Staff outnumbered by toddlers?
There’s never enough early literacy programming to go around.
Early readers need more than books.
They need safe places to play, to meet friends, and to access resources not found at home. Their parents need a place to check email for 5 minutes. Their parents are also ride-or-die for the library. They won’t let budget cuts slide without a fight.
The Everbright is ideal for early literacy.
It considers the integration of the hands and the eyes in forming patterns.
Small children can:
- Develop the building blocks for early literacy. The hands, the eyes, and the brain are deeply interconnected. Early readers can use the Everbright to plot out the spelling of words and letters, turning the abstract concept of a letter into an embodied experience.
- Get familiar with basic concepts of geometry and mathematical thinking.
- Build spatial intelligence and logical problem-solving skills. The Everbright’s hexagonally-spaced dials provide a constraint that allows kids to use reasoning and spatial intelligence to design the picture in their imagination.
Get inspired.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the kids.
See two amazing moments in early childhood education.
1. Kids demonstrate mastery—even in early childhood.
2. Toddlers use creativity to solve problems in repeat visits with family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Children comprise 60% of public library patrons, while only 30% of public librarians are children’s librarians, according to the NCES. That’s a ratio of one youth services specialist for every 618 kids. What are those 617 kids doing when the children’s librarian is assisting someone else? They could be making connections, learning about patterns, counting, and shapes, and building their spatial intelligence and programming skills, on the Everbright.
By age two, a child’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s. Before they turn three, 85% of their brain’s core structure is already formed. Now is the time to capture their attention and inspire their imaginations.
Make your early childhood space indispensable.
According to a 2015 Pew research study, 85% of library patrons think libraries should offer free early literacy programs to help prepare kids for school, 89% think libraries should have more comfortable spaces for reading, working, and relaxing, and 96% think libraries should coordinate more closely with local schools in providing resources to kids.
It’s easy to make the case for something that checks off many of the boxes that families have always said they wanted.
This can be a highly subjective decision, and is much more individualized than you might think. Every space is going to be multigenerational, and everyone’s age mix is a bit different. Here are some videos to provide some context on how children like to use the Everbright:
https://theeverbright.com/moments
After much research and field observations, our recommendations for kids is to mount the bottom of the frame 12 to 16 inches above the floor, with 12 inches being appropriate for primarily younger kids, and 16 for primarily older kids. This allows people in wheelchairs to reach the lower row of dials, while older children will be able to reach the upper rows.
If your space is dedicated to early childhood, you might consider the Everbright Long, which measures approximately 8 feet long and 2.5 feet high.
Get pricing.
Understand the costs of the Everbright and other interactive feature light walls by reading
this pricing guide.
Looking for something custom?
Have questions? Begin the conversation below.