Watha T. Daniel-Shaw
Neighborhood Library

I was relaxing at the well-known coffee shop in Adam’s Morgan on a day off when I began to reflect upon how useful and how American the institution of the coffee shop can be. The coffee shop is a very open type of establishment where anyone can come in without a reservation and enjoy a cup of coffee, sit anywhere they want and enjoy reading, people-watching or conversation with others. There are no strict rules, and one stays as long as one wishes.

We here at Shaw Library hope you are having a super summer, and that you took the time to enjoy books with your little one during the break. Children who read over the summer not only maintain their reading levels, but learn to read for enjoyment. Now is the time to bring your child in to pick a out a book of their choosing, before homework starts to encroach on precious free time. The freedom to follow their own interests and tastes on books is such a powerful motivator, leading to a lifetime of reading.

We love our babies.  We see hundreds of parents, caregivers and children a week at Watha T. Daniel, and we see a lot of people bringing children to every program we offer. While that seems like a great way to spend the day, it may not be the right thing for your child. 

Each of our programs is carefully constructed to provide the right experience for children who are at specific different stages of development verbally, educationally and socially. Children who are too young or too old for a program will not be getting the right social experience for their age group. So to help you choose the right programs for your child, here are the recommendations about which programs are geared to which age groups and why. 

Ages Birth to 2 Years Old