Children's Center celebrates April events

Grand Valley's Children’s Center continues to celebrate April as the Month of the Young Child with a host of events.

Two experts in autism will speak about the disorder on Wednesday, April 16, beginning at noon in the Kirkhof Center, room 142. Amy Matthews, associate professor of psychology and project director for Grand Valley’s Autism Education Center, and Laurel Hoekman, from the Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding, will talk about area resources available for parents of children with autism. The workshop is free and open to all faculty and staff members.

On April 23, Public Safety officers and AAA-Michigan representatives will provide free car seat safety checks from 5-8 p.m. at the Children’s Center on West Campus Drive. Reservations are required, call Public Safety at x13255 or the center at 895-4146.

On April 24, the center will host a free dinner celebration in the Kirkhof Center from 6-9 p.m. Sharalle Arnold, interim director, said the adult-only event will include cocktails, music by a jazz quartet and a photo essay presentation. RSVPs are required and can be made by calling the center or visiting the Web site www.gvsu.edu/child and clicking on “MOYC Dinner.”

The Read-A-Thon continues through April. Arnold said faculty and staff can log how many books they read to their children on the center’s Web site (click on “MOYC Child Reading Results”). The goal is 1,000 books to “encourage and promote literacy,” she said.