Free educational resources and tutoring available for students with learning differences at the Wayne County Public Library
Free educational resources and tutoring available for students with learning differences at the Wayne County Public Library
Transcription pens, communication boards, tutoring, and more!
As families shop for back to school supplies, it’s no secret that the cost of common items on everyone’s list really add up. Additional resources are often needed for students with learning differences as well, though, and this can prove cost prohibitive for some families. A library in Eastern North Carolina developed a program to address that need. That program is Wayne County Public Library’s Learning Studio.
“It is estimated that about 20% of children have either a diagnosed or undiagnosed learning difference which may impact their ability to read proficiently,” shares Maegen Wilson, Assistant Director of the Wayne County Public Library. “Investing in specialized educational resources to support their children with learning differences can be costly for families, so we developed a collection of resources at the library for families to check out and use through the Learning Studio.”
Speech therapy devices, communication boards, transcription pens, adaptive scissors, and a special collection of books, audio books, and games are available for use and for check out through the Wayne County Public Library’s Learning Studio. In fact, anyone with a Wayne County Public Library card can check these items out.
There’s more to the Learning Studio than the physical items you can check out, though. Programs and talks have been held so families and community members have more information about learning differences. This summer, free tutoring for students with learning differences was also available to 1st through 8th grade students with a qualifying referral. The tutoring sessions took place at the nearby First Christian Church in Goldsboro.
The grandmother of one student who participated in the Learning Studio’s tutoring shared, “The tutoring session this summer has been wonderful because it’s continued his learning over the summer. His reading comprehension has improved. It’s been a lot better. His socialization skills have improved.” She went on to add, “It’s a free thing, and that’s very important as this provides service for everybody.”
Other parents shared that the resources and programs not only helped the children, but helped the parents, too. They were able to learn more about their children’s differences, and ways to connect with them and communicate with them.
The Learning Studio is a joint project between the Wayne County Public Library and the Wayne County Public Schools and is made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-253645-OLS-23).