FAMILY SUPPORT  SERVICES

Do You or Your Child Need Health Insurance?

A representative from Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council provides information, and will enroll qualified children and adults in Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and/or Medicaid.

Family Center

A certified social worker provides family support  through individual meetings and referrals to appropriate health and human services agencies. Free of charge, confidential, and open to families residing in the North Brookhaven area. Call 631.585.9393, ext. 290 to leave a confidential message.

Free Immunizations: Shots for Tots

A service provided by the Suffolk County Department  of Health. Please bring child’s immunization  record.

Kids in Care

For family childcare providers and the young children in their care. Receive early literacy home visits from a trained children’s librarian,  and borrow a kit of age appropriate books, music and toys.

Nursery School Fair

Meet representatives from local nursery schools, child care centers and family child care providers who will be available to answer your questions.

Parent-Child Home Program

For families and children ages 18 to 26 months.
A school readiness and family support program providing home visiting free of charge to eligible families with limited access to educational opportunities. Participating families receive free toys and books to keep in their home.

Something  Special

For children with special needs and their families.
Features activities appropriate for all abilities and opportunities for socialization.

Welcome New Baby

For expectant parents and children two to six years.
Helps prepare siblings for the arrival of a new baby through the use of stories, an art activity, puppets and life-size dolls.

Toys to Go

A circulating collection of recreational and educational toys for infants through age six, including adaptive toys and switches for young children with special needs.

LlBRARY  KITS

Hospital Kits

Feature a selection of reading materials and activities for parents and preschool/ school-age children to share during their hospital stay.

New Sibling Kits

Books, media, activities, a doll and role playing accessories to prepare your child for their new sibling.

Library Link Kits

Thematic early literacy kits for children  birth through  three years that contain books, puzzles, puppets,  and other toys on a variety of themes.

Project  Link Kits

Thematic early literacy kits for three to five year old children  that contain a selection of picture books, related literacy activities and educational toys.

Science Literacy  Preschool Kits

Age appropriate science materials for parents and educators to share  with the children in their careon a variety of topics.

MATERIALS  AND  RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

The Parents Collection

Covers every aspect of child rearing and parenting. Resources include books, DVDs, magazines and newsletters, online resources, and displays of current news and information for parents.

211 Long Island Database

A free, non-emergency information and referral database that connects users to detailed information on over 10,000 health and human service agencies. (http://www.211longisland.org)

PROGRAMS FOR PARENTS, CAREGIVERS AND CHILDREN AGES BIRTH  TO FIVE

Explore and Play Programs

Birth to five years.
Interactive programs (Early Childhood Workshop, Stay and Play, Toddlers Explore, Baby and Me)featuring art, movement and child-directed play activities.

Music and Movement  Programs

Birth to five years.
High-energy programs (Mommy and Me Yoga, Hip Hop Tots, Parachute Play) featuring instruments, props, music and movement.

Books, Songs & Rhymes

Birth to three years.
Fun-filled programs (Young and the Restless, Mother Goose, Pajama Storytime, Storytimes for Twos and Threes) offering stories, music, songs, rhymes and finger plays.

Parent-Child Workshop

One to three years.
Over the course of five weeks, spend time together, play, make friends, and talk one-on-one with specialists on child development.

Reading Club Programs

Birth through school age.
Summer and winter reading clubs foster the love of reading. Participating families receive special incentives.

PROGRAMS JUST FOR PARENTS

Baby Bump

Meet and chat with other expectant moms, talk with health care professionals about pregnancy and infant care, and make a special gift for your new baby.

Moms’ Group

Affiliated with the National Association of Mothers’ Centers, this weekly group focuses on the needs of mothers, encourages discussion about parenting, and provides open play time for children.

Parenting  Workshops

Various programs are offered throughout the year focusing on normal, day-to-day challenges, as well as specific topics of interest to parents.

OUR FAMILY PLACE AREAS

The Hagedorn Family Place area in the Centereach building and the Rauch Family Place area in Selden are safe, fun environments where you and your young child can read, play and learn. These specially-designed spaces feature materials for children and parents including board books, picture books, toys, puzzles, blocks, and drawing stations, all creating opportunities for little ones to explore. As your child’s first and most important teacher, these activities will help you build your child’s early literacy skills.

