Welcome to Skagit County
March 8, 2004
GOOD NEWS FOR SEDRO WOOLLEY'S EARLY LEARNERS
Foundation for Early Learning Funds New Project in Skagit County
Seattle- Mother-Baby and Toddler play groups, Doctor Dad workshops, a new bookmobile and “Ask the Pediatrician” nights are all aspects of a program designed to support parents with children birth to age three in Skagit County, particularly in the Sedro Woolley School District. A grant from the Foundation for Early Learning, a state-wide public foundation whose mission is to support the profound learning children experience from birth through age five, has been awarded to the Skagit County Public Health Department for this innovative program referred to as Skagit County Welcome Baby!
The project consists of a host of programs geared toward providing support and information to parents of babies and toddlers. Parent-baby play groups will focus on early language, using songs, stories, and finger plays to demonstrate how learning is acquired through these fun activities. Special attention will be paid to include and relate to the experiences of Spanish speaking parents, teen parents and parents with Child Protective Services involvement. Parents will not only have the play groups as a hands-on method of learning about their child’s development, they will also have opportunities to attend public presentations and story times. Parents in need of individual attention will receive special outreach services.
Since Skagit County does not have a county library system, a ‘universal’ library card will be offered to families of newborns for baby’s first year. New parents will have ready access to children’s books, encouraging them to read to their babies often. Also available will be books and materials on parenting topics and child development
This program goes one step
further to promote reading…a special bookmobile will visit community centers,
churches, PTA groups, fire halls and parks in outlying, rural communities. This
bus is a dream come true for the Welcome Baby! program and a perfect example
of what can happen when the entire community gets involved.
“The Sedro Woolley School District has offered to donate a bus and help
us with maintenance,” states Meredith Baker, the coordinator of Welcome
Baby!. “We are thrilled by the variety of community collaborations that
allow us to expand Welcome Baby services throughout Skagit County,” says
Jennifer Walton, Child and Family Health Supervisor at the Health Department.
She explained that members from the Skagit County Leadership team have offered
to help remodel the bus and turn it into a bookmobile. Kiwanis members have
donated money for books and community volunteers will be recruited to help operate
the bookmobile.
Another exciting dimension of this project is its emphasis on the role of fathers in a child’s life. Conscious Fathering workshops will be offered to fathers who want to become better fathers. Another aspect of the project that is specifically geared towards fathers is the series of six-week two-hour health and safety workshops called “Doctor Dad.” This program, an outgrowth of the National Fatherhood Initiative, provides fathers of infants and toddlers with information needed to promote the growth and healthy development of their children.
Another resource for parents in Skagit County will be the development of a new web site which will provide parent education information and link parents to local resources.
“Our Foundation is pleased to offer this grant to Skagit County Welcome Baby! because they have been so successful at creating high quality services, developing partnerships and attracting support throughout the community” reports Jeanne Anderson, Executive Director of the Foundation for Early Learning. “Brain research has shown that early learning experiences have a decisive impact on the architecture of the brain. The first years are when children learn to learn. All children deserve early learning experiences that will help them develop their minds so that they can succeed in school and in life. It’s a pleasure to invest in a community that supports our first learners.”
The Foundation for Early
Learning is dedicated to assuring that every child in Washington State has the
opportunity to develop his or her full potential - and that parents have the
information and support they need to make this happen. To achieve this, the
Foundation promotes collaboration among organizations and individuals in the
public and private sectors and raises awareness about the importance of early
childhood development through the collaboratively-funded Early Care and Education
Coalition (EC2) www.earlyeducationcoalition.org.
As a charity, the Foundation also raises funds to make grant awards that support
school readiness, parenting information and support, early childhood professional
development and the development of effective community systems for early learning.
More information can be found on the Foundation’s web site at www.earlylearning.org.
Contact: Patty Turnberg
Director of Development/Community Relations
(206) 525.4801 Ext.25
patty@earlylearning.org