Volume 9, Issue 6

107 West Main Street Whiteville, NC 28472

December 2021

The Columbus County Partnership for Children & The Early Learning Facility will be closed for the Holidays, Friday, December 24th & Monday, December 27th.

Monday, January 3rd the Columbus County Partnership for Children & The Early Learning Facility will be closed in observance of the New Year.

We have over 3800 resources available for check out! The Early Learning Facility (ELF) has something for everyone; resource materials, including books for parents, curriculum books for teachers, children's books, theme boxes, puzzles, games, musical instruments, videos, CD’s, & more! The ELF is a lending library with thousands of items available for members to check out through our contactless curbside service. You may reserve resources, schedule curbside pick up and/or drop off by calling 910-212-6352.

If you are a child care provider who is in need of resources and books, we will deliver books & resources to you at your center! Call Jennifer @ (910) 212-6352 to schedule a time for a contactless curbside drop off delivery/pick up.

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 children and $30 for large centers and community organizations (We are temporarily suspending ELF membership fees to Columbus County child care facilities and family child care homes due to the pandemic; however, we will continue to charge for lamination & other materials. Membership fees may be waived for families experiencing hardships.)

Smart Start Virtual Story Time Columbus County Partnership for Children (Smart Start), in collaboration with Whiteville City Schools as part of Let's Read! Columbus, invites you to Smart Start Virtual Story Time! Join us as we bring these stories to life! Access the stories at your convenience (24/7)! Read along if you have the books! New stories will be posted regularly! Access on Facebook @ColumbusSmartStart Access on the web @ www.columbussmartstart.com The stories are brought to you directly from the Smart Start Early Learning Facility!  (Written temporary permission has been granted by Penguin-Random House dated 08.26.20)

December is Read a New Book Month!!

We have a lot of children's books available for check out. Please call Jennifer @ 910-212-6352 to reserve your books to read to your child(ren) during December.

Happy Holidays! We have a lot of holiday themed books! Call Jennifer @ 910-212-6352 today to reserve yours

December 6th is Put on Your Own Shoes Day Children are usually ready to start putting on certain types of shoes with assistance between 21 and 30 months. Learning to put on socks independently takes longer and typically happens between 36 and 44 months. Although plenty of children's shoes have Velcro closures, tying shoelaces is still a big-kid milestone worth teaching. Typically children 4 years and up who have the fine motor skills and coordination are success at learning to tie their own shoelaces. Remember, practice helps and it takes time. Be patient! If you have children who are learning to put on their shoes, December 6th will be a great day to let them do it all by themselves. Here is a link for a fun video that focuses on getting dressed and clothing vocabulary. Click here to view video! We also have some resources in the ELF that allows your child(ren) to practice self dressing skills. Call Jennifer @ 910-212-6352 to reserve resources or books today.

National Bake Cookies Day is December 18th It's the perfect time of the year to bake cookies for the holidays with your family! Gather the family, ingredients, supplies and have some fun! Here is a link for a easy cookie recipe.

Did you know that when you shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/56-1966108, Amazon Smile donates a percentage of your eligible purchases to Columbus County Partnership for Children (Smart Start)? Amazon makes it SO EASY to donate to Columbus County Partnership for Children (Smart Start) 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.

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. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Click on the text box for the most up to date list of CCPC Staff Contact Information.