Celebrating young children, their families and carers, and the many ways you can be a family.
The colourful tale of rainbow families storytime
Celebrating the many ways to be a family through storytelling at our libraries.
Celebrating rainbow families together
Rainbow families rhymetime and storytime celebrate young children, their families and carers, and the many ways you can be a family. Library technician Andie Michelle explains why it’s important to provide a welcoming and authentic experience for our communities.
“Being introduced to stories about people from diverse backgrounds at an early age helps us form a deeper understanding and appreciation of others. This can be quite different to the stories many people heard when they were younger. This makes these realities even more important to share,” Andie said.
- Credit: Chris Southwood / City of Sydney
We find ways for everyone to belong
“I’ve been running rhymetime sessions at our libraries for 3 years. It’s a joyful process, seeing young people and their families come together for story and song. I come from a big rainbow family and was invited to develop this focused program during Mardi Gras.
“My colleagues supported me through the program's development. From helping present and promoting it, to completing the risk assessment to creating new slides for our rhymes.
All our library managers came to watch me present, some more than once!” Andie said.
- Credit: Chris Southwood / City of Sydney
A library haven at Green Square
Our Green Square library offers resources and services to meet our diverse community's needs. It has lots of space to fit everyone and a big screen to showcase our rhymes. It’s close to many cafes and parks for people to visit afterwards.
“It’s a vibrant community hub that fosters a love of learning and creativity,” Andie said.
- Credit: Chris Southwood / City of Sydney
The community can see themselves in what we do
Many people loved the program. Some attended all 4 weeks it ran.
“Lots of parents and caregivers gave us lovely feedback. It's important everyone in our community can see themselves in what we do. I’m glad I had a part to play in that,” Andie said.
- Credit: Chris Southwood / City of Sydney
