Special Needs Access at your Public Library (S.N.A.P.L.)

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

In 2012, the Temecula Public Library received a grant, from The Roripaugh Family Foundation with matching funding from the Friends of the Temecula Public Libraries, to develop special services for families of children with special needs in their local community. The project was named S.N.A.P.L. or Special Needs Access at your Public Library. The goal of this grant was to promote literacy, provide enhanced educational opportunities, and to offer integrated socialization of children with special needs at the library. Funds from the grant were utilized to provide inclusion training for library staff, educational workshops for parents, the creation of a new materials collection (resources for children and parents), creation of S.N.A.P.L. storytimes for children ages 2-5, three new iPads, and a new Play and Learn Island with educational manipulatives for hands-on learning. Outcomes of S.N.A.P.L. were numerous. Beginning with increasing staff awareness and sensitivity regarding challenges faced by families of children with special needs, the expansion and increased visibility of the library’s special needs collection, resulting in increased parental awareness of the library as a valuable resource for assisting families with children with special needs.