The Child Guidance program at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department will offer developmental screenings for children birth to five years old at the following libraries and on the corresponding dates.

• Northwest – Thursday, July 26, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Belle Isle – Wednesday, August 1, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Capitol Hill – Thursday, August, 2, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Bethany – Friday, August 3, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Warr Acres – Friday, August 10, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Del City – Tuesday, August 14, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Edmond – Wednesday, August 15, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Midwest City – Wednesday, August 15, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

These will be individual sessions lasting approximately 1 hour with a Child Development Specialist, Speech/Language Pathologist and/or a Behavioral Health Specialist. Sessions include discussion about the normal range of early development as well as any parenting questions that the parent may have in the areas of Speech, Language, Development, and Behavior. Sessions are by appointment only. There is a small fee for screenings. Medicaid is accepted. No person will be denied services for inability to pay.

• Edmond – 1 to 5 p.m. July 11.
• Warr Acres – 9 a.m. to noon July 13.
• Midwest City – 1 to 5 p.m. July 17.
• Choctaw – 1 to 5 p.m. July 19.
• The Village – 1 to 5 p.m. July 24.
• Northwest Oklahoma City – 9 a.m. to noon July 26.

The private sessions last about an hour. The professionals check your child’s speech, behavior and other developmental milestones. There’s a small fee depending on income, but nobody is turned away because of the inability to pay. Medicaid is accepted. Appointments are required. To schedule one, call 425-4412.

I took my daughter to a screening a couple years ago – when she was just about to turn 1 – and it was great. I learned so much. I would recommend this to any parent. In fact, I recommend this to myself. My daughter’s almost 3 now. Maybe it’s time I take her back.

Birth to one year:

• “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?” by Bill Martin
• “Inch by Inch” by Leo Lionni
• “Grow Flower, Grow!” by Lisa Bruce

3 years and older:

• “Fireflies in the Night: Revised Edition” by Judy Hawes
• “Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor” by Joanna Cole
• “All the Colors of the Earth” by Sheila Hamanaka
• “Energy Makes Things Happen” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• “Peanut Butter and Jelly” by Nadine Bernard Westcott
• “What If…?” by Cheryl Steele
• “The Falling Raindrop” by Neil Johnson and Joel Chin
• “In the Small, Small Pond” by Denise Fleming
• “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert
• “A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee” by Chris Van Dusen
• “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• “My Five Senses” by Aliki

“Illiteracy is both a cause and a consequence of poverty,” said Steve Davis, state director of Reach Out and Read Oklahoma, in a statement. “If we are going to truly prepare our babies to enter school ready to learn, we must first make sure they can recognize letters, have a nurturing home environment and develop a love of reading. It is our belief that if a parent or loved one gives a child a love for books, they will develop a love for learning that will lead to success in school.”

Children’s books

• “Heroes for Civil Rights” by David A. Adler
• “Amazing Grace” by Mary Hoffman and Carline Binch
• “Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)” by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
• “Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky” by Faith Ringgold
• “Baby Says” by John Steptoe
• “Chicken Sunday” by Patricia Polacco
• “Barack Obama: United States President” by Roberta Edwards
• “Black Pioneers of Science and Invention” by Louis Haber
• “Afro-Bets: Book of Black Heroes” by Wade Hudson
• “Amazing Peace” by Maya Angelou
• “Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope” by Nikki Grimes
• “Just Like Martin” by Ossie Davis
• “Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World” by Mildred Pitts Walter
• “Mama, I Want to Sing” by Vy Higginsen

Adult books

• “Learning While Black: Creating Educational Excellence for African American Children” by Janice E. Hale
• “Young, Gifted and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African-American Students” by Theresa Perry
• “Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and Life” by Baruti K. Kafele
• “Black Children: Their Roots, Culture and Learning Styles” by Janice E. Hale-Benson
• “The Power of One: How You Can Help or Harm African American Students” by Dr. Gail Thompson
• “Through Ebony Eyes: What Teachers Need to Know but Are Afraid to Ask About African American Students” by Dr. Gail Thompson
• “Marva Collins’ Way: Updated” by Marva Collins

Parents and students have spent the last two years raising the more than $50,000 needed to purchase and install the new equipment. The old equipment was beyond repair, according to school officials.

Robin Hill School District is located between Moore and Norman. The school has about 200 students enrolled in prekindergarten through eighth grades.

The playground’s color theme is red, white, and blue. Students will release balloons in the same colors at the grand opening.

“We are very proud of our group’s accomplishment in reaching our goals for this playground project and want to share this joy with our community,” said Betty Chagaris, PTA president.

The $10.5 million school is scheduled to open by 2010. It is expected to help ease overcrowding on the district’s west side.

The 64,948-square-foot building will house about 520 students in prekindergarten through second grade. The new school will be paid for with 2007 bond money.

The morning weather was brisk – cool enough that I could see my breath when I reached the school just after 7 a.m. – but invigorating, too.

You can read more about the walk at Western Village and watch a video about it tomorrow on NewsOK.com.

In the meantime, I’d like to know: Did you walk to school growing up, and do you let your children walk now?

Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter

My middle school in Texas operated with a team system that was similar to what Charlie Bushyhead described as the setup at Union.

The sixth-graders at my middle school were on the “Energizer Team,” and the eighth-graders were on the “Power Team.” The seventh-graders were split between the two. Each team had its own set of core teachers, and we intermixed for electives and lunch.

What do you think of the teaming concept, or of breaking students in specific grades out into their own buildings? (Any incentive from a parent’s perspective to keep their freshmen daughters away from senior boys, perhaps?) Share your thoughts here.

Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter