All Children Welcome at Community Playdate Saturday

This weekend all children and families, especially those with children under five years old are welcome to the Community Playdate this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Jackson Avenue Center.

The Lafayette-Oxford-University (LOU) Excel By 5 is hosting this playdate in collaboration with the United Way of Oxford & Lafayette County. The event is free and all are welcome although the playdate is targeted for families with children under five years old.

The event will feature various age-appropriate activities with toys loaned by the local Family Resource Center. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers and kindergarteners may enjoy the playdate this Saturday. There will be door prizes. Children can enjoy light snacks provided while their parents will have opportunities to share their inputs and feedback with LOU Excel by 5 Coalition’s work.

Photo courtesy of United Way of Oxford & Lafayette County

Linda Glaze, director of Weekday Education at First Baptist Church, will be there to answer questions about topics on children’s transition to kindergarten from pre-writing skills to knowing how to play cooperatively.

The Northwest Mississippi Family Resource Center also welcomes families and friends to its open house in conjunction with the Community Playdate. Child care providers and families are invited to stop by and tour the center to learn more about what the center can offer the community. The center is a lending library that has toys, books and games and educational materials that can be checked out for two weeks at a time to anyone caring for small children. The only requirement to borrow is a photo identification. The center is located at 1097 Jackson Avenue West.

If you would like more information on Excel By 5 or the Community Playdate, please contact Chelsea Herbert at 662-236-4265 or email chelsea@unitedwayoxfordms.org.

Callie Daniels is a staff reporter for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.