The Allen County Cooperative Extension Office Family and Consumer Science and Nutrition Education Program (NEP) partnered up with HANDS program, Early Childhood Council, Allen County Public Library and Dugas Park to help with the early childhood development of children in Allen County. 

            Participants that visit the storybook trail at Dugas Park will walk a 1/3 mile trail with 28 permanent podiums installed.  Participants will stop at each podium to read an educational page of the story. Each month the trails has an educational book installed in the podiums. To include a twist of nutrition and physical activities there are 7 podiums that include nutritious recipes that the participants can take home and make with their family. There are 7 podiums that include physical activities that the participants physical do while walking the trail.

            The trail has about 400 participants per week. The storybook encourages the youth of Allen County to read and kinder garden readiness. With the storybook being changed every month this gives the youth of Allen County something to look forward to during uncertain times of COVID-19. The trail encourages reading comprehension, healthier lifestyle with physical activities and overall health with nutritious recipes.