Volume 9, Issue 2
107 West Main Street
Whiteville, NC 28472

September 2020
The mission of the Early Learning Facility (ELF) is to assist in the development of pre-literacy skills by promoting reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing for children ages birth to five. 
ELF membership is required to check out resources from the lending library. Annual dues are just $5 for individuals; $10 for family childcare homes; $25 for child care facilities with less than 50 students and $30 for large centers and community organizations (membership fee may be waived for families experiencing hardships). We are temporarily suspending ELF membership fees to Columbus County child care facilities and family child care homes; however, we will continue to charge for lamination & other resources.
Summer Read to Me Reading Challenge
Read to Me Summer Reading Challenge was a BIG success!

7 families with 10 children signed up and completed the challenge. They read a combined total of 1,248 books in 5 weeks. Congratulations! Great job children & families!
Need Books or Resources?
The Early Learning Facility is a lending library with thousands of items available to check out through our contactless curbside service. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use our services so we will soon add a new way to reserve resources through our online platform!

Of course, you can continue to call the ELF at 910-212-6352 to reserve resources and schedule contactless curbside pick up and/or drop off services. We have something for everyone; children books, theme boxes, puzzles, games, musical instruments, CD’s, videos, books for parents, curriculum books for teachers and more!

Remember Teachers, we will come and bring resources to you at your center! If you wish to receive contactless curbside services or delivery of resources, call the ELF at 910-212-6352 to reserve resources and set up a contactless delivery or you can reserve resources online by following the steps below.

For safety reasons, we ask that if you or someone in your child care center or child care center home are sick or have experienced symptoms of COVID-19 which can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and/or loss of taste or smell, please wait to use the ELF services.

These procedures are for the safety of our patrons, community and staff members. Please follow these guidelines so that we may continue to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and continue to keep our community safe and healthy while remaining to be a resource for our patrons! 
International Literacy Day is September 8th 
The mission of the Early Learning Facility (ELF) is to assist in the development of pre-literacy skills by promoting reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing for children ages birth to five.

Reading to or with your child helps them get to know sounds, words, and language. It develops early literacy skills. It is enjoyable spending time with your child while igniting their imagination and curiosity. Reading teaches them the value of books and helps your child’s brain, social skills and communication skills develop.

It’s all about making reading fun! Pre reading skills builds lifelong learning and gives a foundation to make successful readers!

Here’s 5 Pre-Reading Skills Needed to be a Successful Reader

Have some fun. The ELF has a lot of books including alphabet books, book & puppet kits, flannel board kits, Letter BINGO & games, ABC upper case & lower case stencils, CD’s & DVD’s and much more! You can reserve resources by calling the ELF or by using the Web OPAC link to make a reserve request online. Read a book aloud to your child, act out the story, play a game, sing a song… Just have some fun together with your child! Call us for suggestions and/or resources!
Let’s Read! Columbus is a literacy campaign to promote the importance of early literacy throughout the entire county. The campaign is a collaborative effort between the Partnership for Children, Whiteville City Schools as well as other education and community agencies within Columbus County.
Ahoy! Sept 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day 

Call ahead and get on the list, we have several pirate themed books. If you call the ELF at 910-212-6352 to reserve a pirate themed book and/or resources to be picked up before the 19th. Schedule a contactless curbside pick up and your child will receive a surprise from the pirate’s treasure chest as well as a pirate craft bagged and ready for pick up to take home and make. Arrr! 
Are YOU a New Mom, or Soon-To-Be New Mom?  
Do have questions about your child’s growth and development, need connections to community resources, or are you in need of baby supplies?

The Early Parenthood Program (EPP) is here for you and currently has openings for eligible participants.

The EPP, administered by the YWCA Lower Cape Fear, was created in partnership with the NC Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, the NC Department of Health and Human Services, and the Columbus County Partnership for Children.

This program offers support to young parents and their children. Eligible mothers must be attending school, or enrolled in an equivalent program, and live in Columbus County.
The program is FREE to qualified participants.

EPP serves young mothers between the ages of 12 and 19 who are pursuing a high school diploma or who are in a continuing education program.

Eligible mothers interested in the program or individuals who would like more information should contact program coordinator, Kathy Robson, at 910-520-4819 or email: epp@ywca-lowercapefear.org.
The 2020 Census is happening now. Shape our children of Columbus County by participating in the census! If you have a baby and he/she was born on April 1, 2020 or before please include them on the count for the census form. To learn more, visit www.census.gov
Amazon makes it SO EASY to donate to Columbus County Partnership for Children with each purchase you make.

Here is how it works: Click the link (smile.amazon.com/ch/56-1966108) and choose Columbus County Partnership for Children as your charitable organization on the AmazonSmile "supporting" banner along the top left of the page. On your laptop or computer, visit smile.amazon.com and bookmark it to your favorites or sidebar. Use the AmazonSmile bookmark whenever you shop on Amazon.

On your mobile device, visit smile.amazon.com and add it as a shortcut to your home screen. Amazon’s mobile apps don’t work with AmazonSmile so be sure to use the shortcut on your home screen to launch AmazonSmile in your mobile browser before purchasing the items in your cart.
Click on the text box for the most up to date list of CCPC Staff Contact Information
Your donation is a great way to get involved with the community and the best way to make a difference in the future of a child. Columbus County Partnership for Children accepts donations of services, products, and monetary contributions.

All donations are tax deductible.