Aww! Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken Shares Sweet Moment With Newborn
Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken is a busy guy. But he always makes time for residents, even the little guys.
There's a great program that's part of the Sanford Neonatal Intensive Care Unit called "Babies with Books." It's a chance for people to read to newborns in the intensive care unit.
Not only is the "Babies with Books" program a chance to get adorable babies snuggles. But reading to babies in intensive care helps stimulate "infant brain development, supports family bonding, and decreases infant and parental stress."
Our news partners at Dakota News Now were able to catch up with Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken as he was reading to a little Sioux Falls resident. He was part of the nationwide Read-a-Thon for "Babies with Books." The event started on Monday, September 9th, and continues until Thursday, September 19th. It encourages others to read to babies as they start to develop.
Mayor TenHaken tells Dakota News Now he is happy to play a small part in young lives.
“Honestly, this is probably the best part of my day, of my entire week. You know, just spending a lot of time learning about what early childhood education looks like, the importance of reading to kids even when they’re at this age and what it does for their development. And it’s such a great program, it fills my heart to be up here and just spend time with these kiddos.”
This just melts my heart!
You can learn more about the "Babies with Books" program by clicking here.
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Gallery Credit: Andy Gott