A New Chapter for the Pickerington Kindergarten Center Library

There’s nothing quite like a new book in the hands of a young reader — and thanks to a generous $5,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, students at Pickerington Kindergarten Center will soon have plenty of new stories to discover.

The grant will support the purchase of new books for the Pickerington Kindergarten Center Library, which is currently undergoing renovations and is expected to open to students before Thanksgiving break.

For PKC Library/Media Paraprofessional Mary Grumman, the opportunity is especially exciting because she knows how much students love having books they can explore on their own.

“It feels amazing!” Grumman said. “These kids love books. I’ve taken in just little books into the classroom, but now they’ll get big physical books they can put their hands on and look through. They’re gonna be so excited, and I’m excited for them.”

The new library will give students a special place to build their love of reading while exploring new stories, ideas and worlds.

“Libraries are one of the most special places in any school. It’s where kids go on adventures and find new worlds, and to be able to be a part of starting this one and bringing this here to the staff and students is super exciting,” said Supervisor of Teaching and Learning Leslie Kelly. “We’re very grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for giving us this opportunity.”

PKC Principal Amy McKinney said the new books will be an important part of the school’s efforts to nurture a love of reading from the very beginning.

“A love of reading and a love of books is so central to our work here — growing and developing our little cubs into loving and learning to read and write,” McKinney said. “We are so excited to have books in our beautiful new library for our kids to enjoy. We’re also grateful to Leslie Kelly for pursuing the grant and securing these funds for our students.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation said it recognizes the important role organizations play in the lives of teachers, students and families and hopes the funds will help strengthen literacy efforts.

We are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for investing in our youngest readers and helping us fill the shelves of the new PKC library with books that will inspire curiosity, imagination and a lifelong love of reading.

A new library. New books. And so many new worlds waiting to be discovered.