Long Beach will host its seventh annual Celebration of the Young Child this weekend.<\/p>\n
The free event will feature hands-on activities and community vendors that provide services and resources for children up to age 8 and their families. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Billie Jean King Main Library, 200 W. Broadway, and at the adjacent Lincoln Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery child deserves a strong start,\u201d Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement, \u201cand the Celebration of the Young Child connects families to the resources, learning opportunities and community support that help our youngest residents thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s programming will include various performers, including Brillantina\u2019s Storytelling, a bilingual storyteller who uses fingerplays, action songs and props throughout her narrations, according to a press release. Josue Cuentacuentos, a Latino musical storyteller who shares family stories, legends and cultural traditions, will also be featured.<\/p>\n
Mera Dance Troupe will present three traditional Cambodian dances that celebrate cultural heritage and empower the next generation through education.<\/p>\n
Additional activities will include music and movement for toddlers and preschool-age children, read-aloud story times, a sensory exploration area, and other educational hands-on activities, according to the press release.<\/p>\n
Early intervention resources and screenings will be provided for free to families with children who may benefit from them. Services will include developmental screenings using the \u201cAges & Stages Questionnaire,\u201d provided by local nonprofit For the Child, which helps identify areas where children may need additional support; and speech and language screenings using the \u201cPreschool Language Scale,\u201d provided by Cal State Long Beach\u2019s Speech and Language Clinic, including results and connections to on-site resources.<\/p>\n
There will also be pediatric eye health screenings provided by the UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic to identify vision concerns and prevent future impairments. Screenings will include vision education, resources and reading glasses, if needed. Space is limited, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early, officials said.<\/p>\n
Vaccination clinics will offer routine childhood immunizations, and the Children\u2019s Dental Health Clinic will offer oral health assessments, including screening results, oral health education, dental resources, oral health kits and fluoride varnish applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis celebration brings our downtown to life,\u201d First District Councilmember Mary Zendejas said in a statement, \u201cby providing a joyful space where our youngest neighbors can learn, play and connect with the vibrant cultural traditions of Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Information booths from local and regional organizations that provide services to families and children up to age 8 will be set up outside on the library terrace with educational handouts that promote healthy child development and resources for parents, according to the press release.<\/p>\n
The Long Beach Health and Human Services Department\u2019s Early Childhood Strategic Initiatives program<\/a>, the Long Beach Public Library and the Mayor\u2019s Fund for Education<\/a>. collaborated to put on the event.<\/p>\n Free parking will be available on Saturday in the Civic Center parking garage at the corner of Broadway and Chestnut Avenue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach will host its seventh annual Celebration of the Young Child this weekend. The free event will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279282,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,2305,584,23,131,133,132,137],"class_list":["post-279281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-children","tag-events","tag-local-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}