Bright Futures Puts Stimulus Money to Use

WESTERN SAN JUANS – Bright Futures for Early Childhood and Families in partnership with public libraries in San Miguel, Ouray, Montrose and Delta counties is premiering new activity bags for families to check out and take home with their children. Each bag contains educational materials and activity guides focusing on different subject matters. The didactic materials and bags were purchased with one-time stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act awarded to Bright Futures regional early childhood council. 

“The bags provide a wonderful opportunity for families to engage with their children at home,” says Early Childhood Education instructor Mary Alice Wagner, put together the bags with her University Centers of the San Miguel Early Childhood students. “In addition to the supplies, each bag comes with a guided set of instructions which coincide with the Colorado State Standards for preschools.” 

The idea for the activity bags evolved out of Wagner’s relationship with Bright Futures, for whom she heads up the Parents As Teachers program. Wagner wanted to create some hands-on activities for her students that would produce something directly beneficial to the community. Bright Futures Executive Director Kathy James told Wagner, “I have the perfect thing,” referring to existing activity bags already in circulation at the Telluride Wilkinson Library. James was interested in having each bag contain more than just toys to give parents a way to help their children learn. Wagner jumped at the opportunity.

“I had my students make up curriculum and actual activities for the bags based on certain themes,” she says. The students came up with the themes Shapes and Color; Weather; Transportation; Nature; Dinosaurs; and Music. “They’re all already preschool teachers and daycare workers,” so her students knew what subjects kids would be interested in.

So far the new bags are already in circulation at Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library, Norwood Public Library and Montrose Regional Library, but libraries in all four counties – San Miguel, Ouray, Montrose and all five libraries in Delta County – are expected to begin distributing bags by this month, according to Jill Burchmore, Bright Futures program manager.

“We’re pretty proud that we were able to cover them all,” she says.

To date the bags have been well received by all regional libraries. "Our families and early childhood providers will absolutely love these theme-based activity kits,” says Janet Oslund, head of Children's Services at Montrose Regional Library. "The kits should stimulate learning and provide hours of fun for youngsters.”

The Norwood Public Library put the bags into circulation a few weeks ago and two families have already checked out the music and nature bags.

“The activity bags are a wonderful addition to our children’s collection,” says Norwood Library Acting Director Lauri Kozey, who has the bags displayed on a wall and has been pointing them out to families with appropriately aged children.

"We're hoping to get some feedback from the parents when they bring the bags back in," she says, adding, "we, the staff, are thrilled with them."

To upgrade their durability, "we went ahead and laminated the guideline pages and put them through a ring so they're easy to flip through," explains Kozey. When patrons check out the bags, librarians open them up and give the parents a brief introduction to the contents. The bags can then be taken home and kept for two weeks, the normal checkout period.

"We're anxious for some patron feedback," she says. "And we're just so thankful that the project thought of us."

According to Bright Futures Executive Director Cathy James, “This was a unique project, as Bright Futures partnered with the University Centers of the San Miguel, all local libraries in the four counties of Montrose, Delta, Ouray and San Miguel, and the State of Colorado to make quality learning experiences available for the families of children birth to 5 years, which can be done in the home.”

Burchmore adds: “It’s a great, sustainable project” that wouldn’t have been possible without stimulus money.”

The Bright Futures Regional Early Childhood Council is largely funded from the Colorado Department of Education.  However, the council has one-time stimulus money available to spend towards curriculums and activity bags for families in partnership with regional libraries.

Bright Futures for Early Childhood and Families is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting children birth to age 5 through quality child care and education, and represents on of 31 Early Childhood Councils in the state of Colorado appointed by Governor Ritter.  Bright Futures is a resource and referral service for both licensed childcare professionals and parents, providing free trainings, education and pre-licensing courses in the four counties as well as Gunnison and Hinsdale counties. For more information on Bright Futures, visit brightfuturesforchildren.org.