Wallingford School Library Launches New Family Fun Kits Program

WALLINGFORD, CT — Rock Hill Elementary School in Wallingford recently launched a new program that offers Family Fun Kits to students that reinforce the reading strategies that are taught in each classroom.

The unique program is funded by a grant through the Walmart in Wallingford, according to Rock Hill School Librarian Melanie Widman.

Widman said with funding through the grant, she curated a collection of 16 Family Fun Kits that contain games, books, and activities for families to play together at home.

The school recently held a ribbon-cutting for the kits that are now available for circulation at the library.

The Family Fun Kits were unveiled as part of Rock Hill’s 3rd Grade Literacy Night last month, according to Widman.

“We are very excited about this unique opportunity for Rock Hill students and their families,” Widman said.

Widman said the process for bringing the program to fruition started in 2022 when she was contacted by Evelyn Smiles from the Walmart Academy regarding Read Across America week. She was looking for opportunities to support local students, according to Widman.

“Since we were still dealing with Covid restrictions at that time, I set up a virtual read aloud through a Google Meet for one of her staff members to read aloud to our students,” Widman told Patch. “Her staff did an amazing job engaging our students with a wonderful book. It was through one of these conversations that Evelyn informed me about grant opportunities through the Walmart Foundation for schools and other non-profit organizations. She shared with me where I would go to register our school and apply for the grant. It was a pretty straightforward process, and Evelyn was always available to answer any of my questions.”

Widman said the entire process from writing the grant to getting the kits on the library shelves has been a “labor of love.”

“Applying for the grant was not difficult, but curating the materials, creating the kits, and preparing them for the library took a bit more time and effort than I expected,” she said. “There was a great deal of excitement when the kits were ready for circulation. It is so much fun to see the smiles and hear the excited conversations when students are checking the kits out. I am also enjoying hearing students tell me how much they and their families enjoyed the kits when the kits are returned.

“At this point, all of the kits are checked out, and we have several kits currently on hold. We have students waiting to check out their first kit as well as students waiting to check out a second kit. It is exciting to bring a new opportunity to our learners and a unique way for the school to work with families in supporting our readers.”