Books and Beyond: ABC Academy and kindergarten readiness episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 17, 2026 · 15 MIN

Books and Beyond: ABC Academy and kindergarten readiness

from Lake Effect Spotlight · host WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR

The library is more than just books, and our Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about. For this edition of Books and Beyond, we’re learning about an early literacy program called ABC Academy offered at the Central Library Branch. This program hopes to help fill Milwaukee’s literacy gap. Since 2009, our public-school literacy rates have fallen, and just this year MPS launched a new plan to try to turn these rates around. The library’s ABC Academy program is for young readers to help with kindergarten readiness. The program goes beyond your typical story time and focuses on different activities to help build on letter recognition.  To share more, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Central Library children’s room librarian Erin Sloan and Milwaukee artist Wave Chapelle – who's here today as a dad helping his son learn to read.  

The library is more than just books, and our Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about. For this edition of Books and Beyond, we’re learning about an early literacy program called ABC Academy offered at the Central Library Branch.  This program hopes to help fill Milwaukee’s literacy gap. Since 2009, our public-school literacy rates have fallen, and just this year MPS launched a new plan to try to turn these rates around. The library’s ABC Academy program is for young readers to help with kindergarten readiness. The program goes beyond your typical story time and focuses on different activities to help build on letter recognition.   To share more, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Central Library children’s room librarian Erin Sloan and Milwaukee artist Wave Chapelle – who's here today as a dad helping his son learn to read.

NOW PLAYING

Books and Beyond: ABC Academy and kindergarten readiness

0:00 15:22

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Mind The Music Radio - Artist Well-Being In Electronic Music The Unicorn Mothership This radio show explores artist well-being in electronic music from a holistic viewpoint. In a series of exclusive interviews with artists and people with active roles both inside the music industry and on the outskirts of it, Eline shares with you her devotion to artist well-being and how we can provide support for artists in electronic music. The music is handpicked for each show by the guests themselves for an extra personal, mindful experience. This show runs monthly on Reform Radio, Manchester. Join in live at reformradio.co.uk or listen back online! Warning! The jingle contains binaural beats for brainwave entrainment, which only has an effect when using headphones. It is played at the beginning of the show, lasting about 45 seconds. If you’re prone to seizures, it may be best not to listen to the jingle through headphones or skip it altogether. Take the Leap Colleen Biggs When was the last time you took a leap of faith trusting that everything is going to work out? Do you crave growth, or are you merely content with the status quo? If you want more out of your life, out of your career, and out of your relationships, you are in the right place. It's time for you to step into the Spotlight to expand your influence and attract the right clients. Your Host, Colleen Biggs, will expose the actions you need to take, through the experiences and interviews of our guests, so you no longer are sitting on the sidelines, but that you are finally taking an active role in defining the design of your life rather than living it by default. We will be interviewing elite leaders that will share their greatest regrets, successes, and how they did it! Week after week you will learn all about how you too can take the leap of faith, trust in yourself and stop living a life only by default. 7NEWS Spotlight 7NEWS Podcasts From the award-winning 7NEWS team comes 7NEWS Spotlight - a series of investigative specials focussing on major breaking news events and long-form investigations of national significance. Serve into December: The College Volleyball Show Jeremy Cleveland Women’s college volleyball is awesome, and this podcast is built to prove it. We track the Top 25 every week, follow the conference races, spotlight mid-majors with bracket-buster potential, and break down every result that shapes the NCAA tournament. In the offseason, we shift to coaching changes, recruiting battles, and transfer-portal moves to see which programs are building toward a breakthrough. If it matters in women’s college volleyball, we’re on it year-round.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Lake Effect Spotlight?

This episode is 15 minutes long.

When was this Lake Effect Spotlight episode published?

This episode was published on February 17, 2026.

What is this episode about?

The library is more than just books, and our Books and Beyond series with Milwaukee Public Library showcases just that. We share resources, book recommendations, and some cool stuff you might not know about. For this edition of Books and Beyond,...

Can I download this Lake Effect Spotlight episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!