A generous donation by former Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Kimber L. Fender allowed the library to purchase more than 150 specialized backpacks for babies and toddlers. Sprout Learning Backpacks are filled with high-quality early learning materials, books and activities designed to start children on the road to school success.
The library purchased five sets of Sprout Learning Backpacks with a $10,000 donation by Fender. There are 31 backpacks in each set: six for infants, five for toddlers and 20 for preschool-aged children. The backpacks have themes, like Going to the Market, Colors All Around, Barnyard Fun, Everyday Objects and Rules Keep Us Safe. They come with easy-to-follow instruction guides for parents or caregivers. The backpacks develop skills like cause-and-effect, problem-solving, science, math, and social emotional. The backpacks support Ohio’s Infant and Toddler Early Learning guidelines and give suggestions to make learning at home easy and fun.
“Early childhood learning has always been a passion of mine,” said Fender, who served as the Library’s director from January of 1999 until her retirement in June of 2018. “We know that children who engage in early learning activities early in life are more likely to succeed in school. And we know that children love to have fun. I see these backpacks as a way to ensure the future success of a new generation of Hamilton County students.”
All the backpacks are available to check out with a library card. They are physically located at the Avondale, Forest Park, Groesbeck, and Walnut Hills branches as well as the Children’s Library at the Main Library. But they can also be put on hold and sent to any other location by searching the catalog for “Sprout Backpack.”
For more information, call 513-369-6900. To put a backpack on hold, visit CincinnatiLibrary.org and search the catalog.
