Early Learning Play Area Gives Young Children Developmental Jump

credit: via moneycontrol

Ohio's Lane Road Library is now open for business, and "My Town" is the name of its new Early Learning Play Area.

It's a 500-square-foot space on the library's lower level that features a miniature map of Upper Arlington, a cash register that kids can use to learn numbers, a toy train that kids can operate, and mirrors that make it easier for kids to crawl and play, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

"We believe in play-based learning that covers all the early literacy skills we try to integrate into storytime learnings," says a youth services librarian at the Lane Road Library.

"We like that it encourages creativity, problem-solving, socialization, and things like that."

The library's director tells WBNS that the goal of the play area is "to engage children in their social and emotional development through peer interactions and relationships, to foster creativity and critical thinking and critical cognitive development by providing opportunities and support for children to engage in pretend play together, and health and well-being by learning to explore through play, (like) shopping, cooking."

The library spent $80,000 on the project, which was paid for with donors' names featured on street signs. Read the Entire Article

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

How's Your Community Doing?
Check Out it's
Community Vital Signs

Impact Investment Strategies Unveiled in New Genconnectu Course by Vegtech ...

"The future is green, and it's ours to invest in." That's the takeaway from Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest, who is offering an online course on "Impact Investing with Plant-based...more

Undergraduate Research Week Poster Competition Winners Announced

"This research pushed me outside my comfort zone and forced me to interact first-hand with hard truths about what social media is being used for in the modern day," Daisy Rehbock writes in her...more

An Evening Worth Its Weight in Art!

Quebec City's Mus ? 'e des beaux-arts du Qu'bec museum is getting a major boost from a single man. Michael Audain, chairman of the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation, has pledged $10 million toward...more

Ford Fund Rebrands as Ford Philanthropy
Foundation: Ford Motor Company Fund

The Ford Motor Company's philanthropic arm is getting a new name: Ford Philanthropy. The rebranding reflects Ford's 75-year legacy of "driving impact in Ford communities around the world," says...more

Philanthropic Cause Takes Center Stage with Apo

Grace Reynolds, 17, sang "Landslide" in the style of Fleetwood Mac, while 11-year-old Rylee Campbell performed "Once Upon a December" in the style of Liz Callaway, but it was Reynolds who took home...more

Communications Officer Job with University Of Western Australia

Western Australia's University of Western Australia is looking for a new director of alumni relations, and the ideal candidate will be a woman with at least five years' experience in donor...more

P.B. Scott Named Ey'S Master Entrepreneur of the Year for Ja

"It's very nice to be recognized. It's an honor to be a part of something that's global." So says P.B. Scott, president and CEO of the Musson Group, after being named the Master...more

Margherita Therese Pappas Obituary

Margherita Therese Pappas was a singer and actor who performed in New York City, San Francisco, Amherst, and elsewhere before settling in Maui with her husband of 18 years, Miguel Sobel. Now...more

The Creative School Doctoral Student Presents Confluence: the Making of Home in Toronto

"There's an intense beauty in the experience of living in Toronto that I hope the viewers recognize in the work," says Francisco-Fernando Granados, a PhD student at the University of...more

Dance Project Brings Together School Pupils and Elderly People in Belfast

"There has been much laughter and plenty of chatter as friendships develop each week between the generations, forging stronger community connections and better awareness of some of the issues each...more