Project Description:
The Links to Early Learning project will serve all of Rockingham and Strafford Counties in southeastern NH (the Seacoast region), which is bordered by Maine to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties of NH to the north and west, respectively.
Links to Early Learning includes four major initiatives that will be integrated into existing programs and efforts to build capacity for supporting early learning providers and families in a wide array of venues. The project will: provide developmental resources, information and services to children and families; improve early identification of children with disabilities; and promote early literacy throughout both counties. The four components of this project are: 1) promoting early childhood literacy through training and mentoring of providers and parents on the Ladders to Literacy curriculum; 2) promoting early learning /early identification through screening, education and support in healthcare centers and child protective services offices (Baby Steps program); 3) promoting early literacy at home and in typical routines via public library partnerships (early literacy kits), vision screening (with the Lions Club), and materials dissemination (Books for Babies and Beyond); and 4) promoting widespread awareness through dissemination via cable television and other venues.
Participants will include at least: 6,650 children aged birth to five and their families; 307 providers; and178 programs/organizations (including 51 public libraries).
Expected outcomes include sustainable activities in healthcare, early care and education, child protective services and community programs to assure that young children have nurturing opportunities to grow, learn and play, and families have the support and information they need to make that happen.
Keyword(s):
early identification, child find, early literacy
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Mulit-County
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
