Great River Regional Library
GRRL Headquarters:
1300 W. St. Germain St.
St. Cloud, MN 56301
320-650-2500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Breanne Fruth
Communications and Development Coordinator
320-650-2532
Subject: Calming Room at the St. Cloud Public Library
Calming Rooms are trending in schools and public libraries around the country. They are spaces where kids can "reset" if they feel anxious or over-stimulated. The idea came to the library staff's attention through a suggestion from a library user. She was hesitant to bring her son with autism to the library, as she did not want to disrupt others when he would have an outburst. The opportunity for the family to go to a room to decompress gave them a sense of welcome and comfort in using their local library.
The Calming Room has light-canceling curtains, comfortable seating, softened lighting, and an ambient noise machine to reduce outside stimulation. There are also calming tools like a weighted stuffed animal (who looks like the beloved big red dog Clifford from the popular children's books), emotion prompts, and a black pop-up tent kids can use to decompress. Families can book the St. Cloud Public Library's Calming Room for up to 90 minutes. Bookings can be made at the Children's Service Desk in the library. An adult caregiver must accompany children in the Calming Room.
The library is excited to offer this room to ensure a welcoming space for all. As we seek to be an inclusive space for the community, we look forward to seeing this room in use and as a helpful resource for families.
Great River Regional Library (GRRL) provides library services at 32 public libraries and one to-go system in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. GRRL2GO is a locker system that allows you to pick up items at the Sartell Community Center. GRRL supplies the residents of Central Minnesota with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, and information services.
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