Celebration of the Young Child

The City of Long Beach will host the sixth annual Celebration of the Young Child in Downtown Long Beach. This free event provides hands-on activities and showcases vendors who provide services and resources for children up to 8 years old.

The event will be co-located at Billie Jean King Main Library (200 W. Broadway) and at Lincoln Park, which is adjacent to the library. Free parking will be available in the Civic Center parking garage located at the corner of Broadway and Chestnut Avenue

Pediatric speech therapist and author of “Nixon’s Engine Words,” Mika Story will read her book and give a presentation about speech and language development in a child’s early years. The event will also include Kids Imagine Nation, an interactive live musical dance performance. To conclude the lineup of entertainment, Students from Cesar Chavez Elementary School will dance a folklorico. Additional activities include music and movement for toddlers and preschool-aged children, read-aloud story times, a sensory exploration area, and other educational hands-on activities

Early intervention resources and screenings will also be provided free of charge to families with children who may benefit from them. Screening tools include the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)-3, a widely used tool used to help parents identify areas of development in which their child may need more support, and the articulation component of the Preschool Language Scale (PSL)-5. All screenings will be based on walk-in appointments ranging from 10- to 20-minute sessions that includes screening results and connecting with on-site support resources. Vaccination clinics will also be on site to provide children with their routine immunizations.