Sun Prairie Public Library Partners in National Project to Improve Play Spaces for Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 11, 2024
Jake King
Communications and Diversity Strategist
jking@cityofsunprairie.com
(608) 332-5397

Sun Prairie Public Library Partners in National Project to Improve Play Spaces for Children

The City of Sun Prairie is excited to announce that the Sun Prairie Public Library has been selected to participate in a grant project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), titled Mapping Children’s Play in Museums and Libraries. This initiative aims to explore how museums and libraries create and manage play-based programs and spaces, with participation from two other Wisconsin cities: Appleton and Madison. The library will be involved from January through September 2025.

Library staff will collaborate to design and implement professional development materials focused on promoting equity, assessment, and advocacy in play spaces. One key outcome will be the development of a diversity audit tool, allowing museum and library professionals to evaluate their play programs for diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging. Additionally, the project will produce a typology of play offerings in these institutions, analyzing the forms, purposes, materials, and theoretical foundations that underpin play programs for children up to 12 years old. Led by Dr. Rebekah Willett and Dr. Peter Wardrip of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the ultimate goal of the project is to enhance the understanding of how play can be leveraged as a tool for learning and development in public spaces.

“This grant allows the youth services department to explore how the library can better support diverse play,” said Lynn Montague, Head of Youth Services at the Sun Prairie Public Library. “With this insight, we can further enrich our spaces for young patrons.” For more information about the grant, please visit https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/lg-256713-ols-24.

To learn more about the Library’s youth services, please go to https://www.sunprairiepubliclibrary.org/sppl-kids-page

About City of Sun Prairie

Sun Prairie is a vibrant and thriving community located in northeastern Dane county, just east of the City of Madison. The City of Sun Prairie has experienced strong population growth since its incorporation from a village to a city in 1958, undergoing a transformation from a relatively small community of less than 4,000 to an estimated 39,419 today.

To learn more about the library’s youth services, please visit: https://www.sunprairiepubliclibrary.org/sppl-kids-page