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Storytime On Wheels: Developing Inclusive & Culturally Relevant Mobile Outreach Model For Hamilton Public Library

Every child has the right to learn, grow, and thrive.

Yet many families face barriers that limit access to early learning opportunities, including poverty, disability, cultural exclusion, and other systemic inequities. These barriers can prevent children from participating in programs that support healthy development and active play.

To help address this gap, this research project is being conducted in partnership with the Hamilton Public Library (HPL) to support the development of an inclusive physical literacy outreach program delivered through the library’s Bookmobile.

The Bookmobile is a travelling library service that brings books, learning resources, and programs directly to neighborhoods across Hamilton.

Together with HPL and community voices, the project will explore how Storytime programs, where reading, storytelling, and playful movement are combined, can be expanded through the Bookmobile to better reach underrepresented preschoolers and their families.

Through interviews and a review of existing research, the study will identify practical strategies to make the program welcoming, culturally relevant, and accessible for families from diverse backgrounds. The findings will help HPL design and launch an inclusive mobile Storytime program that supports children’s physical literacy, the confidence and skills to move and be active.

Insights from the project will also be shared with other communities across Canada to help expand equitable early learning opportunities. This research project is funded through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant.

Information Box Group

Research Team

  • Kyoung June (David) Yi, Assistant Professor; Associate Director, Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE), McMaster University
  • James Gillett, Associate Professor, Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University
  • Matthew Yiu Kwan, Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct), Family Medicine, McMaster University
  • Uk Kim, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University
  • Jen Corrin, Manager, Mobile Library and Courier Services, Hamilton Public Library
  • Katelyn Granger, Manager, Youth Services and Central Children’s, Hamilton Public Library