At story time, families gather to hear stories, sing songs and play together.  Children's librarian Jen McKenzie designs a story time each week that supports babies' and young children's learning in many areas: literacy, math, social skills, and emotional development.

Jen weaves early literacy skills into each aspect of the story time.  Beginning with a welcome song, she emphasizes phonological awareness through rhyming and repetition.  Children pick out their names, or letters that their names begin with, and practice letter recognition.  As Jen reads the stories, she provides narratives that the children can relate to, and lays the foundation for print motivation.