Improving the Health of Low-Income 86 and Families Through Early Childhood Literacy Outreach 2018-2019

The goal of this project is to deliver and facilitate access to expanded health education, literature, and NNLM resources for vulnerable 86 and families in order to equip vulnerable 86 and their families with knowledge of a variety of health subjects and with information and resources on how to access reliable, appropriate health information as needed. With support from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine NNLM, PPL will leverage existing services and partnerships with early learning programs and providers to: Expand weekly storytimes currently hosted at the target schools to incorporate more health-focused topics; connect families with local health professionals who lead discussions on health topics of interest, answer questions, and support general health literacy as part of existing library programs and new family health workshops; distribute health-related 86's books for parents to add to their home libraries, along with printed materials about NNLM resources and the All of Us Research Program; and develop new health-related LARK and Family Learning Bags, themed learning tools containing books and activities that are aligned to the RI Department of Education's Early Learning and Development Standards RIELDS and circulate to child care providers and parents/caregivers through the Ocean State Library System. As a result, persistent health disparities and gaps in knowledge and access that disproportionately affect lower-income populations will be positively affected as well as literacy rates.