Mccracken County Early Childhood Council

🚂 Join us on Tuesday, August 20th at 11:00am. (on the floor) 🚂
Get on board for an exciting hour filled with play and crafting! Your little one will have a blast with various tank engine-themed activities. Plus, they'll take home their very own My Best Pop-up Noisy Train Book.
This program is intended for preschoolers.

Make your reservation for this free performance!

Our McCracken County Early Childhood Council is proud to help provide funding for this awesome program!

Thank you McCracken County Public Library for taking this on ❤️

Do you believe in Dolly's magic? Congratulations Kentucky! Every zip code is available for enrollment. Share the news! More books than ever before will be delivered to Kentucky's youngest citizens.

https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/find-my-program/

Next week!! Families free interactive children’s theater, Playtime presents Rapunzel!

Kentucky Childcare Parent Survey 2024 Funding for early childhood education is a priority of the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly as lawmakers work to develop our biennium state budget. Since 2020, Kentucky's early childhood education providers have received millions of dollars in federal pandemic aid to maintain capacity, invest in facil...

Parents of our little ones! This looks like a wonderful program from our Paducah Parks Department 🥰

webtrac.paducahky.gov

Great program for your kids to learn soccer!

Registration for Tiny Tot Soccer is open. Tiny Tot Soccer is a non-competitive league for children ages 3-6 to learn the basic fundamentals for playing soccer without the competitive environment. There are divisions for U4 and U6. Each week will consist of 30 minutes of practice followed by a 30 minute scrimmage. Coaches are volunteers so we ask all parents to consider helping to coach. T-Shirts and shin guards will be provided. Tennis shoes are preferred and are not provided. The deadline to register is Thursday, March 21. You can register online at http://www.paducahky.gov/registration, at our office at 1400 H.C. Mathis Drive, or over the phone by calling 270-444-8508.

We are now accepting applications for the 24/25 school year. Call us @ 270-444-5780 to schedule your appointment.

Look at this wonderful building!! Can’t wait for the grand opening!

Fantastic opportunity for our Education staff to see the new Lakeshore furniture!! A quick Education team meeting in our new media center.

Thank you for joining our Virtual Learning Series event! Please share this social card across your networks and lift up the brilliance of Black children. Tag us when you share your positive, child-centered narratives! ⭐️🧡

There is still time to register for the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion training series! These trainings are free, you will get 12 clock hours of training by the end, and receive classroom materials!

Learn more and register here: https://www.childcarecouncilofky.com/training-calendar.html

https://forms.office.com/r/Q2PB7h84Yn

Join us for a wild adventure in January's Laugh and Learn Playdate! This month, we're venturing into "The Jungle" theme, where your little explorers will embark on a jungle-themed journey filled with stories, songs, crafts, games, and more!

🗓️ Date: January 16th
⏰ Time: 11:00 a.m.
🏫 Location: McCracken County Library

Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to spark their imaginations and build essential skills for school success!

Tiny Tot Basketball is for ages 3-5 ( not yet in kindergarten). It will take place on Monday nights starting November 20th. Registration will end on November 2nd. Call 270-444-8508 for more information.

❤️

Stop by the McCracken ECC booth at the Street Fair this morning! Fun bug masks and Parwnt Guides while they last!

LaToya Benberry with KIDS Company Too! Serving McNabb Elementary and Greta Henry with WKCTC and her volunteer students are excited to see all the families!

You all!!! It’s finally here and happening! ❤️ 📖

Great News, Everyone!

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will officially launch in McCracken County on Tuesday, August 1st!

When: Tuesday, August 1st from 11am - 2pm
Where: McCracken County Public Library, 555 Washington Street in the 2nd floor meeting room
What to expect: Light refreshments and snacks available. Come sign up your child(ren) and grab a photo with our life-size Dolly Parton cutout! Make your own Imagination Library Buttons! Dolly Parton coloring pages, bookmarks, and other goodies will also be available.

What is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library?

