PA Home Nursing Agency WIC Garners Recognition for Library Collaborative A recent collaboration involving Home Nursing Agency WIC Program, Blair and Centre Counties, Pennsylvania, and the Blair County Library System garnered special recognition from Pennsylvania Libraries for promoting reading readiness activities to the region's WIC families. In April, the Blair County Library System was one of 12 libraries in Pennsylvania that received a “Best Practice Award for Programming and Services to Children Under the Age of Six, Their Families and Caregivers” for the project titled “Food for Thought”. Nearly 100 nominations were submitted for the awards. The Agency's WIC staff launched the initiative by approaching representatives and volunteers of the Blair County Library System. The group was very receptive to helping the staff establish reading programs at several WIC satellite offices with the intention of promoting literacy efforts and a greater understanding of library services. Members from the county's team of librarians and educators read to the children and then provide them with a related craft or activity to coincide with the nutrition education topics currently provided by WIC. In addition, the WIC staff has been successful in obtaining a First Book grant to benefit the reading program for another satellite location and has plans to apply for additional grants. Earlier this year, the WIC office also received a grant from the Home Nursing Agency Foundation to purchase the book, “Read to Your Bunny” by Rosemary Wells, which will be given to new mothers at their Add Baby appointment at WIC. The book contains a sweet, simple story to be read to children and a message to parents that emphasizes the importance of reading. “It is our hope, through these efforts, that our families will be encouraged to spend precious time reading to their children and will develop a love of reading and books,” said Diana Wallace, Director of Home Nursing Agency's WIC Program.
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