The Richards Memorial Library will be joining the Family Place Libraries™ national network, providing a welcoming community environment with resources to help families nurture their children's development and early learning during the critical first years of life. To help ensure all children enter school ready and able to learn, our new Family Place offers:

•  A specially designed space in the children's area for families with young children to relax, play, share books and meet other families.
•   Parent-Child Workshops- a five week series of fun, play-based activities for toddlers and their parents and caregivers. Rich with toys, books and art activities, the Workshops provide an opportunity for families to spend time together, make friends and talk one-on-one with specialists on various aspects of child development and early literacy. 
• Collections of books, toys, music and multimedia materials for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, parents and caregivers.
•  Librarians specially trained in child development and family support.

      As a Family Place Library, the Richards Memorial Library will partner with local family-serving agencies and professionals to help parents of young children build foundations for early learning.  Research has proven that the ways adults respond to and interact with children from birth-to-five years have dramatic effects on the brain, stimulating a child's social, emotional, and intellectual development. Parents and caregivers are their children’s first teachers and the Library is here to help them in that role. 

       The Family Place Libraries™ model is now in over 400 libraries in 29 states serving thousands of young children and their parents/caregivers. Richards Memorial Library is proud to be among them.  The Richards Memorial Library Family Place Program 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 (2016).