Here are our FREE programs for March 2024 at the Bedford Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library, located at 70 Columbus Road, Bedford, Ohio 44146. For more information, or to register for any program, please call 440.439.4997. 

Kids Café –18 & younger 
Monday-Friday, 3:00PM – 4:00PM
Kids ages 18 and under can get a FREE lunch provided by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, while supplies last.

Student Success Center — Grades K-8
Monday-Thursday (school days) 4-6:30pm
Since 2002, our FREE Student Success Center’s program has helped thousands of students in grades K–8 improve their grades and subject comprehension. Student Success Centers are available at 10 branches. Students who participate in the program receive homework assistance from trained tutors in the following subjects: language arts, math, reading, science, and social studies. MUST REGISTER

Fresh & Flavorful: The Clean Eating Blueprint — Adults 
Saturday, March 2nd, 9th & 16th , 10:00AM
Discover the secrets of clean eating and learn how to use fresh, nutritious ingredients to create flavorful dishes that will leave you feeling energized and satisfied. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your cooking skills and embark on a journey towards a healthier, more vibrant you! Presented by Chef Tynisa Roubideaux of Food with a Purpose. MUST REGISTER

Family Storytime — All ages with caregiver
Tuesday, March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th , 6:00PM
Join us for stories, songs and fingerplays.

Baby Craft — Ages 0-3 
Saturday, March 2nd , 2:00PM
Join us for a seasonal baby craft using our hands and feet. We’ll use nontoxic washable paint, but dress to get messy.

Baby Club — Ages birth – 35 months with parent/caregiver 
Monday, March 4th , 11th , 18th & 25th , 10:30AM 
Join us for a five-week club for caregivers and children ages birth to 35 months. Connect with your kids and other families and get answers about your growing child. Siblings welcome! Parents ages 18 and older who register to participate in Baby Club will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a $529 college savings award from Ohio’s 529 Plan, College Advantage, for their child. Read the sweepstakes rules. If you have questions about registering for this program, please contact a librarian at the Bedford Branch at 440-439-4997. MUST REGISTER

Engineering Hour — Grades K-5
Thursday, March 7th & 21st , 3:30PM
Use your imagination and the materials provided to build, play, create and learn.

Battle for the Ballot — Adults 
Thursday, March 7th , 7:00PM
There is no complete record of the brave, often unmarried women who fought for their right to vote and finally triumphed in 1920. Learn about a band of women who dedicated themselves to the public interest and grew into an organization that won the respect and confidence of the nation. This program will tell the story behind the Cleveland women who advocated for suffrage and went on to help establish the League of Women Voters. MUST REGISTER

Excel Basics — Adults 
Friday, March 8, 2024 , 10:00AM
This session will introduce spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. Topics covered include entering data, using autofill and performing calculations using formulas and functions. Earn a Northstar Digital Literacy Certificate for this class with the successful completion of an assessment. Learn more about this certification. Prerequisite: Word Basics or experience using Excel. Classes start promptly! We cannot hold seats for attendees who arrive after an in-person class has started. Anyone not on the registration list will be given an available seat on a first-come, first-served basis.

Innoverge STEM Class — Grades 1 – 5
Saturday, March 9th , 12:00PM
A free event for kids age 6 through 10 exploring chemistry through a fun and interactive presentation and experiment. Students will use project building and hands-on learning to have a basic introduction to chemistry. There is no experience required! MUST REGISTER

Teen Tuesday 
Tuesday, March 12th , 3:30PM
Join us after school for a fun activity each month!

Ellenwood Book Discussion — Adults 
Wednesday, March 13th , 2:00PM
Attend our monthly book discussion at Ellenwood Community Center – this month we’re reading: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Copies of the book will be available at the Bedford Branch and at the Ellenwood Center one month before the date of the discussion. “A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary. Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.”

Kids Cook! — Grades 3 – 6 
Thursday, March 14th , 4:00PM 
Expand your cooking skills with quick, simple, and delicious recipes. Registration required, opens February 14th, 2024, 9 AM. This program may include activities that could be considered harmful. In order for your child to participate you must sign the Release and Hold Harmless form and return it to the program location at least one week prior to the program’s start date. To access the form and learn more about parent options, please visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org/parent-options Participants may be recorded and/or surveyed to capture this program’s effectiveness. MUST REGISTER

Wordly Wanderers — Grades 2 – 5
Friday, March 15th , 2:00PM
Travel the world from the comfort of our library! Each session we will learn about a different country and its unique culture via food, stories, and crafts. Collect stamps in your passports for each session you attend! All materials, including faux passports, will be provided. MUST REGISTER

Kindergarten Countdown — Children entering kindergarten next fall and their caregiver
Tuesday, March 19th & 26th , 10:30AM
Join us as we help your child build kindergarten readiness skills in a program aligned to Ohio’s Early Childhood Standards. MUST REGISTER

iPhone 101 — Adults 
Saturday, March 23rd , 10:00AM
Get to know your iPhone better in this introductory class. Your iPhone is a state-of-the-art device that can make calls, send texts, browse the web, take photos and so much more. Learn the basics, as well as some of the lesser-known built-in features, that can make organizing your life a little easier. MUST REGISTER

African American Authors Book Group -IN-Person or Virtual — All Adults are Welcome 
Thursday, March 28th , 7:00PM
March Title: “Deception: A Novel by Stacey Abrams, under her pen name Selena Montgomery”. Join us for a lively discussion of this suspense novel that includes a woman professional poker player, a murder, a small southern town AND romance. Summary: “Playing the odds has always been Fin Borders’ forte. As a professional poker player, she knows when to get out to keep from losing everything. But an innocent woman has been accused of murder, and to help, Fin will have to go back to the small southern town of her birth. It’s a place she’s been running from her entire life, a place of violence, where she got by with nothing more than her wits. Returning to Hallden, Georgia, means facing the ghosts of a brutal crime that Fin will never forget. But Fin isn’t the only one in Hallden hunting for a killer. FBI Special Agent Caleb Matthews is deep undercover, hiding his true identity and his own desperate history. Working alone is far too dangerous, so he and Fin must learn to trust each other. But as they grow closer, they are unprepared for the shocking deception that could destroy everything they hold dear.”

Self-Care Saturday — Ages 13-18 
Saturday, March 30th , 11:00AM
Ease your mind with calming activities. Art, yoga, writing, and more! A release form must be completed by a parent/guardian prior to the program in order to participate. MUST REGISTER

Chapter Book Champs 
Saturday, March 30th , 3:30PM
Whether you finished the book or not, join us for activities and a book discussion based on the following books: March 30th – The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat. Registration will close one week before the program. If you like to attend after registration closes, please call the Bedford Branch at (440) 439 – 4997. This program is both in person and virtual. MUST REGISTER

About Cuyahoga County Public Library 
At Cuyahoga County Public Library we are committed to our mission of being at the center of community life by creating an environment where reading, lifelong learning and civic engagement thrive, and our vision is to be the most convenient library system in the country. For more information, visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org.

CONTACT: Christie Sterba, M.L.I.S
Branch Services Assistant II
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Southeast Branch
p 440.439.4997
csterba@cuyahogalibrary.org