Volume 9, Issue 7

107 West Main Street Whiteville, NC 28472

January 2022

The Columbus County Partnership for Children & The Early Learning Facility will be CLOSED Monday, January 17, 2022 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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.)

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.

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)

January is International Creativity Month It's time to celebrate International Creativity Month. Creative experiences can help children express their feelings and cope with those . It also fosters mental health growth in children by offering opportunities for them to try out new ideas and new ways of thinking, as well as, problem-solving. Grab some craft supplies and just have fun! If you need some ideas for fun creative projects to do with you child(ren) call Jennifer today @ 910-212-6352. We also have craft supplies available for a nominal fee.

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It's winter time and we have winter themed books.  Call today @ 910-212-6352 to reserve yours.

Martin Luther King Jr's birthday is January 15. Let's celebrate his life and honor him for all of his life achievements and his influences as an American civil rights leader. He was known for being very kind and caring! He wanted freedom, equality and dignity for all people. He was a great man! Call the ELF today to reserve a book to teach your child(ren) about this great leader!

National Handwriting Day is January 23rd

Did you know that teaching children to write provides numerous opportunities to develop children's fine motor skills, concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, and creating and exploring texts?

We have many resources to assist in building fine motor skills, pre handwriting and handwriting skills. Call the ELF today @ 910-212-6352 to reserve yours.

Upcoming FREE Virtual Teacher Training Opportunity Thursday, January 27, 2022 Virtual: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. 2 CHCs Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) Overview Participants will gain knowledge about the administration of the scale, scoring system, explanation of terms used throughout the scale, and given an overview of the 7 subscales and items of the ECERS-R. Presenter: Sandra Newkirk Register today for this event, call Sandra Newkirk at 910-499-4547 or email sandra.newkirk@columbussmartstart.org.

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

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.

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.