First 5 LA Will Highlight Importance of Talking, Reading and Singing to Children, and Offer Breastfeeding and Diaper Changing Stations On-site for Parents Along with Fun Activities for Kids

LOS ANGELESFirst 5 LA today announced its sponsorship of the 2017 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the largest literary festival in the United States. To promote the importance of engaging families in early literacy, First 5 LA will feature “Talk, Read, Sing” activities for children and will provide helpful on-site resources for parents in partnership with BreastfeedLA and Jumpstart USC, part of the USC Alliance for Civic Engagement.

The Festival of Books will be held on April 22 through April 23 on the University of Southern California campus and is a free public event that will feature live performances, more than 500 authors, celebrities, musicians, artists, and conversation panels.

“Each year the Festival of Books brings together people of all ages and families to celebrate the importance of literacy, music and the arts,” said Kim Belshé, Executive Director at First 5 LA. “This marks our eighth year as a proud sponsor and partner. We look forward to connecting with families to provide them with helpful on-site resources, along with information on the importance of engaging in meaningful ways with their children from the moment they’re born. Years of research have found that talking, reading and singing can significantly help children develop critical language, math and social-emotional skills.”

During the festival, First 5 LA will help parents address a critical need when taking infants and young children to outdoor events. In partnership with BreastfeedLA and Jumpstart, the First 5 LA event booth will feature two tented breastfeeding and diaper changing dedicated areas located conveniently on each side of the campus. Each station is equipped with padded rocking chairs, changing tables, along with breastfeeding coaches from Breastfeed LA and skilled volunteers from Jumpstart, who will lead activities with kids in a dedicated play area.

“BreastfeedLA is honored to join First 5 LA as a committed community partner to help bring a baby feeding lounge for parents to access comfortably,” said Arissa Palmer, MHS, Executive Director of Breastfeed LA. “This year, we also look forward to sharing the exciting news with the festival community that we are launching four new donor milk collection sites all over L.A. County. At the First 5 LA booth you will be able to learn more about where people can bring their pumped breast milk to be donated to babies in need.”

In addition to the breastfeeding and diaper changing areas, First 5 LA will host an activity booth with educational games, resources and information for parents, including materials from the national campaign “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing,” which promotes early brain and language development by encouraging parents to engage in language-rich activities with their young children starting at birth.

Kids under age 5 can play games to win a free book (while supplies last), and parents can take capture moments in a lively photo station. Jumpstart volunteers also will be at the activity booth, engaging both kids and parents with interactive reading circles and sing-a-longs.

“Jumpstart USC Corps members are always excited to serve alongside First 5 LA staff to engage hundreds of young children and families who attend the event and to help promote a general early love of literacy and books,” said Truyen Tran, the Senior Director of Programming at Jumpstart. “This is our sixth year collaborating with First 5 LA since the festival came to the USC campus. We believe the partnership has been so successful because of our shared mission and commitment to the potential of every child in L.A. County.”

The First 5 LA breastfeeding and diaper changing areas will be located at booth #566 and #2239, and the children’s activity booth is #722. For a map of the festival area, USC Campus parking and more information, visit events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks.

###

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. By participating in Jumpstart’s yearlong program, children develop the language, literacy, and social and emotional skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path for lifelong success. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained 45,000 college students and community volunteers to transform the lives of 100,000 preschool children nationwide. Jumpstart is a proud member of the AmeriCorps service network. Learn more at jstart.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @Jumpstartkids.

ABOUT BREASTFEED LA

BreastfeedLA is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of infants and families through education, outreach, and advocacy to promote and support breastfeeding. BreastfeedLA advocates for lactation accommodations at the state and local level and has aided in the adoption of lactation accommodation policies throughout Los Angeles County, including the County and City of LA and Kaiser Permanente. We provide technical assistance to hospitals to improve breastfeeding outcomes and to employers and schools to help implement strong lactation accommodation policies and programs. We work to increase the number of employers with lactation accommodation policies and support legislation to provide greater protection to breastfeeding mothers. We also assist mothers who have been discriminated against for breastfeeding in public to take action to assert their rights.




Celebrating Home Visiting in LA

Celebrating Home Visiting in LA

By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer May 22, 2025 Opening your home to a stranger can be scary. Especially if you're a new mom.   Just ask Dani. After the birth of her son, she got a call from a parent educator asking if she'd like to participate in a home visiting...

Conversations That Count: Encouraging Bilingualism in Young Learners

Conversations That Count: Encouraging Bilingualism in Young Learners

By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer April 22, 2025 The young boy is talking about cognates.   "I know some words in Spanish," Mateo tells the nice lady sitting next to him in the booth. "When we watch these videos, they show the word first in English and then, at the...

FIRST 5 LA BOARD EXPLORES INITIATIVE 3: MATERNAL & CHILD WELL-BEING

FIRST 5 LA BOARD EXPLORES INITIATIVE 3: MATERNAL & CHILD WELL-BEING

By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer May 22, 2025 First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners Meeting was convened on May 8. Highlights of the meeting included a discussion on the proposed First 5 LA budget for the new fiscal year; a presentation on First 5 LA’s Maternal &...

AANHPI Heritage Month 2025: Leadership and Resilience

AANHPI Heritage Month 2025: Leadership and Resilience

Hello! Aloha! Kumusta! Xin chào! May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Originally established as a weeklong observance in 1978 and expanded to a month in 1992, this annual celebration is a valuable opportunity to honor...

Janitorial Services Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

POSTING DATE: APRIL 29, 2025 DUE DATE: MAY 14, 2025 at 5:00 pm Pacific Time (PT) UPDATE(S): May 13, 2025  The section QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS was updated to reflect that no questions were received, accordingly, no Questions and Answers document will be posted.  ELIGIBLE...

Women’s History Month: Alma Cortes, Ed.D.

Women’s History Month: Alma Cortes, Ed.D.

April 8, 2025 In celebration of Women’s History Month and this year’s theme — Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations — First 5 LA is shining a spotlight on remarkable women leading the way in early childhood education (ECE). In this bio...

Help Me Grow LA: Connecting the Dots to Healthy Child Development

Help Me Grow LA: Connecting the Dots to Healthy Child Development

By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer March 27, 2025 Shakur was 2 when he started crossing his fingers. It happened a lot. His mom, Brooklynn, noticed that the behavior happened every time they visited the local park. That's when she did some sleuthing online and...

Translate