Celebrating the launch of the First Regional Library Early Childhood Resource Center (left to right): Michael Dixon, North Panola Community Day Care, Sardis, Miss.; Victoria Penny, First Regional Library; Beth Bell, Mississippi Extension Service; Tami Barger, First Regional Library (Whitley Rives) Click on photo for larger view.

NW MS Library to House Early Childhood Clearinghouse

JAN. 13, 2006 | Child care providers and parents in five Mississippi counties will be able to find information about early childhood education and care through local libraries thanks to a new project of First Regional Library, the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, the Day Foundation, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, and the MSU Early Childhood Institute (ECI).

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi initiated the project and provided $40,000 for the start-up phase. Tom Pittman, president of the foundation, commented, “This initiative will help children in public, private, family and faith-based child care sites. Just think of the difference it can make when children entering kindergarten really are ready to learn!”

The Day Foundation of Memphis provided a matching grant of $40,000 for the project.

“The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi and The Day Foundation are important supporters of early childhood education and care in Mississippi,” Cathy Grace, Ed.D., professor and director of ECI, commented.

First Regional will establish the First Regional Library Early Childhood Resource Center at its Hernando (DeSoto County) branch. First Regional youth services coordinator Victoria Penny will coordinate loans of books and other learning materials to parents and child care providers in DeSoto, Lafayette, Tunica, Tate, and Panola Counties. Penny also will help parents locate child care services by maintaining a database of participating child care centers and any family child care homes.

MSU Extension Service and ECI will provide training, technical assistance, and resources to teachers in child care centers and family child care homes, emphasizing literacy and age-appropriate teaching strategies. Louise Davis, Ph.D., extension professor of child and family development, of MSU Extension Service, will direct the training and technical assistance for teachers.

The First Regional Library system has already been engaged in working with child care centers and teachers. It provides literacy bags to new mothers, does puppet shows of children’s stories, lends kits for multimedia story-telling, supports the Motheread/Fatheread program, Words on Wheels and encourages early literacy in many other ways.

46 Blackjack Rd. / P.O. Box 6013 / Mississippi State, MS / 39762 / tel. 662-325-4836 / fax 662-325-5436

© 2004- Mississippi State University

Updated 11/22/2006