Aiken County First Steps is holding a Roll & Read - Powered by Parents as Teachers event, a one-mile walk, and stroller/wagon roll at Lessie B. Price Youth & Senior Center Eustis Park and Trail on June 21, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00p.m. The fun family event is for all families with young children and is designed to promote literacy and physical well-being.

The Roll & Read will feature select children's books being read at points along the way, offering fun and educational opportunities for families, including a stroller decorating contest, firetruck, and information on eating healthy and exercising.  The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation & Tourism, South Carolina First Steps, Clemson Extension EFNEP program, Aiken County Public Safety, the YMCA-Aiken, and the Aiken Turning Pages Adult Reading & Tutoring program will also provide valuable information for those in attendance. Every child in attendance will receive a free book, as well as educational door prizes. Parents and children can walk, push a stroller, or pull a wagon around Eustis Park and Trail.

The event is open to families with children of all ages.

“Roll & Read is a wonderful summer school readiness event for families and their children. There is great power in building social connections and promoting the love of reading in a fun and educational way. We hope families will join us, read with their children, connect with others, and have fun! That’s what it’s all about,” said Marcia Nash, Executive Director of Aiken County First Steps.

Parents as Teachers is a voluntary program that pairs trained professionals with families in their home. It provides personal support for families from pregnancy through the earliest years of life, including:

• Individualized bimonthly home visits to empower parent interaction with their children in a way that facilitates healthy development and learning.

• Group connections that build social connections.

• Developmental screenings to help identify possible developmental and other health problems so that children can be linked to appropriate services or therapies.

• Parents as Teachers is for new moms and dads, teen parents, or families needing extra support. Research shows that Parents and Teachers improves the education, health and well-being of families who participate in the program.

For more information about Parents as Teachers, visit www.ParentasTeachers.org . For more information about Aiken County First Steps, visit our website at www.aikencountyfirststeps.org