Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement

The Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association explore what family engagement is, the research behind why families matter for children’s learning, and why libraries matter for family engagement. The rich digital and hands-on resources libraries offer, especially when guided by librarians, can help families steer, guide, and support learning. The report highlights five actions that libraries are taking to engage all families in children’s learning from early childhood and throughout the school years. These five areas include reaching out, raising up, reinforcing, relating, and reimagining.