Little Free Libraries are located everywhere and open the world of books to the young and old. The purpose of the Little Free Library is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges and to build a sense of community. Late Spring, First 5 Permian Basin announced exciting news –they applied for, and received, a grant from the Junior League of Odessa to fund three new “Little Free Library” sites  in Odessa’s underserved neighborhoods. 

One of their community partners, Regional Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention organization, decorated the Little Free Library at their Westside Clinic. Coalition partners, who will be working to help get the libraries installed and maintained, are expressing interest in sponsoring several more of these libraries in both Odessa and Midland.

Research has shown links between child literacy and early childhood development. To learn more about" What We Know About Early Literacy and Language Development", Zero to Three provides information on how early language and literacy skills unfold across the first three years of life and gives tips for choosing books for babies and toddlers. Click here to read more.  

The NFP team at Texas Children's Health Plan successfully implemented DANCE (Dyadic Assessment of Naturalistic Caregiver-child Experiences) tool. The DANCE tool is used by NFP nurses to objectively observe interactions between a child and caregiver – usually the mother – during a home visit, and to use this information to support the unique strengths and challenges of the caregiver.1

The team celebrated their achievement by having a party at their team meeting. Adrian McKinney, NFP Nurse Manager, says, “I felt like it was important to recognize the hard work and effort it took to learn and integrate this into practice.”

The team trained for three days with a certified trainer and learned how to implement the assessment tool. The tool identifies 18 specific behaviors observed over time by mother and child. All five RN’s on the NFP team are now licensed with the DANCE tool to implement in practice for the next 6-9 months as an enhancement of the home visiting program. The DANCE tool provides clear direction on how to support the mother and child’s strengths and areas for growth.

For more information, click the citation to learn more.

1“Nurse-Family Partnership Program Proven and Always Improving.” NurseFamilyPartnership.org. Nurse Family Partnerhip Newslink Newsletter, Volume 11/Fall 2012. Web. 27 October 2015.

Wichita Parents at Teachers is currently serving 127 children and all PAT educators have stressed the need for early education and have helped each child with school readiness. The program site says. “We are happy to report that out of all the children in PAT, who qualify, 20 of them are now enrolled in early head start!”
 

In Gregg County, the site reports,  “We had a mother whose oldest child exited the program to start school, but the family remained enrolled in our program due to a younger sibling still in the home. The parent educator visited with the mother recently and was told by the mother that the teacher of the exited child commented on how advanced he was for his age and inquired about what she did with him to prepare him so well.  The mother told the teacher about the PAT program and how much it has not only helped her child become more than ready for school, but has greatly helped the family as a whole. What a great confirmation that our program is doing exactly what it is intended to do!!”

KaBOOM! Playground Grants are a great resource to share with the communities for coalition projects. For more information, click here.
 

Kalindi Press, offers books in natural health and nutrition, as well as the acclaimed Family and World Health Series for children and parents, covering such themes as nutrition, dental health, reading, and environmental education. They offer FREE shipping and handling and all books are available in Spanish. Program sites and coalitions can visit their catalog of books here or call Elyse April, Education Director of the Children’s Division, at 800-381-2700.