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts free books into the hands and hearts of children across the world. Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to dream more, learn more, care more and be more.

How does it work?

Each month a new, carefully selected book will be mailed in your child's name directly to your home for FREE! There is no cost or obligation to families. Each child will first receive The Little Engine That Could, then receive a book each month until their 5th birthday.

How are these books free to children?

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has partnered with The McCracken County Imagination Library, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established by the McCracken County Public Library and primarily funded by grants and donations; payments made from the McCracken County Imagination Library are matched 50-50 through the Kentucky Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Early Learning, along with the KDLA Library Development Branch. Special thanks to the Purchase Area Early Childhood Council, whose initial contribution of $26,000 helped make this possible!

Who is eligible?

Children under the age of 5 in McCracken County.

What are my responsibilities?

-Be a resident of McCracken County.
Submit an official registration form, completely filled out by the authorized adult. Registration can be done in person, or online at https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/KYMCCRACKEN/
-Notify McCracken County Public Library any time your address changes. Books are mailed to the address listed on the account. If the child's address changes, the parent/guardian must contact the McCracken County Public Library in order to continue receiving books.

When will I receive books?

8-10 weeks after your registration form has been received, books will begin arriving at your home and will continue until your child turns 5 or you move out of McCracken County.

Has the Dolly Parton Imagination Library increased reading?

The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Together, Dolly Parton and her book gifting organization have received honors and awards for their dedication to enriching the lives of children everywhere. Most recently, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2022), the Eric Carle Angel Award (2022), The Library of Congress Rubinstein Award (2021),The Best Practices award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards (2014), recognition in Reading Psychology (2012) and the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval (2001), are among a few of the prestigious acknowledgments the program has received.

How can I support the McCracken County Imagination Library?

Partnership and donation opportunities are now available! You can donate now at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RZZKA34R4LM9E or reach out to McCracken County Public Library Director, Justin Brasher at [email protected] for more information.

Can my organization join the event on Tuesday?

Community Partners can email Youth Manager Linda Bartley at [email protected] for partner opportunities. Space is limited!

We hope to see you there!

If you have a child age 3-4 and you’re looking for a Preschool Program, give Paducah Head Start a try! They are taking applications now! 🚌

Parents! You are your child’s first teacher ❤️. Bookmark this awesome site for so many school readiness information!

Let's Learn Kentucky Parents and caregivers area child’s first and most important teacher. 90% of brain growth happens in the first 5 years. To prepare for school success, families are encouraged to: read together, talk together, play together, move together, connect together.

Mark your calendars! Reservations will start being taken tomorrow for this wonderfully hilarious show! Don’t miss it for your little ones!

Join us for live Q&A along with open discussion on kinship care! At CFSB on Irvin Cobb Dr. In attendance will be Family Court Judge Henschel, Family Attorney Jennifer Peek, Sheriff Norman and others! Our hope is for you to gain knowledge on kinship care and navigate resources available to you. Everyone is welcome, you don’t need a child at RES to join us!

RSVP at the link below:
https://forms.gle/xNh9FNymFtvsXf9F9

See you soon!

Tiny Tot Soccer registration is open until Thursday March 23. This program is for boys and girls ages 3-6. Cost is $30 (tax included). Play on Saturday mornings beginning April 22. Find out more at https://paducahky.gov/youth-sports

Read that one more time. ❤️

As Meaghan Cox Gurdon says in her book, “listening to stories while looking at pictures stimulates children’s deep brain networks, fostering their optimal cognitive development. Further, the companionable experience of shared reading cultivates empathy, dramatically accelerates young children’s language acquisition, and vaults them ahead of their peers when they get to school. The rewards of early reading are astonishingly meaningful: toddlers who have lots of stories read to them turn into children who are more likely to enjoy strong relationships, sharper focus, and greater emotional resilience and self-mastery."

The Art of Reading Aloud to Kids: https://www.howweelearn.com/read-aloud-activities-kids/

Mark your calendar for this special show for our youngest theater fans! And it’s free! 🌟