Community Program Development & Engagement

Overview

A collection of original programs developed and implemented for children and families at Danbury Public Library. These initiatives combine creative arts, cultural education, and hands-on learning experiences designed to engage diverse community audiences.

Between 2022 and 2024, I created and facilitated more than 410 programs, increasing weekly programming from two to four programs per week and helping grow participation across youth and family programming.

Patron Testimonials

Thank you for the information, look forward to future classes and of course anything glow in the dark is awesome and fun:) Take care.

Kayla- Library Patron
Aileys forest still stands proud and tall. I am glad it made your day :) you should know of the positivity and happiness you and your events bring her.

Katherine - Library Patron
Hi Lesley, TY for organizing this event! ( referring to make your gingerbread)

Wallace - Library Patron
General Testimonial

Anonymous patron
You did an AWESOME job! So glad to be a part of your success!

Christine- Fellow Coworker
I checked out the Glow in the Dark Party today and it was fantastic! A patron complimented the event and said to definitely have it next year. I said I would pass on the feedback to you. The event is a hit! Lots of happy faces walking by the Info Desk today.

Kerry - Fellow Coworker

Link to testimonial

Testimonial from Rachna

A library patron

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Testimonial from Min

A library patron

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Testimonial from Shuchi

A library patron

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Testimonial from Melissa

“I attended the Ramadan event last night, Tuesday February 10th, and it was wonderful! So warm and welcoming. So educational and entertaining. Thank you for such a welcoming event at our local library. I enjoyed it very much.”

-A library patron

Jurassic Glow Party

Program Overview

I designed and facilitated a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur-themed event that transformed the library space into an interactive prehistoric environment. The program combined sensory exploration, creative crafts, and movement-based activities to engage children and families in hands-on learning.

The goal was to create a high-energy community program that encouraged curiosity, creativity, and family participation.

Program Activity Zones

Welcome Table

Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur tattoos
Face painting

Creative Craft Station

Pipe-cleaner dinosaur building

Sensory Exploration

Slime interaction station

Fossil Dig Pit

Sand sensory bins where children uncovered hidden dinosaur fossils and eggs

Dino Egg Cracking Station

Kids opened dinosaur eggs using small tools to reveal surprises

Jurassic Dance Floor

Glow-lit dance floor with dinosaur tracks
Freeze dance activity with dinosaur-themed music

Skills Demonstrated

Program Design

Created a multi-station experience to support different play and learning styles.

Event Planning & Spatial Design

Structured the room into themed activity zones to guide participant flow.

Experiential Learning

Incorporated paleontology themes through discovery-based play.

Community Engagement

Designed an event that encouraged children and caregivers to participate together.

Program Facilitation

Coordinated materials, activity stations, and participant engagement throughout the event.

Impact

High-energy family engagement program
Encouraged creative exploration and movement
Strengthened community participation in library events

Featured Programs

Additional In-House Programs

In addition to large-scale themed events, I design and lead a wide variety of in-house children’s programs, including:

Cultural heritage craft programs

. STEM and maker-style activities

Sensory and creative arts workshops

Holiday and seasonal family events

Storytelling and literacy-based craft programs

Glow in the Dark Party & Paint Night

A Halloween-themed event where participants created glow-in-the-dark crafts, played games, and experimented with glowing paint to produce freestyle artwork in a darkened environment.

Día de Los Muertos Celebration

An educational cultural program introducing families to Día de los Muertos traditions. Participants listened to cultural stories and music, decorated foam “sugar skulls,” and sampled traditional Mexican pan dulce.

Click to View Slideshow

Test Tube Science

A STEM exploration program where participants conducted multiple test tube experiments, including color mixing and hurricane simulations.

Click to view Slideshow

Life-Size Candyland

A large-scale Candyland-themed event designed to transform the library into an interactive game world for children and families. The space featured themed areas such as the Gingerbread Forest and Lollipop Woods, along with craft stations, balloon creations, a Candyland scavenger hunt, and a castle photo booth. The program was developed entirely in-house and required extensive planning, creative design, and coordination of activities to create an immersive and engaging experience for participants.

Additional events made by Lesley

Alphabet Celebrations

An early literacy mini-series designed to introduce preschool children to letters and letter sounds through interactive learning. Each session combines educational media, storytime, and hands-on art activities to reinforce phonemic awareness, letter recognition, and creative expression while encouraging caregiver participation in early learning.

Learning Outcomes

Develop letter recognition and early phonemic awareness
Strengthen listening and storytelling comprehension
Reinforce learning through creative, hands-on activities

Link for Alpha Celebration Slides

Link for Alpha Celebrations: Halloween!

Holiday Craft Series: Pinecone Christmas Tree

Pinecone Christmas Tree Holiday Craft Program

A seasonal craft workshop where participants created pinecone Christmas tree decorations while learning about the history and cultural traditions behind Christmas trees. The program was developed to explore the origins of Christmas trees, how different cultures decorate trees around the world, and the history of ornaments and holiday traditions.

To support the activity, I developed a visual instructional presentation using Canva that guided participants through the crafting steps and introduced key cultural and historical information about holiday trees and decorations.

Link for slideshow

An educational cultural program developed for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Participants learned about Polynesian and Hawaiian cultural traditions and the significance of Tiki masks before creating their own mask through a hands-on art activity.

History Dive: Tiki Masks and the Hawaiian People

Link for slideshow

Cuentitos Para Pequeñitos: Invierno (Spanish-Language Storytime)

A bilingual early literacy program designed for young children and their caregivers. Participants listened to stories, sang songs, and completed a themed craft activity that reinforced language development and storytelling comprehension.

Link for slideshow

Junior Engineers: Brush Bots

Choose your own design ranging from shark to baby chicken to construct and decorate your mini bristle bot. Once built, test your mini bot’s mettle in the bristle bot boxing ring and maze challenge.

Link for slide show