Environmental STEM: Play and Learn
Virginia Beach Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Virginia Beach Public Library’s (VBPL) Environmental STEM: Play and Learn initiative was designed to provide increased access to STEM learning opportunities for preschool children ages 3-5 with limited access to the library. The goal, rooted in professional education and training for library educators, was to develop STEM curriculum based on current trends and best practices in preschool education. With support from a Coastal Virginia 2023-2024 STEM Grant, the library developed 3 programs, with each highlighting a community helper within the related field. The themes were based on the local ecosystem and included Garden and Plants, Chesapeake Bay Habitat, and Pollinators. One of our goals was to make connections to how these concepts impact preschooler’s everyday lives and the people in and world around them. Community partners supporting the program were Beekeepers Guild of Southeastern VA, Lynnhaven River Now, and Virginia Beach Master Gardeners.
Challenge/Opportunity
VBPL staff identified a gap in access. Many community preschoolers, especially those from underserved communities, were unable to attend the library’s regularly scheduled preschool science programming. Additionally, many outreach classrooms lacked access to high-quality nonfiction titles and environmental text. Preschool STEM programming needed to be designed to encourage children to explore nature, interact through imaginative play, and participate in STEM library programming at an outreach to reach our audience where they already were - the preschool classroom setting. An additional challenge in project design was determining how to best adapt the library’s STEM curriculum for an outreach environment while reaching the highest number of children with the most lasting impact possible. We wanted the learning opportunities to continue long after the library staff left each childcare center.
Key Elements of Innovation
We believe the project approach was innovative in that it was rooted on the belief that there were learning opportunities available for everyone involved in the project. We identified that this project could provide a learning opportunity for library staff, childcare providers, community partners, parents, and preschoolers across our community. To support this, VBPL sent a librarian and a paraprofessional to the 2023 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Conference to learn the most up-to-date techniques for teaching STEM concepts to preschoolers. From this learning experience came the designs for the library-provided programs, the teacher classroom kits and classroom programs, and the take-home components. Library staff were able to model best practices for childcare providers who were then able to share with peers, preschoolers, and parents.
Achieved Outcomes
Between March and May, 2024 VBPL served 900 preschoolers through the Environmental STEM: Play and Learn project. Library staff provided 60 preschool classroom programs, distributed 60 classroom kits for continued learning, and distributed 900 take-home kits to preschool students. Achieved outcomes included increased access to high quality nonfiction titles in the 60 classrooms served. After interacting with this program, childcare providers were also able to identify high-quality STEM learning books and activities for continued learning in the classroom. Additional outcomes include participant’s ability to explain what a scientist is and the basics of the scientific method, understand and explain the role of a STEM career path within their community, and practiced independent problem solving through hands-on learning activities.
