Brandi Cummings, Head of Community Programs & Partnerships for the Kenosha Public Libraries (KPL) spoke today on their plans for a new Children's Library in the Uptown Area. There currently are a total of four (4) Libraries in the City of Kenosha - Northside, Southwest, Uptown and Simmons, which was our very first Library and will be celebrating 125 years. They also have 2 book mobiles and 84 staff members, over 1 million books and over 650,000 visits and for the first time in 2 years, they are set to surpass their visit levels pre pandemic! A survey of the City of Kenosha - ALL school types (private, public, charter), ALL races and socio-economic backgrounds showed a 31% reading proficiency level for 3rd graders. Of these, 13% Latinex, 21% white, 5% African American Males are at Reading level. This is a crisis in our community as we know research shows that if you are not at reading level by 3rd grade, you will be behind for the rest of your school years and all sorts of issues in addition (lower graduation rates, higher crime rates). It is also known that if you make books available and accessible for students, they will read more. KPL has placed vending/lending machines in both the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA, to allow children access to books. The plan is for the Children's Library to be on the first floor, along with a grocery store and restaurant of the Uptown Lofts. Allowing children a place for imaginative play, reasoning, problem solving. It will allow for space for kids/teens to meet up and do homework, projects, art and providing STEAM/STEM resources/capabilities, all while promoting a sense of community. They have the funds for the "shell" of the building but are starting a Capital Campaign for the core contents/decor of the actual library space.
If interested in supporting this incredible project, visit https://mykpl.info/uptown-childrens-library/
