Norman Regional Health Foundation Receives Generous Book Donation from Pioneer Library System Foundation for Hospital’s Build a Brain Program

The Pioneer Library System Foundation has partnered with the Norman Regional Health Foundation to donate 7,500 copies of The Little Engine That Could to support Norman Regional’s Build a Brain program, which promotes early childhood brain development. This significant contribution—2,500 books per year over three years—will help introduce newborns and their families to the joys of reading and foster essential parent-child interaction from birth.

Build a Brain, a program offered to all babies born at Norman Regional, encourages parents to engage in activities that support their child’s brain development during their critical first three years of life. New parents are invited to sign up for this complimentary program, which provides resources on interacting with their babies through talking, singing, reading, and playing—activities shown to positively impact brain growth and cognitive development.

The book The Little Engine That Could, provided to families through the Build a Brain program, is the first title in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library series, inspiring children with its timeless message of perseverance and optimism. Each book copy includes a QR code linking parents to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, where they can register to receive free books for their child up to age five, further encouraging a lifetime love of reading.

This collaboration marks the first hospital partnership for the Pioneer Library System Foundation, underscoring its commitment to literacy and childhood development across the community.

“Through this generous donation, the Pioneer Library System Foundation is providing families with a meaningful opportunity to begin nurturing their child’s brain development from the very start,” said Erin Barnhart, Executive Director of the Norman Regional Health Foundation. “We are proud to partner with them to bring the joy of reading and learning to our youngest patients and their families.”

"Pioneer Library System Foundation is proud to support early literacy through our partnership with Norman Regional Health System," said Will Merrick, Development Officer of the Pioneer Library System. "By providing these first books, we are giving families a meaningful resource to start their child’s journey from the very beginning while connecting them with ongoing access to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This is the first collaboration in the State where Norman Regional Health System and Pioneer Library System are working together to remind parents the wealth of early literacy resources available at their local library, which provides ongoing support to foster young minds and prepare children for future learning."

Build a Brain, developed with decades of clinical research, also provides families with a "Brain Bag," including tools like the "Baby Steps" booklet, to help parents track their baby's developmental milestones from birth through kindergarten. The program emphasizes the importance of talking to babies, even before they can respond, as hearing language stimulates brain development.

For more information on Norman Regional’s Build a Brain program, visit NormanRegional.com or BuildaBrainNow.com.