A new tech tool, Playaway Launchpad, has been introduced in the Children’s Department of the Monmouth County Library.
Available in all 13 library branches, these child-friendly tablets are pre-loaded with 10 high-quality, ad-free learning applications (apps) grouped by age and grade level, according to a press release. Each simple-to-use bright orange tablet has a 7-inch high-definition touch screen and is durable enough to withstand heavy use by little hands. Each has a unique theme, which may include princesses, animals, dinosaurs, transportation, art and more, in subject areas that help build English language arts, math and science skills.
Launchpads are targeted for ages 3-5 or 5-7 and can be borrowed with a Monmouth County Library card or a valid driver’s license for in-library use. Headphones accompany each tablet and ensure a quiet environment in which to explore and create, according to the press release.
“By providing these learning tablets to our young patrons, the library is striving to keep current with technological advances while enabling children to develop their digital skills and expand their knowledge,” said Pat Findra, children’s coordinator for the Monmouth County Library System.
“This is one more example of how the Monmouth County library is meeting the needs of all ages of library users,” said Renee Swartz, chair of the Monmouth County Library Commission which administers the library system throughout the county. “By providing the necessary tools that today’s children are familiar with, and by offering them exciting, fun ways to learn more, we are introducing them at a very early age to the library as a resource they can use throughout their lives. We have a team within the library that works well together with a common goal of continuing the Monmouth County Library as certainly the best in the state and one of the very best in the nation.”