One major impact of the flood that we experienced last year was the loss of hundreds of children's books and teaching materials in almost every classroom. Books are essential to children's learning beginning with infants and we have been struggling to rebuild our libraries.
So, in the midst of all the bad news about state budgets and child care cuts we were delighted this week to receive a gift of over 100 high quality new books from Southwest Human Development. These ranged from durable "board books" for infants to exciting new books for toddlers, preschool and school age children. They were quickly sorted by the staff and are now in the hands of the children in every classroom.
Previously we participated in the Childcare Libraries for Literacy project with the Arizona Institute for Early Childhood Development at Southwest Human Development. This was a one-year project that provided intensive training (24 class hours) of all staff in best practices for developing literacy in children.
We truly appreciate the generosity of Southwest Human Development. We have had a long and rewarding relationship with them. They have provided us with staff training, help with evaluation of children, finding resources for children with developmental problems, parent coaching and reading programs. Their staff are a wonderful source of encouragement as they challenge us to be our best for your children.