PRESS RELEASE

City of Long Beach 
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd, 
Long Beach, CA 90802
www.longbeach.gov

1/22/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # 12224-01
Subject:
City of Long Beach Announces Launch of a New Parent Information Workshop Series for Families and Caregivers
Initiative will inform families and caregivers on various early childhood development topics
Contact:
Jennifer Rice Epstein
562.441.3590
Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov
Public Affairs Officer
Department of Health and Human Services




The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) and the Long Beach Public Library (Library) are partnering on a new series of parent education workshops. The workshops, focused on parents of children from 0 to 5 years old, will cover a variety of topics, including special education, early start intervention and mental health and will be taught by local experts who specialize in various fields of early childhood. This initiative aims to ensure Long Beach families experiencing developmental concerns about their child are connected to services in a timely manner.

“These workshops will inform and educate parents and caregivers on important childhood development topics,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “Knowledge is power, and nowhere is that truer than when it comes to the world of parenting.” 

The parent information workshops, which will also serve to connect families to resources, will kick off in January 2024. Each workshop will cover a different topic. Caregivers may attend as many or as few as they would like; no registration is required. 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 Dr.) 

  • 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 collaboration also supports the Library’s Dive into Learning program, an early learning initiative that supports early education for children ages 0 to 5 by incentivizing reading and providing school readiness and parent education workshops. People may sign up by visiting longbeach.beanstack.org or by downloading the Beanstack Tracker app from the App Store or Google Play. Recently the Library launched their Early Learning Fairs, a program series for families looking to enroll their children in an early learning preschool program. 

“Our mission at the Library is to connect community members with information and resources to help them thrive,” said Director of Long Beach Public Library Cathy De Leon. “This parent information series will help caregivers ensure that their children are supported and healthy and have the adequate resource in years crucial for development.”  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in six children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. have a developmental delay, disorder or disability. To help these children thrive, it is critical to provide access to developmental screening, assessment and diagnosis of developmental delays. Early screening, along with early intervention, can optimize a child’s development. 

The workshop series is supported by Help Me Grow LA, which is a collaboration between First 5 LA and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. In 2022, the City of Long Beach was awarded as one of seven community collaboratives to receive $500,000 over the course of three years as part of First 5 LA’s investment to strengthen and expand referral pathways to better connect families with services and supports to address their child’s developmental concerns. The investment is part of Help Me Grow LA’s effort to improve connections between providers so that every child receives support for developmental concerns. In October 2023, the Health Department expanded the Long Beach Resource Line to answer questions related to milestones and developments for children younger than five. Through this effort, parents and caregivers can receive information and resources about their child’s development and connect to community services regarding their developmental concerns via an online assistance request form or by calling the line at 562.570.4246. 

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.   

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.  More information about the Health Department is available at longbeach.gov/health and on social on Facebook, X and Instagram.