
The Garnet A. Wilson Public Library of Pike County, in conjunction with the Pike County Outreach Council and Community Action Committee of Pike County, has been awarded a $50,000 grant through the Family and Community Engagement Pilot program as a part of Ohio’s Early Learning Challenge Grant.
The goal of the pilot program is to engage families to ensure that children are born healthy and stay healthy, and children are ready for kindergarten. The target audience for the program includes families with children under age 6 who may not be already engaged with community support programs. In Pike County, the target audience of the grant is families in the western portion of the county with young children up to age 5.
The grant funds will be used to launch the “Pike County Proud Parents” initiative, which will include four positive parenting workshops to be held at Western Elementary School in January, February, and March, 2017, and to distribute Early Childhood Development and Read-to-Me kits to partner agencies throughout the county. The workshops will focus on early childhood development, early literacy, family nutrition, and the health and safety of young children. The kits will include toys, games, books, and Early Childhood Development guides to help parents ensure that their children are healthy and developmentally prepared to enter kindergarten.