SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. - - The 4th Fighter Wing has three main priorities to ensure mission success. Supporting Airmen and families is one of them and requires a provision of opportunities and resources.
Tots and Talks is a new program held every second and fourth Thursday of the month at the Kiddie Hawk playground.
The purpose of this program is to provide an environment for younger children to gather in a structured learning environment. Discussions between base agencies and families led to a realization that although the 4th FW has many programs and activities in place for school-age children, there was a gap in programs for younger children under 5-years-old.
“It’s a chance for little ones to get together and learn together,” said Sarah Nobriga, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., USO center operations supervisor. "[It] also gets parents connected and helps them with finding someone in the community that they can identify with. We’re really just trying to connect the community more.”
The 30-minute class consists of a story being read, then a craft that correlates with the story is given. The rest of the class is filled with activities that focus on developing motor skills and learning educational fundamentals, such as colors and numbers.
With only a little over a month of the program launching, Tots and Talks has outgrown its original Kiddie Hawk location. As the program develops, plans for moving to a bigger location are in the works as well as implementing a wider selection of learning subjects such as STEM and sensory activities.
“We have the whole year laid out and are really excited to make this happen,” said Nobriga. “We’ve had parents tell us they haven't really left their house or don’t know people but this program has helped them do that. Just those little stories really make a huge difference.”
For more information about the program, contact the USO on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook.com/USOofNC