Lapsit Program For Babies 

The Spur for all librarians and teachers who are interested in growing new readers is an expanding body of evidence that these early programs really do make a difference for children.  Researchers continue to discover important information about babies that can be directly related to infant/toddler programs.  Those scholars who once thought that children entered into the world as blank slates now know that infants have very sophisticated brains.  Research is also showing that in the earliest months of life, a staggering amount of brain development occurs.  Children’s intelligence – actual brain growth- and well being are directly affected by their environment, including nourishment, intellectual challenges and adequate affection.  What this means is that babies exposed to an environment with more stimulation will develop more synapses (brain cell connections) than those who are not stimulated.  Or more simply, that the talking, holding, singing, playing and exploring we do with a baby adds up to an increased capacity for learning that lasts throughout that child’s life.  There are a few key statistics that can very quickly reveal the significance of programming for this age group.  We now know, for example, that 50 percent of a person’s intellectual capacity is developed before age four.  Additionally, children learn over 80 percent of the vocabulary that will serve them all of their lives by the time they are five.  From this type of evidence, more and more libraries are deciding to add programming to serve families during this critically important period in the language and intellectual development of children.  Lapsit programs and services are valuable introductions to the wonderful world of language in which the very young child and adult together share a fun. Learning experience that they will then want to recreate.  These experiences also encourage early brain development with verbal, visual and tactile stimulation.  These programs provide an opportunity for parents, as their child’s best teacher, to gather ideas for more learning experiences at home. Stories, fingerplays, songs, and games, repeated at home, all add to a child’s cognitive development.  Parents will also enjoy opportunities to meet other parents of toddlers to exchange notes, give support, and develop friendships.

We have finished our second year of the Lapsit program and have found what activities work and got personal advice from parents that would help them.  We are planning for our third year and find that the program is working as the enrollment has grown and hopefully it will continue. 

For parents who are interested and want more information, please contact the library at 725-7722.