For those who may be adjusting to new parenthood, the city is offering a series of free workshops that will cover everything from speech development to behavior management.
The workshops are for caregivers of children up to 5 years old starting this Thursday, Jan. 25, and will taught by local experts who specialize in various fields of early childhood.
The classes will also cover special education, early start intervention and mental health to ensure that families concerned about their children’s development have access to services and resources.
Those interested can attend however many as they’d like, and no registration is needed. The schedule is as follows:
- Special Education – Thursday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. at Ruth Bach Library (4055 N. Bellflower Blvd.)
- Supporting Healthy Speech Development – Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Los Altos Library (5614 E. Britton Drive)
- Supporting Healthy Speech Development – Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at El Dorado Library (2900 N. Studebaker Rd.)
- How to Manage Behaviors – Friday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Dana Library (3680 Atlantic Ave.)
- Harbor Regional Center Eligibility and Intake for Children 3 and Under – Friday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Alamitos Library (1836 E. 3rd St.)
- Encouraging Emotional Awareness & Positive Self-Image – Friday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Harte Library (1595 W. Willow St.)
This Parent Information Workshop series supports Long Beach Public Library’s Dive Into Learning program, which incentivizes children up to five years old to read and be “school ready.” Those interested can sign up for that here.
Parents and caregivers can also get information and resources for their kids’ developmental needs through this online form or by calling 562-570-4246.
One in six children ages three to 17 in the U.S. have a development delay, disorder or disability. To help these children thrive, it is critical to give them developmental screenings, assessment and diagnosis, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The parent workshop series is a collaboration between the city’s Health Department and Long Beach Public Library. It is funded by Help Me Grow LA, from which Long Beach was awarded $500,000 over three years to better connect families with resources to support their children’s growth.