BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
The first five years of a child’s life are important.
“Experiences and interactions during this age shape children’s social and emotional health, school readiness, and fundamental life skills,” Mahomet Public Library’s Maura Stutzman said.
In order to meet the need of both children and parents of young children, Stutzman, alongside the library’s director, John Howard, are putting forth a new initiative called Firm Foundations, which will begin in 2020. Registration is now open for the programming that focuses on ages up to 5-years old.
“By developing programming and opportunities for the specific ages of 0-5, we are meeting children where they are to create meaningful experiences between them and their parents and caregivers, which can only lead to a happier and healthier life,” said Stutzman.
Howard said that while parents and children often become part of a community when their child enrolls in kindergarten, there is a gap in the early years.
“We want to create a similar type of community for families before that time,” Howard said.
Firm Foundations will focus on areas of health and wellness, early literacy/school readiness and parenting skills for parents while playdates, field trips and other fun activities will be scheduled to give children the opportunity to socialize and parents a way to connect.
Childcare during the parent education sessions will be provided free of charge.
“Eventually, we want to organize children into ‘cohorts,’ or groups of kids who, based on their age, will most likely be in the same grade at school,” said Howard. “This way, when they walk into school on the first day, hopefully they already have friends and people they know.”
Cohorts will be labeled with their likely graduation year, such as “Class of 2036.”
Firm Foundations will also focus on connecting families with resources throughout the community.
Multiple community organizations have signed on to partner with the library on this initiative, including the Mahomet-Seymour Schools, the Mahomet Parents Network, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, the Friends of the Mahomet Library, the Museum of the Grand Prairie, and OSF Healthcare.
Representatives of most of these organizations participate in the Firm Foundations Steering Committee under the guidance of library staff.
“This initiative is not just about programs,” Howard said. “We also want to be a clearinghouse of information about all the great activities and resources available to support children at this age.”
Parents and caregivers interested in learning more or enrolling their children in the initiative should stop into the library or visit MahometPublicLibrary.org/FirmFoundations for more information and registration.
Every child enrolled in Firm Foundations will receive a gift book from the library on each birthday through age 5. The books, chosen by library staff from among the best available for children, will be packaged and mailed each month by members of the Friends of the Mahomet Library organization.
The Birthday Book program is limited to children who live within the Mahomet-Seymour School District, but educational and social programs will be open to the public, regardless of where they live. Participants are not required to have a library card, but they are encouraged to sign up for one.
