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Broward County Governmental Center
115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Broward County Governmental Center
115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Free, interactive tutoring in math, science, social studies and English. Available 24/7; also in Spanish.
Search and download thousands of titles for kids and teens. Featured lists are available for a variety of topics.
SAT/ACT Test prep classes and college readiness workshops prepare students for a successful path to college.
Participate in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge to increase your child's reading apptitude and child/parent bonding.
Find online resources for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Designed for kids and preloaded with high-quality, ad-free mobile apps that are both fun and educational. No connectivity or downloading required.
Suggestions appear as you type. Matching items open automatically while you search.
EBooks and eAudiobooks for children and teens.
Compatible devices include Kindle, Kindle Fire, Nook and more. Visit Technical Support and Overdrive Help for more assistance.
Early Literacy Activities - Help your child get ready to read with these simple activities. It’s never too early to start!
1. Talking - Talk with your child.
Make sure your child has opportunities to talk with you, not just listen to you talk. Stretch your child’s vocabulary. Use new words. The more words your child hears the better! Teach your child specific names of items in the grocery store or things you see every day.
2. Singing - Sing wherever you are. Sing the alphabet song to teach about letters. Sing nursery rhymes to teach sounds. Clap to the rhythms in songs to teach syllables in words.
3. Reading - Read together with your child every day! Visit your local library for books and story times. Have interactive reading experiences. Talk about the book cover. Have a conversation about the story. Ask questions to improve comprehension skills.
4. Writing - Provide opportunities for your child to draw and write. Keep paper, crayons, markers and white boards available where children can write, draw or scribble. Encourage your child to trace their name and simple words. Talk about what your child draws and write words on the page to tell what’s happening.
5. Playing - Have Fun! Make sure your child has plenty of unstructured playtimes. Encourage dramatic play with puppets or stuffed animals. Have your child re-enact a familiar story to develop vocabulary and language skills.
AWE Early Literacy Stations @ BCL - Early Literacy Stations are touch screen computers, designed specifically for early learners from preschool age children to those in third grade. Each station comes preloaded with more than 60 games that span multiple curriculum areas – from reading to graphic arts to STEM subjects to music. Visit the locations listed below to see how this new technology supports school readiness, encourages children to explore and learn independently, and cultivates a love of learning.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten - It is never too early to start reading to your child. Complete the 1,000 books before kindergarten challenge.
ABCmouse for Libraries - Only accessible from within a library
Kids will learn to read through phonics, interactive puzzles, and games. Subjects include math, social studies, art, music and more. For kids age 2-8.
Colorín Colorado - A bilingual site featuring activities and resources for teachers and families of English language learners.
Early Literacy - American Academy of Pediatrics
Access early literacy tools and resources for parents, families, and caregivers and are also available on the AAP parenting website, HealthyChildren.org.
Just Read, Families! - Suggestions and resources to help build your child's reading skills by Florida Department of Education.
Miss Humblebee’s Academy - online curriculum that prepares children ages 3-6 for kindergarten. It offers hundreds of programs and activities in math, art, music, language and literacy, science and social studies. It can be accessed by computer, smart phone and digital tablet. Some of the curriculum is available offline in the form of printables and practice worksheets.
Read Aloud 15 Minutes. Every Child. Every Parent. Every Day. Reading material and activities for building your child's vocabulary and pre-literacy skills.
Reading Rockets - library of evidence-based class strategies to help young children become skilled readers.
You're invited to participate in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge to increase your child's reading aptitude and develop positive child/parent bonding.
Challenge Details
Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes, you can repeat books) before your child starts kindergarten. If you read just one book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have plenty of time.
Visit the Broward County Schools website and then register with Beanstack (link on Schools webpage) and you will be able to log and track your reading, and gather badges and rewards!
It's a fun and exciting challenge that will benefit both you and your child!
