On Thursday, March 2nd, Maryland Family Network (MFN) and Anne Arundel Professional Firefighters kicked off National Reading Month by presenting struggling Anne Arundel County families a gift that many of us take for granted—books for our children. On behalf of MFN, the Fire Fighters collected hundreds of books to donate to children and their parents at MFN’s Family Support Center in Anne Arundel County.
Maryland Family Network’s 26 Family Support Centers across the state provide free services to parents and their children from birth through age three. Family Support Centers assist moms and dads in developing effective parenting skills and fulfilling their aims related to school, employment and home life. The Centers also provide child care, assessments, and early childhood education for infants and toddlers whose parents are enrolled in the program. The donation of books to the families will offer a continuation at home of what is taught in the Center.
“Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Fighters are committed to serving the community both on and off the job. We believe reading is a valuable part of early childhood education and we are proud that our efforts can bring families together around a good book,” said Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Fighter Brian Holtslander.
“A parent is a child’s first teacher, but without books at home, they cannot foster an early love of reading. We sincerely appreciate the community’s interest in helping the young parents in our Annapolis Family Support Center program to share the joy of reading with their toddlers,” said Carnitra White, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services.
