Outreach Award: Get Healthy with Rover!

The Library System of Lancaster County (LSLC) provides mobile library resources to home-based childcare providers of children birth to age five through the Be READy Rover bookmobile, the Early Literacy Outreach Specialist, and their partnership with community organizations. Collaboratively, we focus on essential components to healthy development and learning, provide training and educational materials to providers, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped to provide basic food services to Providers and the families they serve. The Get Healthy with Rover! project would utilize the existing model, the Be READy Rover and its mascot: Rover the dog, to increase awareness of the importance of health literacy and access to health information and technologies for this population which has limited access to library services and consists of primarily English Language Learners. The Early Literacy Outreach Specialist will provide information via a monthly culturally appropriate newsletter that includes online links and health tips based on MedlinePlus resources for the providers. The Early Literacy Outreach Specialist will promote and model healthy behaviors, and healthy decision making in the lessons, story times and activities planned for the children at their monthly visits.