Family Learning Center Now Open At Dallas Public Library

DALLAS, GA — The Dallas Public Library recently opened its Family Learning Center, offering a dedicated space with free resources for caregivers to teach and improve a child's literacy skills in Dallas.

Funded through the Georgia Department of Education's Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading (L4GA) grant and Get Paulding Reading, the Family Learning Center opened Dec. 17 inside the library and is aimed at improving literacy in the early stages of child development.

According to Get Georgia Reading, two thirds of Georgia's third graders are not reading on grade level, which has "significant and long-term consequences for all Georgians, because low achievement in reading affects our economy, our safety and our health."

Third grade is the time when the curriculum shifts from learning to read, to reading to learn. That's why the third-grade reading level is an important milestone — and children unable to make the shift face barriers for future learning.

Dallas Public Library's new center offers learning games, vocabulary and sight word flash cards, practice materials, versatiles, hot dots and family word games for playing together to help provide resources to help close the reading gap in Georgia.

Visitors can check out two items at a time to teach and play at home, or "rent room" — though it's free — in the center to use the resources on-site, according to Library Manager Amy Mollenkamp.

"We are hoping that by opening up this center, we will be giving Paulding County the resources that they need to get their children to read on track," Mollenkamp said in a video posted on the Dallas Public Library's Facebook page.

The learning center is open for public use for the following hours:

• Monday through Thursday
  • 10 a.m. to noon
  • 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday
  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And for reservation use for tutors, homeschoolers and one-on-one studying, the center is open for the following hours:

• Monday through Thursday
  • Noon to 2 p.m.
  • 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday
  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The library is located at 1010 E. Memorial Drive in Dallas.