject to "discover" things in more depth.
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