From the library to the classroom: How a Virginia Beach program is setting kids up for success

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — You’ve probably seen it before — toddlers flipping through books, stacking blocks, or singing songs at your local library. 

But behind all that fun is something deeper: brain-building moments that set the foundation for a child’s future.

In Virginia Beach, the city-run GrowSmart program is working to make sure every child has what they need to thrive, from birth through third grade.

Katie Cerqua, Interim GrowSmart Coordinator and Program/Community Outreach Manager for the Virginia Beach Public Library, said it all starts with families.

“GrowSmart is really focused on the healthy development, school readiness, and reading and literacy comprehension for children ages zero to eight,” she said.

The program has been around for more than 15 years and is now back in libraries, where it first launched, with one of its most impactful tools called LENA. 

“We have LENA Grow and LENA Start. And LENA is a parent or caregiver workshop program,” Cerqua said. “It’s a series, and families or childcare providers learn how to talk with children and the importance of word turns for early language development, which then impacts literacy development and school readiness.”

GrowSmart also supports small childcare centers, provides training for providers, and helps connect families to resources across the city, from parenting support to literacy tools.

“One of our big goals is to ensure that the resources out there in the community are known to our residents and that they are able to access them when they need them,” Cerqua said.

In classrooms, GrowSmart partners with Virginia Beach City Public Schools on efforts like First Grade Reads, a volunteer-driven tutoring program focused on helping students reach reading benchmarks by third grade. It’s part of the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading initiative.

“We can’t always reach families where they are, but we can often reach students at a young age with our partnership with the schools,” Cerqua said.

She also noted that she’s living proof of the power of reading readiness.

“I had parents who brought me to the library weekly, and I really saw the impact of what early literacy did for me personally,” Cerqua said.

She believes it’s often the small, early moments that lay the foundation for a child’s future success.

“I just like to think that other children can have those same opportunities and really reach the goals they hope for their lives and their families’ lives through the same sort of support,” Cerqua said.

Virginia Beach GrowSmart is hosting a free, family-friendly event called Celebrating Children on Friday, April 26, at Mount Trashmore Park from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The event will feature fun activities, helpful resources, and community partners. 

Organizers are also looking for volunteers. Click here to sign up.