WIC office to get new reading space

NORWALK — A local nutrition assistance program serving Erie and Huron counties is getting a new reading space, state officials announced earlier this week. It relates to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — often shortened to WIC — a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that helps fund providing nutritious meals, breastfeeding support and health care referrals to low-income pregnant, post-partum and breastfeeding women and their infants and children up to age 5. The Erie/Huron County WIC program, located at 34 Executive Drive in Norwalk, was one of 10 county WIC programs that will receive a new reading space, which is being developed by the Ohio Department of Health and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio. The reading spaces are to be cozy, colorful areas stocked with books for kids to enjoy as their families spend time at the clinic, state officials said. Locally, officials said the reading space will enhance literacy efforts. "Early literacy is a cornerstone of child development, fostering imagination, empathy and a lifelong love of learning. We are thrilled that our Norwalk WIC office now has an Imagination Library," said Andrea Caudill, director of nursing & WIC services for the program. "By providing access to books, we're not just promoting literacy; we're strengthening the bond between parents and children," Caudill said. "This initiative aligns perfectly with our circle-of-care philosophy, as we strive to support the well-being of every Huron County resident." State officials were also excited to be moving forward with the project. "Books open up a world of possibilities for our children," DeWine said. "By connecting more Ohio children and families with our Imagination Library program, these WIC reading spaces will advance our work to help more kids unlock their imaginations, discover a love for reading and will set them on the best path toward success as they enter kindergarten and throughout life." The governor and First Lady Fran DeWine led a book reading at WIC locations in Hamilton and Portage/Columbiana counties on Monday. They also provided kids attending the book readings with their own copy of the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Designed in the form of a tree, flower or seed in the various WIC locations, the reading spaces take visual inspiration from the Imagination Library book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." The 10 WIC clinics chosen to participate in the reading spaces project were selected based on regional early childhood literacy data, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio participation rates, kindergarten readiness scores and access to nearby library resources. These locations serve more than 33,000 families each month, many of whom stand to benefit by signing up for the Imagination Library program. Here's a full list of locations receiving a reading space: • Athens/Perry County WIC, 2541 Panther Dr. NE in New Lexington • Butler County WIC, 210 S. 2nd in Hamilton • Crawford County WIC, 1520 Isaac Beal Rd. in Bucyrus • Coshocton County WIC, 637 Chestnut St. in Coshocton • Cuyahoga County WIC, 6835 Broadway Ave. in Cleveland • Erie/Huron County WIC, 34 Executive Dr., Suite A in Norwalk • Guernsey County WIC, 326 Highland Ave. in Cambridge • Highland County WIC, 1487 N. High St., Business Suite 500 in Hillsboro • Hocking County WIC, 350 Ohio-664 in North Logan • Portage/Columbiana County WIC, 7876 Lincole Place in Lisbon Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio mails children one high-quality, age-appropriate book each month until his or her 5th birthday at no cost to their family. More than 410,000 Ohio children are currently participating in the program. That's 62% of state's eligible children. Get involved People can learn more about the: • Erie/Huron County WIC program by visiting eriecohealthohio.com/wic • Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio by visiting imaginationlibrary.com.