National Park College (NPC) and Child Care Aware of West Central Arkansas (CCAWCA) celebrated the grand opening of a Little Free Library in February. CCAWCA is the third official Little Free Library in the area.
One of CCAWCA’s initiatives is to promote literacy. Program director Terri Helms, stated, “Literacy is the key to success, whether that is in school or in life.” The library will be accessible to people of all ages and will be stocked with books for every age range. Their goal is to get books into homes.
Program assistant, Donnie Caudill said, “We want to reach those that may not be able to buy a book or those that don’t have time to go to the library.” Library visitors can take a book and leave a book, but should not be discouraged from visiting if they cannot leave a book.
“Literacy is one of the most critical skills for children to develop at an early age. The Little Free Library was founded to promote literacy skills and is the largest book sharing program in the world,” said Kelli Embry, Vice President for Workforce and Strategic Initiatives. “NPC and Child Care Aware are excited to be a part of the movement to encourage reading and hope that our little free library will be utilized by students, employees, childcare professionals, and the community that surrounds NPC.” Grant money and donations from the Garland County Library will help keep the Little Free Library stocked.