All Saint Paul Public Schools second graders will visit their local Saint Paul Public Library branch this year thanks to a $95K state grant


The $95K grant from the Minnesota Department of Education will strengthen the partnership between Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL) and Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS)

SAINT PAUL, MNFor some Crossroads Elementary second graders, it was their first visit to Rice Street Library (1011 Rice Street), their local Saint Paul Public Library branch on October 15, 2019. The event with Superintendent Joe Gothard and Library Director Catherine Penkert celebrated a new grant that will provide field trips for all SPPS second graders to their local public library this year. The field trips are made possible by a $95K grant, awarded to SPPS by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), which will cover all transportation costs.

The grant will also support Read Brave Saint Paul, an annual intergenerational all-city reading program hosted by the library, and a “Library Go Challenge” initiative, which will stimulate a friendly competition among schools to increase the usage of library materials and services.

Launched in 2016, Library Go automatically administers a virtual SPPL library card to all SPPS students when they enroll in school.