The Obermann Center supports the DeLTA Center’s projects in the area of children’s learning and development through the Laura Spelman Rockefeller grant. Members of the DeLTA Center and their community partners—professionals from the Iowa Children’s Museum, Iowa 4Cs, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Iowa City Community School District, Foundations of Learning, Children’s Center for Therapy, Johnson County Empowerment, and Source Media—recognize the importance of play and shared reading for early learning. Over the years, this consortium has completed a number of joint projects, including three such projects in the past year:

• Community Conference and Play Fair: The conference for university and community members featured Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek of Temple University, an expert on the role of play in children’s learning.
• The Playing Is Learning Project: An initiative launched in 2013 fosters community conversation about the role of play in early learning by sharing evidence of the importance of play with parents. In 2014, an installation highlighting play skills was hosted by the Iowa City Public Library.
• Book Drive: This second annual book drive with 4Cs netted 1,130 books.

Learn more about the DeLTA Center here.