ILWACO – In trying to reach as many parents in the community with children under the age of 5 as they can, the Ocean Beach School District is turning to your mailbox.

First Teacher is a multi-page newsletter put out by the Family Matters Foundation of Sequim. It was originally intended for use by that district as a way to reach its early education population, but received some state-wide attention after an article in the Seattle Times lauding the success of the program.

They now publish issues once a month that are tailored towards the communities that are purchasing them for distribution. While the tips and educational activities remain, it will also feature current events geared toward the specific communities, as well as news – new superintendent Rainer Houser will write something for the cover of the first issue delivered here.

“It’s going to get information out to parents,” said district special services director Allan Fleck last week. “It has lots of articles about health and safety. About child development, parenting.”

Fleck became aware of First Teacher at a conference he attended recently and suggested it to the district. His early education group teamed up with Kids In The Education System (KITES), a non-profit headed up by local schools advocate Martha Murfin, to have it become available locally. KITES will be paying for half of the annual cost of the subscriptions – a total of $7,000. Fleck said they saw this as a good way to really advance their cause of “birth to five” education.

“We’ve always known how important early childhood development is,” he said. “They are the building blocks that have to take place if the child’s going to be successful at school.”

Fleck said that brain development in young children has what he called “peak windows of opportunities” where language development and social skills are ripe for the picking – both of which happen before the age of two.

“This is just a resource for parents. We’re hoping to just get them information. We think it’s good information,” he said. “It allows us to have communication before they turn school age.”

The early education program in the district offers training courses and other opportunities to help parents be their child’s “first teacher.” And while the turnout for those meetings and training’s hasn’t been particularly high, Fleck feels that the newsletter will reach parents in the community in a way that they haven’t been able to before.

When it comes to actually getting the First Teacher into the hands of parents around the Peninsula, Fleck said he has been busy giving out the free subscription forms to all the area child care facilities. He said the form can also be had at the Special Services office, or by calling 642-1319.

The first local edition of First Teacher will likely begin to be delivered in October and would continue until recipients decide to have it stopped. Along with the publication, subscribers also receive various flyers in the mail that touch on childhood development at different stages of growth.

“Every six months they get a (card) and it shows some things that you can be expecting from your child,” said Fleck, who added that another free newsletter called Parenting Again, which services grandparents who are raising grandchildren or relatives, also available by calling the district.