The Youth Services department welcomes parents, caregivers, and educators. Our staff are able to help you find resources for your children or assist with resources on literacy, technology, parenting, and more.
Children are always welcome to use the library! Older children who can manage their own behaviour can visit us independently; younger children must be accompanied by an adult.
Parents & Educators FAQs
We are happy to welcome classes to come visit the library!
To arrange a visit, please contact Youth Services Librarian, Kaley O’Brien. A few helpful guidelines to keep in mind:
- Please give us at least three weeks notice of your ideal visit date to ensure staff can be available.
- If possible, please provide us with a range of dates for your visit so we can find a mutually agreeable time.
- We try to tailor the visits as much as possible so they are useful for your students. Please give us as much information as you can on your current unit/theme of study, research project, etc.
Options for your visit
- Tour of the collection and browsing time.
- Introduction to the library’s online resources and how to access our collections.
- Research skills tailored to the age of your students.
- Book talks on material both new and tried and true.
- Storytime and/or age-appropriate read-aloud activities.
What can I do if my child or I come across content we find personally offensive in something we borrow from the library?
- Have a conversation
We understand that this can be a stressful and unpleasant experience, but it is also a great opportunity to have a thoughtful conversation with your child!
Research shows that children of all ages can learn about challenging topics like race or prejudice, and no age is too soon.
Check out the following resources to help guide your conversations:
Reach out to us
If you have concerns about an item’s place in our collection, please reach out to us to schedule a conversation with one of our professional librarians, or our Library Director
Request for Reconsideration
In the event that you continue to have concerns about an item in our collection, you can fill out our Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form
Once submitted, the item in question will be reviewed by the Library Director and our Board of Trustees, who will make the final decision about its place in our collection
Why might I encounter materials that contain content I find personally offensive in the library?
- Our collections are largely based off of patron requests, making them a reflection of our diverse and multifaceted community. What you find inappropriate could be just the right thing for someone else!
- Check out our Collections Policy to learn more about how items make their way into and out of our collection.
- Libraries have a set of professional values that includes Intellectual Freedom – this means that:
- We will not censor materials, decide what is appropriate, or judge what you and your family choose to check out.
- We trust you to make the right choice of materials for you and your family.
- We are here to provide you access to a wide range of materials that meet the varied needs of our vibrantly diverse community!
What can I do if I need help finding items that better suit my needs and the needs of my family?
- Ask us
- Check in with any member of our staff during your next visit to the library, we are always happy to help you!
- Tools on our website
- Check out our staff curated booklists for inspiration:
- Or try our Personal Reading Recommendations Form – tell us about your preferences and we will get back to you in a few days with some suggestions that meet your criteria!
- Whistler Community Services Society: WCSS provide programs and services that support social sustainability in Whistler. Their many services include the food bank, parenting classes, outreach support, and counselling assistance.
- Sea to Sky Community Services Society: SSCS provides services and programs for individuals and families in the Sea to Sky Corridor to enhance the quality of community life.
- School District 48: Information about public schools in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
- Parks and Recreation: Information about year-round programs for kids, after-school care, and summer camps.
- Vancouver Coastal Health: Providing services and resources locally including:
- Infant Development Program
- Nutrition & health
- Speech and language
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational therapist
- Pregnancy and early childhood
- Mental health
Early literacy
Early literacy includes all of the skills children need to get them ready to learn to read and write on their own!
It is never too early to start helping your child on their early literacy journey – parents are their children’s first and best teachers.
Our early years programs are based on the American Library Association’s Every Child Ready to Read — a research based initiative that outlines five daily practices that families can engage in to support early literacy development. These activities are:
- Reading
- Reading together is key! Modeling reading as an enjoyable activity for your child helps them to learn to love reading, and want to learn
- Talking
- Talking with your child helps them to build language and vocabulary skills
- Singing
- Singing is a fun way for children to learn words – it also helps them to recognize the smaller parts of words, which helps them sound things out when they are learning to read
- Writing
- Writing encourages kids to understand how reading works – the direction we read words in and how letters sound and combine to form words
- Playing
- Play is how young children learn and begin to understand their world. Playing word games, with music or rhymes, and encouraging the use of imagination and storytelling, can all make learning the skills they need to read fun and engaging
We offer a variety of early years programs to help you engage with new stories, songs, rhymes, and games to support your child’s early literacy development.
Our staff are also always available to help you find resources within our collection to support you and your family!
School aged children
Once children start school and begin reading on their own, parents still play a key role in their literacy development! Reading to and with your school aged child helps them to engage with reading material that may be too complex for them on their own, and provides them with a space to ask questions and stretch their reading skills.
It’s important to encourage your child to read what they are interested in and allow them to choose their own reading material. This fosters a love of reading, and will help your child to grow up a reader!
We offer programs for school aged children that encourage them to read what they love, express their creativity, and connect with other kids their age.
Our staff are also always available to help you and your child navigate our collection to find books they will enjoy!
Learn more
Check out these websites for more information about literacy development and how you can help your child learn and grow:
Reading 101: A Guide for Parents
National Center on Improving Literacy: Parents & Families