The Aroostook Community Infant Toddler Team invites parents and families of very young children to come together for children during the national Week of the Young Child (April 11-17). Aroostook County is honoring young children and all those who make a difference in their lives through Early Years Resource Fairs in the northern, central and southern regions of the county on April 15 and 16.
“All young children need and deserve high-quality early learning experiences that will prepare them for life. Aroostook County has a great opportunity to do our part to help young children,” said Karen Sawyer of Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP) Child & Family Services. “Week of the Young Child is an opportunity to recognize that early years are learning years for all young children.”
ACAP and others serving expectant families and infants and toddlers through age 3 and their families are sponsoring the Early Years Resource Fairs in the following communities: Fort Kent at Fort Kent Elementary School, 108 Pleasant Street, Friday, April 15, 6-8 p.m.; Caribou at the Caribou Wellness Center, 55 Bennett Drive, Saturday, April 16, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and in Houlton at the Houlton Recreation Center, 128 Main Street, Saturday, April 16, 1–3 p.m.
The three events will offer information on the wide range of services available to young families and feature entertainment by the popular Rick Charette. Events are free to pregnant women and families accompanied by a child through age 3 thanks to the financial support from the Aroostook Council for Healthy Families.
The Aroostook County Community Infant Toddler Team (CITT) which is organizing and sponsoring these events includes representatives from the following organizations: Infant Mental Health, Child Development Services, ACAP, Aroostook Council for Healthy Families Northern Maine Community College, St. John Valley Technology Center, the Aroostook Breastfeeding Coalition, Maine Public Health Nursing, Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library and Family Literacy.
In July 2010 Aroostook County’s CITT was created as part of a statewide effort to increase awareness of the importance of promoting positive outcomes for infants and toddlers. It is the mission of the state group that every expectant family, infant and toddler and their family would have someone in their community that they could turn to for needed information and support. According to Pam Caron of the St. John Valley Technology Center, “We quickly recognized that there are already a lot of resources for families in the area and rather than trying to create something new we should make sure that all families have the opportunity to know what is there for them — thus the resource fairs.”
The Aroostook County Team decided to host an event for expectant families and infants and toddlers and their families to meet organizations from their community that were able to support them during the important early years and to draw attention to the importance of the prenatal care, infancy and early childhood for the foundation they lay for the child’s entire life. The theme of National Association for Education of the Young Child (NAEYC)’s Week of the Young Child, “The Early Years are Learning Years” is a perfect fit.
Each event will include information about and/or representatives of libraries, mental health agencies, public health nursing, child car-seat safety, the Alfond scholarship, Child ID program, Cooperative Extension Service, and pediatricians available in the community for expectant families and parents of infants and toddlers. The enthusiasm from local organizations to participate in these resource fairs has been astounding.
These events are funded by a grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human services and the Aroostook Council for Healthy Families in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, as well as contributions of space and other resources by the Houlton Recreation Center, Fort Kent Elementary School and Cary Hospital in Caribou.
If you have questions regarding the early years resource fairs, please contact Campbell-Sawyer at 768-3045 or Tiffany Karnes at 760-3500. In Fort Kent, contact Pam Caron at 543-6606.