The library budget vote passed, 300-103. Lisa Mitnick was re-elected to the Board of Trustees.

Thank you for your support!

Annual Message and Budget Information

From the Board of Trustees

We are proud to announce that for the sixth year in a row the library has received a Five Star rating from Library Journal. The recognition takes into account patron visits, circulation of materials, program offerings and internet public use. Our borrowers checked out nearly 1,100,000 items; 77,000 patrons of all ages attended programs; more than 750 community group meetings were held; and more than 510,000 visitors passed through our doors. 2013 was another busy year for the library!

We’ve embraced the world of technology while continuing to be the community’s hub and your neighborhood library. Regardless of age, stage in life, special interests or enthusiasms, we have something for you. Need a good book or DVD? Are you considering a new career path? Do you need assistance with your mobile device or library online resource? Would you like to attend a musical performance? Are you wondering how you can help your child succeed in school? The Library is here for you.

As part of our annual message, we provide a summary of next year’s budget. The proposed 2014/2015 budget reflects an increase of 1.7%, which is below the tax cap limitation.

Our goal is to continue to provide exemplary service, programs, and resources and remain a steady local employer. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm.

Click here to view the 2014-2015  budget information.

Click here to view the Trustee Election information.

Library Budget Vote & Trustee Election

Tuesday, April 8, 2014
9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
at the Centereach Building
101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach, NY 11720

In order to vote you must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• 18 years of age or older
• Registered to vote*
• A resident of Middle Country School District  #11 for at least 30 days prior ot the vote

* You are registered if you have voted in a general, school, or library election within the last four years. If you have not, you may register on Tuesday, April 1st between 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Centereach Building.

Absentee ballot applications are available at the Customer Service Desk.

Lisa Mitnick

Lisa Mitnick (formerly Canari) has served on the Middle Country Public Library Board of Trustees since September of 2007.  A resident of the Middle Country School District for 28 years, Mitnick is no stranger to the Middle Country Public Library, having worked there for six years while in high school and college. “I started out as a page in high school.  After graduating college, I went on to work full-time in marketing but remained involved by joining the Women’s Expo Planning Committee.  The library has given so much to me and my family that I was happy to serve on the Board.”  Ms. Mitnick graduated from the New York Institute of Technology in June of 1997 with a B.S. in Communication Arts.  She left People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union in 2008 where she was the Senior Marketing/PR Manager for nine years.   While there, she was responsible for strategic planning and implementation of the marketing and public relations department.  She currently works as a part-time Sales Representative for DomTy Promotions in Bay Shore.  This position allows her to spend more time with her eight-year-old daughter, Isabella and three-year-old daughter, Gianna.

In addition to serving on the Library Board, Mitnick is currently involved in Holbrook Road’s PTA.  In the past, Lisa has served on the Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce Board; Smithtown Central School District’s Industry Advisory Board; and the Sachem School District’s Business Alliance.  Ms. Mitnick lives in Centereach with her husband Keith and their daughters, Isabella and Gianna.

Return to Annual Message and Budget Information.

MCPAC Online Catalog

Encore Online Catalog

Program Registration

211 Long Island – Community Resource Database of Long Island

Catastrophe Readiness Clearinghouse

Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Book Lists 

What is the Teen Art Gallery?

It’s an online collection of pieces from our annual Teens Create @ MCPL art show that features paintings, photography, fashion, sculpture, and creative writing from local teens that have been displayed in our Teen Resource Center in Selden for the past few years.

Give yourself some time to chill out this summer, kick back and read!

Join a reading club today!

Children’s Reading Club

Keep your kids reading. The children’s summer reading club is a bonanza – interesting books, great prizes, and an exciting club party. Sign up and collect a packet at the Youth Services Desk in Centereach or Selden.Dig into a great book!  Families are invited to join this year’s Summer Reading Program, Dig Into Reading. Learn about dirt, gardens, dinosaurs, construction, buried treasure, insects, and the great outdoors as you dig into a good book.  This year’s program will include lots of interesting reads, fun prizes and exciting summer reading club party.

