Hoke County Parents As Teachers

Are you expecting? Don't miss this event from the Hoke County Health Department!

🎉 Calling all expecting parents in Hoke County! 🎉

Don’t forget, our Maternity Health Fair & Community Baby Shower is happening THIS Saturday from 10:00 AM–1:00 PM at the Robert A. Wright Building (645 S. Palmer St., Raeford, NC 28376)!

💙 Every attendee will receive a goody bag, and the first 10 expecting moms through the door will receive a stocked diaper bag filled with helpful baby essentials!

🎁 Plus, we’ll be giving away some amazing raffle prizes, including a car seat, Pack & Play, and other baby items generously donated by our community vendors.

This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with local resources, meet other expecting families, and celebrate your growing family. We can’t wait to see you there, you won’t want to miss it!

💕👶🍼

📚✨ Exciting News for Our Community! ✨📚

We are thrilled to share that a Little Free Library is now available in the outdoor learning environment (and future site of the playscape) behind Hoke Grown Community Garden at 645 E Palmer St.

This beautiful addition was generously donated and installed yesterday by Patty Sandt, Hoke County Schools high school teacher and sponsor of the Women of Hoke and Future Teachers clubs, along with two dedicated Hoke County High students, Savannah Staggers and Sa’dia Wilson.

Their effort is already making a meaningful impact by increasing access to books for children and families in our community.
The library is fully stocked and ready for use, and we especially welcome donations of children’s books to keep it growing and thriving.

Did you know there are other Little Free Libraries throughout Hoke County? You can use the official Little Free Library locator to find additional locations near you and keep the joy of reading going wherever you are.

Take a book, leave a book, and help us nurture a love of reading right here in our community 💛📖

Library Locator:
https://littlefreelibrary.org/map/

This is a reminder that HCPAT staff will be at the annual Smart Start conference in Greensboro next week.

For enrolled families: This means no visits from May 4th - May 8th, but we will be available to answer messages via Engage app as frequently as possible.

For the public: Our staff will return any emails and phone calls recieved next week during the week of May 11th.

We look forward to a week of high-quality training followed by a return to regular visits and community service!

Update: the Volunteer Day is POSTPONED until further notice due to low volunteer numbers. If you are interested in helping and want to schedule a time to come work on a specific project in the playscape, please email Samantha at [email protected]. Thank you!

Guess what Hoke County Parents As Teachers is up to? 🌿👀

If you guessed creating a Playscape at the Hoke County Cooperative Extension—you guessed right!

This exciting outdoor space will serve as a hands-on learning environment for families, but they need some big help from the community to bring it to life. 💪🌳

Volunteers are needed to:

Cut down and clear trails

Spread straw and mulch for pathways

Shape climbing mounds and spread grass seed on them

Dig level holes to post silo legs

Whether you’re handy, love the outdoors, or just want to be part of something meaningful, there’s a place for you in this project!

To get involved and learn more, contact Samantha Baker at [email protected] and sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDKHnGLaN0MmN8mVTBlYzihwzeJt0OWNGT25oZIhEBNubBlw/viewform

Let’s come together and build something special for our families and children! 🌱💛
______________________________________________________________
¿Adivinan qué está tramando el programa *Parents as Teachers* del condado de Hoke? 🌿👀

Si adivinaron que están creando un espacio de juegos (*Playscape*) en la Extensión Cooperativa del condado de Hoke... ¡adivinaron bien!

Este emocionante espacio al aire libre servirá como un entorno de aprendizaje práctico para las familias; sin embargo, necesitan una gran ayuda de la comunidad para hacerlo realidad. 💪🌳

Se necesitan voluntarios para:

Despejar y abrir senderos

Esparcir paja y mantillo en los caminos

Dar forma a los montículos de escalada y sembrarles césped

Cavar hoyos nivelados para colocar los soportes del silo

Ya sea que se les den bien los trabajos manuales, les encante estar al aire libre o simplemente quieran formar parte de algo significativo, ¡hay un lugar para ustedes en este proyecto!

