For those attending PLA and interested in expanding your early literacy to include health issues and childhood obesity, Family Place Libraries will be having a symposium on March 12th. See further information below. Karren Reish Library Grants Coordinator Library of Michigan 517-241-0021 reishk@michigan.gov<mailto:reishk@michigan.gov> Subject: Family Place Library Symposium Event Dear State Librarian, Family Place Libraries will be offering our 7th biannual Family Place Symposium. This free program is open to all public librarians (particularly children's librarians) and administrators. It will be held the morning of March 12, 2012 at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The attached brochure went out to all ALSC members in mid fall. Further information and registration is available at http://www.familyplacelibraries.com/symposium-register.html I writing am to ask if you would send the attached brochure to your statewide email network. EatPlayGrow: Museum/Library/Community Partnership for Healthy Families, will highlight an exciting new project developed as part of a national health initiative to combat early childhood obesity. Developed and tested by the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) with the cooperation of the National Institutes of Health, it combines innovative and hands-on arts and literacy-based activities with the latest medical and scientific information to activate and support healthy behaviors. This participatory Symposium presentation will include engaging activities from the EatPlayGrow(tm) curriculum, as well as evaluation results from CMOM's four pilot studies. The presentation will also provide strategies for creating, implementing and sustaining a community network by building capacity to leverage existing resources in museum and library settings. Participants will receive an EatPlayGrow(tm) Curriculum Resource CD with Evaluation Report. I greatly appreciate any assistance you may provide in making public librarians in your state aware of this event. Thank you, Kathy Deerr Kathleen Deerr Coordinator, National Family Place Libraries(tm) www.familyplacelibraries.org<http://www.familyplacelibraries.org> Middle Country Public Library 101 Eastwood Blvd. Centereach, NY 11720 deerrkathleen@mcpl.lib.ny.us<mailto:deerrkathleen@mcpl.lib.ny.us> 631.585.9393 x 204 Visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/familyplacelibraries<http://www.facebook.com/familyplacelibraries>.