Registration begins: Thursday, June 12, 2014.
Reporting on books begins: Tuesday, July 1  – Thursday,August 14, 2014.
Summer Reading Club Party:  Saturday, August 16, 2014

Little Einsteins: Read-to-me: Birth-5 years old

Chemistry Kids: School age: Kindergarten – 2nd grade

Mad Scientists: School age: 3rd – 6th grade

School’s out and it’s time to join our teen summer reading club. Explore dystopian worlds, scientific mysteries and magical inventions. Take a fantastical trip through other worlds with the flip of a page. Teens who read 1, 3 or 6 books qualify for prizes! Teens who read six books or more will be entered into a special raffle drawing to win additional prizes sponsored by local businesses at our Science of the Mind summer reading celebration. Visit any reference desk for further details. Summer reading celebration will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2014.  | Join the Club

Join the 2014 Adult Summer Reading Club and enjoy a summer filled with books, audiobooks, or eBooks of your own
choosing. Read, relax and submit your reading selections to get a ticket to an awesome end of summer celebration!
Summer reading celebration will be held on Thursday, August 28, 2014. |  Join the Club or Submit Your Review

Visit our Readers’ Advisory page for new ideas! CLICK HERE This page is available year round from the featured Adults menu on the homepage.

Remember you can select the Middle Country Reads “Fallout” by Todd Strasser as one of your choices for this Summer Reading Club.  Read More

In an effort to make our Museum Pass program available to the widest range of patrons, we ask that you read the following guidelines:

• The library circulates a limited number of passes to area museums. Reservations may be made online via Tixkeeper, our fully automated calendar based system, which is accessible by following the links on the library webpage. Patrons may also make reservations in person at the Children’s reference desk or by calling us at 585-9393 ext. 108. Museum passes can be reserved up to 60 days in advance.

• Museum passes are for Middle Country district residents only. Patrons must be 19 years of age and older and hold a valid, unexpired, unblocked, library card with fines not exceeding $7.50 to use the reservation system.

• Museum passes can be picked up during regular business hours at the Youth Services desk at the Centereach building. The passes must be returned to the Centereach building, in either the automated drop-off or at the Customer Services desk.

• Each patron can have a maximum of 4 passes on request at any moment and no more than 1 for each particular museum.

• Passes are lent out for a period of two days and cannot be renewed. The pass must be returned to the Centereach building prior to closing on the third day. Please reserve your pass for the day you intend to pick it up at the library. If the library is closed on the day the pass is due, the pass will be due by closing the next day the library is open. Reserve the pass for the day you plan to pick it up at the library.

• A fee of $10.00 will be charged for any pass returned late. A non-refundable fee of $25.00 will be charged to any person who loses a pass.

• The library has a limited number of passes and therefore if a pass comes back late or is lost, the library may not be able to honor reservations.
  

• The library reserves the right to review and amend these guidelines as it becomes necessary.

 PLEASE CALL OR CHECK THE MUSEUM’S WEBSITE TO VERIFY HOURS OF OPERATION
PRIOR TO REQUESTING A PASS

A year long series at Middle Country Public Library in partnership with the Islamic Association of Long Island – Selden Masjid.

The Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Bookshelf grant was awarded to over 900 public and academic libraries through a joint effort of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. Funding for the development and distribution of the Bookshelf grants is provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. These Bookshelf grants are to highlight the importance of civility in American life and the role of libraries in fostering community conversations which bring the humanities alive to the public. The Chairman of the Bridging Cultures initiative, Jim Leach, said, “There may be no institution more civil than the public library. Libraries are centers of learning that offer a welcome space where members of the public can learn about the history we share and express different points in an ethos of openness and mutual respect.” This award consists of a collection of 26 books, 3 films, and a year’s access to the Oxford Islamic Studies Online research database. There are five themes, each developed by a nationally known scholar, which provide the context for reading, viewing, and discussing.

Featured Genres

Middle Country Public Library

Middle Country Public Library (MCPL) serves as a dynamic community hub with comprehensive programs and services that meet the needs of local residents and, through grants and fund raising, provides leadership and training for libraries across Long Island and the nation. Since its inception in the mid-1950s, the library has been redefining the public library. Working in partnership with the business, social service, health, education, civic and philanthropic communities, Middle Country has evolved into a forward thinking organization, willing to learn about and adopt concepts from other industries, and then integrate them within the public library setting.

Over the years, the Library has drawn from business world models to develop entrepreneurial solutions to funding issues, while broadening the scope, reach, and definition of what a library can be. MCPL has created an immensely successful and flexible model of library service that is consumer driven and, through its willingness to partner with other organizations, has given rise to new and innovative service models. It is this entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit that has helped MCPL grow from its humble beginnings in the 1950s to the Long Island institution it is today.