Para participar y obtener más información, comuníquese con Samantha Baker en [email protected] e inscríbase aquí:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDKHnGLaN0MmN8mVTBlYzihwzeJt0OWNGT25oZIhEBNubBlw/viewform

¡Unámonos para construir algo especial para nuestras familias y nuestros niños! 🌱💛

‼️Enrollment Update‼️

Hoke County Parents As Teachers is now enrolling families from our waitlist. Right now, families who completed an interest form from November 2025 - January 2026 are being contacted.

If you filled out an interest form during that time frame, keep an eye on your phone so you don't miss our call! If we leave a message, families will have one calendar week from the date of the call to contact us before we move on to the next waitlisted family.

Email [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.

Need to submit an interest form before the waitlist grows again? Click here: https://forms.gle/rnqwBikcpxEgH6B56

Happy Week of the Young Child! Click the link in the post to see daily themes and activity suggestions to help your family celebrate!

We’re celebrating the Week of the Young Child! 🎉

This special week, led by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, honors young children, their families, early childhood educators, and the communities that support them every day.

At Smart Start, we know that when we invest in early childhood, we help create positive experiences that allow children to grow, learn, and thrive—now and in the future.

Join us in celebrating the joy, creativity, and incredible potential of our youngest learners all week long! 💛

Learn more: https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc

Yesterday, families enrolled in Hoke County Parents As Teachers enjoyed a field trip to Fascinate-U Children's Museum in Fayetteville, complete with a pizza lunch, 3 hours of free play, and lots of fun! Check comments for an absolute gem of a video!!

Update: the Volunteer Day is POSTPONED until further notice due to low volunteer numbers. If you are interested in helping and want to schedule a time to come work on a specific project in the playscape, please email Samantha at [email protected]. Thank you!

This project is funded entirely by grants and donations. Labor is provided almost completely by volunteers. Because of this, we can't do it without YOU! Come join us for our next Volunteer Day on 4/25/26!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/3Amg5b5JNA8pPQMW9

Guess what Hoke County Parents As Teachers is up to? 🌿👀

If you guessed creating a Playscape at the Hoke County Cooperative Extension—you guessed right!

This exciting outdoor space will serve as a hands-on learning environment for families, but they need some big help from the community to bring it to life. 💪🌳

Volunteers are needed to:

Cut down and clear trails

Spread straw and mulch for pathways

Shape climbing mounds and spread grass seed on them

Dig level holes to post silo legs

Whether you’re handy, love the outdoors, or just want to be part of something meaningful, there’s a place for you in this project!

To get involved and learn more, contact Samantha Baker at [email protected] and sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDKHnGLaN0MmN8mVTBlYzihwzeJt0OWNGT25oZIhEBNubBlw/viewform

Let’s come together and build something special for our families and children! 🌱💛
______________________________________________________________
¿Adivinan qué está tramando el programa *Parents as Teachers* del condado de Hoke? 🌿👀

Si adivinaron que están creando un espacio de juegos (*Playscape*) en la Extensión Cooperativa del condado de Hoke... ¡adivinaron bien!

Este emocionante espacio al aire libre servirá como un entorno de aprendizaje práctico para las familias; sin embargo, necesitan una gran ayuda de la comunidad para hacerlo realidad. 💪🌳

Se necesitan voluntarios para:

Despejar y abrir senderos

Esparcir paja y mantillo en los caminos

Dar forma a los montículos de escalada y sembrarles césped

Cavar hoyos nivelados para colocar los soportes del silo

Ya sea que se les den bien los trabajos manuales, les encante estar al aire libre o simplemente quieran formar parte de algo significativo, ¡hay un lugar para ustedes en este proyecto!

Para participar y obtener más información, comuníquese con Samantha Baker en [email protected] e inscríbase aquí:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDKHnGLaN0MmN8mVTBlYzihwzeJt0OWNGT25oZIhEBNubBlw/viewform

¡Unámonos para construir algo especial para nuestras familias y nuestros niños! 🌱💛

This is an absolutely amazing resource for children and families in our community! Thank you, Hoke County Schools, Student U, the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition, and especially Ms. Cassie Harjala! See the original post for details on how to benefit from the brand new Eagle Market.