Early Childhood News and Information

Free workshops for Family Child Care Providers in Mahoning, Summit and Medina Counties.
Providers can attend any or all of the five workshops in the Ohio Ready To Learn series. Topics include Media Literacy, Brain Development, Music, Reading and Special Needs. Call Child Care Connection at for more information regarding the PBS 45 & 49 Ohio Ready To Learn Workshop Series. Workshops in these counties will take place throughout May and June.

Celebrate Provider Appreciation Day on May 10th!
Recognize your child’s child care provider on this very special day. Do not let this day go by without offering a special “thank you” to the person(s) who is so important in your child’s life! For ideas on how to thank your child’s provider, visit www.providerappreciation.org.

Free Literacy Guide Available
The National Urban League and Scholastic, Inc. have teamed up to produce an early literacy guide for parents and caregivers called “Read and Rise: Preparing Our Children for a Lifetime of Success.” “Read and Rise” is a research-based guide that offers information and practical tips to help engage children in reading and literacy-building activities. You can view and download a copy of the guide at www.nul.org/readandrise.

The guide is divided by age and grade. Each section includes:

Introduction: Research-based information on the common literacy behaviors by age and grade.

Milestones: A list of important literacy goals that a child should be able to achieve at each age and grade.

Try This!: Ideas and activities that can help a child gain the skills needed to become a successful reader.

Book Nook: Presenting five basic features to look for when choosing books for children.