Purchase one-day admission tickets for $23.00 (regular price $33.95) at the Customer Services desk in the Centereach library.

A non-refundable payment of $23.00 is due at the time of purchase for each ticket. The library accepts cash, check or money order (made payable to “Middle Country Public Library”), or credit card (Mastercard, Visa or Discover).

Tickets expire on 12/31/2014 Five (5) tickets per MCPL library card holder.

The Total Experience ticket includes one admission to the zoo and to the following special attractions:

• 4-D Theater, Bug Carousel
• Butterfly Garden
• Congo Gorilla Forest
• JungleWorld
• Wild Asia Monorail
• Zoo Shuttle

For more information about the Bronx Zoo visit their website.

The Allstate Foundation has awarded a $35,000 grant to support the library’s Allstate Readiness Series, a year-long series providing programs on Teen Safe Driving and Financial Empowerment for women, particularly survivors of domestic violence. For more information on this series, visit www.readinessbeginswithme.org or call Lori Abbatepaolo at 585-9393 ext. 295.

Pictured l-r: Sue Bohrer-Braun and Michele Martin, Allstate agents; Allison McMahon, regional division manager, Allstate Foundation and Sara Fade, librarian.

Introducing Zinio, our new digital magazine collection! You will love the convenience of reading your favorites like Rolling Stone, O!, Macworld, Men’s Fitness, Forbes, and Food Network Magazine, and exploring a selection of 50 additional titles available through our eDownload service. Experience the convenience of Zinio – your magazines anytime, anywhere. Simply visit the adult services section of our website and click eDownloads to get started.

Are you considering a new career path? Would you like to improve your job skills? Looking for alternatives to college? Thinking about becoming an entrepreneur? With support from Bank of America, the Miller Business Center will be offering Pathways to Career Success, a series of workshops geared towards improving job readiness in our region. Programs will cover job search strategies, resume writing, workplace etiquette, business planning and much more. The next series of workshops will be held this spring. One -on-one guidance from Miller staff is available now. For more information please contact Alex Blend at 631-585-9393 ext. 272 or blendalex@middlecountrypubliclibrary.org.

Pictured l-r: Elizabeth Malafi, coordinator, Miller Business Center, Sophia Serlis- McPhillips, library director; Mario Ruggiero, senior vice president and Lorraine Aycock, market development manager, Bank of America

Middle Country Public Library is looking for your historical, vintage pictures of yesteryear that show how life used to be in the Centereach and Selden area for a local book project.

If you have any photographs of historical Middle Country you would like to contribute, please contact Theresa Arroyo at (631) 585-9393 ext. 294.

EatPlayGrow™ Curriculum 

EatPlayGrow™ is a new early childhood health curriculum and the first to be federally approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC). In partnership with the NIH, Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) adapted the We Can!®obesity prevention program (originally for ages 8-13) to create EatPlayGrow™ for use with children ages 6 and younger and their adult caregivers. This curriculum combines the latest science and research from the NIH with CMOM’s holistic arts and literacy-based approach to engage families and adults who work with young children with creative programs and consistent health messages in informal and formal learning environments.

Bring EatPlayGrow™ to your community!

The curriculum offers a series of 11 healthy lifestyle lessons with hands-on activities, essential facts and simple strategies that make healthy choices fun and easy to include in daily routines—at home, at school or in the community. Each educational lesson is aligned with the appropriate National Pre-K Health Performance Standards and addresses the multiple ways children learn through storytelling, art-making, music and movement activities to teach the importance of making positive choices in the areas that most affect health: nutrition, physical activity and sleep.

Designed for use by families, educators, home-based childcare providers, community organizers, health advocates, librarians and others who work with young children, the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum can be easily adapted into family life and existing programming, or stand alone as its own health unit!

CMOM offers Professional Development trainings at the museum and a special series of webinars with the NIH starting in January 2014. Click here for more information.

Download the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum and start learning now!

