Early Learning Fair to be held Tuesday

The Juneau Partnership for Families and Children will host an Early Learning Fair from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gastineau Elementary School. All parents and children age 6 and younger are welcome.

"We wanted to do it as an oppurtunity for parents to ask questions and get information about local community services for children," said Joy Lyon, executive director of Association for the Education of Young Children - Southeast Alaska.

There will be 15 to 20 booths with information in the elementary school gym. And while the parents are gathering information, there will be parachute play, face paint, Play-Doh, snack-making and other activities for the kids.

There will be free snacks, car seats, childrens books, backpacks and kindergarten supplies.

Also free are hearing, vision and developmental screenings and Chicken Pox vaccines and Tdap shots. The vaccines are part of a new district requirement that started July 1. Parents need to bring shot record cards in order to get the immunizations.

There will also be Head Start registration for 3 to 5 year olds.

The fair coincides with kindergarten registration and parents can come to Gastineau to register for any elementary school. The charter school, Montessori program and home school programs will also be present.

"Any program that parents are interested in there will be information about so they can come and ask questions," Lyon said.

The Partnership for Families and Children is made up of 15 local groups: AEYC, Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies, Bartlett Beginnings, Catholic Community Services, Juneau Family Birth Center, Juneau School District, Juneau Youth Services, The Learning Connection, Love, INC., Office of Children's Services, REACH Infant Learning Program, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Tlingit and Haida Headstart, United Way of Southeast Alaska and the U.S. Coast Guard Work/Life.