Family Place Library & Workshop

Allen Public Library is a proud member of Family Place Libraries, a national network of libraries that aims to Family Place Library logoconnect parents with the resources they need to nurture their children's development and learning during the ages of 0 - 3 years. We aim to create a welcoming environment with resources to strengthen children's skills through purposeful play.

As part of the Family Place Libraries, we offer:

  • An open play space in the children's area for families with young children to play, read, and imagine together.
  • Parent-Child Playtimes: Four-week programs for toddlers, parents, and caregivers to participate in play-based activities while getting to meet local specialists one-on-one to talk about various aspects of child development and early learning. See details below.
  • Developmentally appropriate programming for younger children and their parents.
  • A special collection of parenting books located in the children's area that focus on ages 0 - 3 and are easily accessible to parents.
  • Staff to help you locate books and music for you and your child.

Parent-Child Playtimes

Parents and children ages 12 months - 3 years old get the opportunity to register for this free, four-week course. A 60-minute session each week offers opportunities for children to play with developmentally appropriate toys in a play group atmosphere while parents interact with their child, meet other parents, and talk one-on-one with local professionals. Each week will feature a different local professional that specializes in some aspect of development: early literacy, early childhood development, speech and language, nutrition, and music and movement. Each session also aims to emphasize the role of parents as the first teachers of their children and teach strategies for healthy development.

Registration

Free registration is required for the series and is limited to 20 families. Registration for the September 2023 session is full. A parent or caregiver must make a commitment to come to the entire four-week session. Each family must have a child that is ages 12 months - 3 years old. Siblings are welcome, but cannot be older than 5 years old. Parents will need to make child-care arrangements for children over age 5. Please note that children under the age of 9 are not allowed in the Library without a parent or caregiver age 16 or older.

Upcoming session

  • Friday, Sept. 8, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Early Childhood Development, Lifepath Systems ECI
  • Friday, Sept. 15, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Speech and Language, Lifepath Systems & Occupational Therapy, Children's Language Development Center
  • Friday, Sept. 22, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Nutrition, LifeCycle Nutrition & Early Childhood Literacy, Allen Public Library
  • Friday, Sept 29, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Play Therapy, Uplift Counseling & Pediatric Dentistry, OPD Smiles

To accommodate our residents, we host multiple Parent-Child Workshop sessions during a calendar year.  Families cannot participate in back to back workshop sessions. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

Are you a professional interested in our Parent/Child Playtimes?

We are always looking for new professional partners willing to give their time to assist parents and caregivers during our Parent/Child Workshops by answering questions and having informal, one-on-one conversations with parents about the development of their child.  If you work for a practice, non-profit or other family-serving agency that specializes in the following for children ages 1 - 2 years, we would love to talk to you about a potential partnership:

  • Child Development
  • Speech Pathology
  • Nutrition
  • Professional Counseling
  • Music or Play Therapy
  • Music and Movement for babies and toddlers

Please call the Allen Public Library Children's Department at 214.509.4906 to be connected to a coordinator.

This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, and in part by a State-funded grant from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.