CMOM’s National Outreach Dissemination Partners

As part of its EatSleepPlay™ health initiative, CMOM has tested the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum with families and caregivers. By leveraging and connecting CMOM’s relationships with the National Head Start Association, Association of Children’s Museums, and Family Place Libraries–in addition to the NIH’s 1,000 We Can!® community partner sites–and as a Let’s Move! Museum partner, the EatSleepPlay™ initiative will be replicated through existing national networks with tremendous reach at the grassroots level in order to improve health and education services in high-need communities.

The following partners will help CMOM disseminate the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum free of charge throughout the country to their constituent organizations:

National Institute of Health

Let’s Move!

   First Book

 Association of Children’s Museums

 National Head Start Association

   Family Place Libraries

Contact slim@cmom.org to learn how to join the EatPlayGrow™ a dissemination network.

The EatPlayGrow™: curriculum has been developed with the generous support of the Laurie M.Tisch Illumination Fund; the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Goldman Sachs Gives; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; United Way of New York City; Walmart Foundation; Joan Ganz Cooney Fund at the New York Community Trust; and Amherst Foundation.

Congratulations to “The Tributes of Middle Country”, who won the 2012 Suffolk County Battle of the Books!

The 2012 Battle of the Books was held on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at Javits Lecture Center, Stony Brook University. The Suffolk County Battle of the Books program is an inter-library competition between teams of teens (students entering grades 6-9 in the fall) focused on 8 young adult novels. The competition is divided into two back-to-back 4-hour Regional Competitions and an Awards Night. At the Regional Competition, each team gets to participate in 4 separate rounds. Each round covers 2 of the 8 books and each team is given 20 questions per round. Titles to be covered in each round are announced in advance but not specifically mentioned in the questions. At the Awards Night, the top 2 scoring teams from each region competed for the County Championship.

Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s Battle of the Books. Special thanks to our coaches, teens, parents, and all volunteers who helped to make this year’s Battle of the Books a success.

Need help writing your resume?
Thinking of starting a new career?
Want to ace your next interview?

Make an appointment with one of our career counselors. Available for district residents ages 14 and up, career counselors provide confidential appointments for employment, occupational and college counseling. Appointments are available at various times in both buildings.

For further information or to make an appointment, please call the Miller Business Resource Center Desk at 631-585-9393 ext. 133.

Faster and More Convenient Service!

Come in and see our upgraded customer service areas – the result of our Customer Service Modernization Project. Try our touch-screen self-check and automated return stations for speedier checkout and a more effective return process; check out multiple items simultaneously; tap the kiosk screen to print a receipt for your borrowed items; use the 24/7 drive up return station in Centereach. Staff members will always be available to help you navigate the system and expedite your transaction.

This cost-saving, state-of-the-art system has been implemented at libraries across the country, and has received enthusiastic response from patrons who appreciate the fast, efficient service.  Staff members are freed from routine tasks and can assume more interesting and challenging roles – working with library programs and providing notary, fax, computer and online services. Clearly a win-win situation, we are sure you will appreciate the upgraded service.

Question/Answer Fact Sheets are available at the library or on our website at www.mcpl.lib.ny.us. For further information, please contact Sophia Serlis-McPhillips at 631-585-9393 ext. 219 or serlismc@mcpl.lib.ny.us.

Hearing Loop now available in Centereach

The library is pleased to announce the availability of a Hearing Loop system in the Community Room in the Centereach building. The hearing loop transmits sound through an installed wire that “loops” around a portion of the room allowing patrons with hearing aids to pick up the signal. The signal is directed to a part of a hearing aid called a T-Coil enabling the loop to eliminate distracting background noise and reverberation. The Loop will be available during any program in which an audiovisual component system is used, including film, musical performances, and speaking  engagements. The system’s installation was made possible by a generous donation from the Foundation for Sight & Sound. For further information, please contact Sal DiVincenzo at 631-585-9393 ext. 216.

Motorola Solution Foundation Awards $20,000 to support the Jumpstart Science Initiative: Math Buddies, an innovative program that pairs teens with children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The goal of the program is to incorporate the ideals of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative into the learning process. Prior to serving as a Math Buddy, teens participate in training sessions to learn math and mentoring skills and strategies, and to integrate technology into the learning experience.

During the sessions, teens mentor their buddies in math concepts, play web-based math games, use iPads with interactive math applications and read aloud to their partners. Each session of the Math Buddies program focuses on a specific topic, such as money, addition and subtraction, data and graphs, patterns, time and measurement.