New Grant to Fund Expanded Opportunities for Madison’s children at the Scranton Library

MADISON, CT (October 20, 2022) – The E.C. Scranton Library announces that it has been awarded a $300,000-dollar, 3-year grant from the Schumann Foundation to expand learning opportunities in their Children’s Department.

The grant funds will be used to host a museum exhibit every winter and offer free half- day summer camps for school age kids each summer, a significant expansion of the library’s services for children.

“Libraries play an important role in supporting the education and development of children,” said Lydia Holland, Head of Children’s Services. “Our expanded offerings will foster creativity, problem solving, and exploration.”

The program enhances the library’s goal to be a place for joyful learning, where kids can explore their interests by providing unique experiences, while also offering opportunities for families to learn together. Offering this kind of experiential learning is even more important in the summer months, when “summer slide” can cause school age children to lose academic ground. By offering fun, hands-on learning in the summer, Scranton Library hopes to help all children return to school ready to take on new academic challenges.

“This is a huge opportunity for us to do more for the families in Madison than we ever thought possible and we are so excited about it,” said Sunnie Scarpa, Library Director. “We are very grateful to the Schumann Foundation for encouraging us to think big and try new things - the consistent support of the Scranton Library by the Schumann Family through the generations is so inspiring to us and we look forward to carrying forward that legacy!”

The project will kick off with the first museum exhibit “Turtle Travels” from the Ithaca Science Center in January of 2023. In Turtle Travels, visitors experience how scientists track hidden turtles using telemetry, check out how their shell shapes are suited to different habitats, design a turtle-friendly housing development, watch a loggerhead sea turtle swim through the ocean, and much more!

To learn more about this and other upcoming initiatives at the Scranton Library attend the “Toast of the Town” event at the Library on Thursday, December 1st at 5:30pm - an evening to thank their supporters, celebrate accomplishments, and explore possibilities. For more information and to register for this event, go to: https://toastofthetown.eventbrite.com/