Maternal and Child Health Consortium (MCHC) has created a video to help guide individuals looking for help to file for public assistance/benefits, like Health Insurance, SNAP Benefits enrollment, and Cash assistance. Their staff members are ready to assist individuals. During this difficult time, they are enrolling individuals on a daily basis. Families just need to reach out.
Teen Update: Daily Practice for SAT
The May 2 SAT is cancelled, so now what should you do?
Consider using this extra time to become even better prepared! It’s easy to do by making practice a part of your daily routine. Answer a question a day on the Daily Practice app and get immediate feedback. Created by College Board, this free app also provides answer explanations and helps you learn from your mistakes. So just a few minutes a day could make a big difference when test day rolls around! Learn more about it here.
Celebrate Preservation Week 2020
Do you own special photos, letters, family heirlooms, or other items that you’ve always wanted to organize or better care for?
The ALCTS, a division of the American Library Association, has a Preservation Week site chock-full of information to help you get started. Learn about “Saving Your Stuff” and how to “Take the First Step,” explore the advice column “Advice from Donia,” watch free preservation webinars, and much more!
Preservation Week officially happens April 26-May 2, 2020, but you can explore the Preservation Week website and resources at any time!
Kids’ Update: April Is National Poetry Month!
This is a great time to connect with your inner poet. Whether you do it by reading poetry or writing your own — it’s all good and FUN! Here’s a poem we remember from our school days:
I eat my peas with honey.
I’ve done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny,
But keeps them on my knife.
— Anonymous
Here are some sites for you to explore! 30 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month at Home! and Children’s Poetry have lots of poems for you to read, or Kenn Nesbitt’s Poetry 4 Kids will help you write your own!
Read this story and you’ll discover that Clark the Shark is a bit of a poet himself!
The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.
FREE WiFi Available Outside Most CCLS Libraries
Did you know Free WiFi is available outside most Chester County Library System libraries. To access, simply go to any library and situate yourself within a safe distance from other people who are also using WiFi.
To connect to WiFi on your computer:
- Go to Available Networks
- Click ‘Library’
- Click ‘Connect’
- Open an Internet Browser (Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Silk, etc.)
- Type ‘www.dogster.com’ in your URL bar
- The library’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy will appear
- Read and accept it by clicking the green ‘Connect’ button
- You’re now connected!
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide their employees with expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.
The United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Please go to https://www.uc.pa.gov/COVID-19/Pages/FFCRA.aspx for fact sheets and more information to determine if you are eligible.
How to Access Benefits during COVID-19
If you lost a job or your hours were cut because of COVID-19, you may be eligible for SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, cash assistance (TANF), or heating bill assistance (LIHEAP).
If you need to apply for benefits or need to apply for additional benefits, please apply online using Compass, by downloading the MyCompass mobile app, or by calling 800-692-7462. All of Pennsylvania’s County Assistance Offices are closed to the public, but they are processing applications.
If you don’t have paperwork from your job (such as pay stubs or a letter about your hours), you should explain your loss of income in your own words. You can do that in the comments section of Compass.
If any of your benefits are cut (Social Security, SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and / or LIHEAP) or your application is denied, contact Legal Aid of Southeastern PA or call their helpline at 877-429-5994 for free legal aid.
For more information about what is needed to apply, check out this video by Maternal and Child Health Consortium.
100 years ago in the Philadelphia Inquirer
The front page of the April 2, 1920 Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a Milford man, missing for 30 years, has returned “From Foreign Lands, Wealthy.” Inside, the “Housewife’s Economy Calendar” column offers advice on how to sew a blouse.
In the ads, Easter hats were $1.89 and men’s ties were $1.00.
And in the business section, American Can was trading at $48 a share.
Through our Philadelphia Inquirer Collection with Historical database, this and past issues of the Philadelphia Inquirer are available to view with your library card. We have scanned copies of the complete issues from 1829-1922 and January 2018 to current, including advertisements, classified, obituaries, etc. Search the entire issue or current page; export features include citation format, print, e-mail, and download. Read full text of articles from 1981-current.
Sign in here with your library card and explore the news from the past!
Find jobs and internships with ReferenceUSA
Search the ReferenceUSA Jobs/Internships Module to find your next job with advanced search options, a convenient mapping tool, and detailed business profiles. ReferenceUSA video tutorials, live webinars, and training guides are available to help you better understand how to use the search features from home. Log in to the database using your Chester County Library card number.
Library Update April 2
Welcome to Stay Connected with Chescolibraries. The Libraries are closed until April 30. Please do not return library materials at this time. All due dates have been extended to May 5, and current overdue materials will not continue to accrue fines until we reopen. To apply for a library card, please visit our Library Card Help page. For help with eBooks and eAudiobooks and OverDrive/Libby, please visit our OverDrive Help page. For any other questions, please visit our Contact Us page.
Stay Connected with Chescolibraries 