Both special spaces are located on the second floor of the Main Library, they're free and open to the public. Hours: Monday-Wednesday: 10AM-8PM; Thursday-Saturday: 10AM-6PM (Closed Sunday)
Educationally rich children's play space that provides developmentally appropriate play activities to promote school readiness. Designed to look like a seaside village, the Active Learning Center provides children the opportunity to cook and clean in the playhouse, shop at miniature stores, play on a boat in a Big Blue Ocean, cuddle sea animals in Baby Bay, ride a train downtown, perform shows on a stage and explore countless bins of books and building and play materials. The free-flowing model village allows children to develop flexible strategies for creative play as they experiment, interact, try new items and problem solve. Parents and caregivers can look for teachable moments, asking open-ended questions that build imagination and understanding.
Groups and preschools with children birth to five may contact the library at 954-357-7444 to arrange special group visits. Early learning educators may request a special hands-on training, "Interactive Manipulative Use in the Early Learning Classroom," through the Community Engagement section, at 954-357-7336.
The Broward County Library Active Learning Center has been developed by the library in collaboration with the Broward Public Library Foundation, through the generous support of the Eugenie Suter fund, and with additional funding from the BookFellows of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Library's Community Engagement section.
Calling all creative teens (ages 13-19). The Studio is your place for exploration, expression and all things innovative.
Highlights:
Reservations: Schools and groups with teens (ages 13-19) please call 954-357-7348 or email thestudio@broward.org to schedule a visit.
Playaway Launchpad tablets are designed just for kids and preloaded with high-quality, ad-free apps that are both fun and educational. Every Launchpad is 100% secure, providing hours of interactive learning and play without the risk of exposure to unintended content.
Children can read to a pet therapy dog! This program improves reading skills and gives children a unique way to practice reading. Each child can read a story to a friendly and gentle dog from the Humane Society's Pet Facilitated Therapy program.
To participate at a library near you, visit the Events Calendar. Ages vary, check event listing.
Read-alongs are the perfect tool for reducing your children’s screen time, encourage reading and improve literacy skills.
We offer both Playaway Wonderbooks and VOX™ Books. The Wonderbooks' collection includes picture books, easy readers and titles for older readers, including chapter books. They also feature a Learning Mode, which provides a fun, educator-vetted question-and-answer session that keeps kids talking about the books they just read. VOX™ Books' collection features picture books and easy readers. Bilingual Spanish/English titles are available.
Browse and place holds for read-along books or visit at any Broward County Library location.
Hoopla has read-along eBooks - no waiting, stream immediately.
Your ID is Your Key offers students outstanding, free educational resources. The BCL Digital Direct Library Card is available via opt-in forms distributed by teachers at all Broward County Public Schools.
Education - via USA.gov - Find information about Federal Student Aid for college, how to study in the U.S. and libraries.
Ready for College is a free college admissions readiness program, including a monthly SAT and ACT prep classes for college bound students.
Call Dial-A-Story at 954-357-7777
Easy to access free storytime-by-phone service, available 24/7, features four different stories at a time. The stories are changed every other week and consists of professionally recorded contemporary tales, timeless classics and favorite fairy and folk tales that are geared toward young children for loads of fun.
Precauciones para el uso de Internet
An interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates.
Broward County Public Library maintains a CIPA solution to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2001. If you are age 17 and older, you may request a staff member to temporarily disable the blocked web site you are trying to access during your online session. A staff member may ask you to produce a photo ID with your birth date before doing so.
If you continue to try to access a blocked site more than three times, without requesting a temporary override from a staff member, your Internet session will be terminated, and may result in your being denied the use of library computers.
If you are age 17 and older, and you believe a website should not be permanently blocked - in compliance with CIPA, you may request a review of the site by asking a staff member for a copy of the Website Review Form. The form may also be used to request a CIPA-compliant site be permanently blocked. Upon completing all the required information and submitting the form to a staff member, the site will be evaluated, and you will be notified of the outcome.