On Thursday, April 21, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., over 80 families were part of the 8th Annual Early Learning Fair. The event was held at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. Each year the fair focuses on ensuring families are well informed about the many community supports and resources that are available to help their children get ready for kindergarten or preschool in the fall.
Over 20 presenters from The Partnerships for Families & Children (PFC is a coalition that meets monthly to promote the healthy, growth and development of young children and their families) were present to provide screenings, information and enrollment opportunities. On behalf the Partnerships for Families & Children, we would like to thank our sponsors, volunteers and community members who made this a valuable event: AEYC-SEA, Best Beginnings, thread, United Way Southeast Alaska, the Flying Lyons Vision screening team, Juneau Public Health nurses for updating immunizations, JSD staff for providing hearing screenings and enrollment, Montessori Borealis, Juneau Youth Services Early Childhood Mental Health Project, AWARE, REACH – Star Program, SEARHC-Dental, Catholic Community Services – Child Care Assistance, Juneau Coast Guard Work/Life, Planned Parenthood, Tlingit & Haida Head Start, Juneau Parks and Recreation, Juneau Public Libraries. We’d like to thank students from Thunder Mountain and Juneau-Douglas high schools who facilitated fun and engaging activities with children as their parents explored all the resources available: Andrew Dilley, MariRay Gonzalez-Willis, Kyler Romme, Laurel Stevenson, Haedon Newport, Alexander Prindle, James Davis, Hannah Nell, Rouel Dela Cruz, Theron Grant and Cristina Arehart.
A special thanks goes to Mayor Ken Koelsch. As an added special activity, Mayor Koelsch gathered an audience from toddlers to parents in the children’s reading area of the Valley Library for a short story time and read several children books to the captivated crowd.
Nikki Love,
Partnerships for Families & Children Coordinator,
AEYC –SEA
