Simple Steps Finds New Success in Des Moines Community

We all want children to have the skills they need to succeed in school and life. That’s where the Simple Steps to Success initiative comes into play. The program, which began in 2017, aims to increase awareness of the pre-literacy skills of reading, writing, singing, playing, and talking. We provide parents and caregivers easy examples to incorporate those skills into parts of their daily routines, such as car rides to school and trips to the grocery store.

Now, families will have more opportunities to learn about the Simple Steps to Success in their everyday lives. Simple Steps stations have been placed at spots across the metro, encouraging reading and play in areas where families might spend time waiting. These new stations include bilingual board books and games and objects meant to engage sensory play, such as sensory tubes, puzzles, busy boards, bead mazes, and more. The stations (pictured below), are currently located at:

• Hope Ministries
• Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families
• Universal Kutz
• Des Moines Police Department
• Young Women’s Resource Center
• Platinum Kutz

“Simple Steps is about using everyday moments to build your child’s skills and confidence,” says Ashley  Molzen, Des Moines Public Library Community Engagement Supervisor. “We know with how much families are stretched, it’s not always possible to set aside time at home every day to sit down and read. Simple Steps encourages families to engage children in conversation about what’s going on around them. It’s about making those skills accessible to the entire community.”

The West Des Moines Public Library has also incorporated Des Moines Public Library’s Simple Steps initiative into their children’s programming. The library has distributed bags with activities involving each of the steps, and Simple Steps Stations have been placed in locations across West Des Moines as well.

“Simple Steps is about meeting people where they are,” says Molzen. “It’s a vehicle that allows us to take the magic that lives in the library, during programs and storytimes, and bring it out into the communities. Simple Steps helps everyone in the community, no matter their circumstances, maximize what they get out of the library.”

Simple Steps for Success is a program initiated by the Des Moines Public Library that was made possible through a grant provided by Polk County Early Childhood Iowa. For more information, go to dmpl.org/simple-steps.