A HEALTHY START

We all want kids to get a healthy start in life. One of the ways Dakota County supports that is through the WIC program, which serves income eligible individuals who are pregnant or recently had a baby and infants and children up to age 5.

The number of Dakota County families receiving WIC benefits has grown over a five-year period. It also increased from about 5,100 individuals in October 2021 to 5,700 individuals in October 2022 — an increase of 12 percent in a year.

WIC helps families in three main ways. They receive nutrition counseling and guidance that can help prevent chronic diseases and improve health. WIC nutritionists talk with WIC families at least every three months about their health and nutrition and find ways to help reach their goals.

The program also provides benefits to purchase specific foods with important nutrients. Families receive a WIC card to buy dairy, cereal, whole grains, eggs, peanut butter, beans and juice. Families also can purchase fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables with their WIC card.

WIC also supports families by offering referrals to other health or community resources to address any additional needs the family may have, such as medical care, food, housing and early childhood programs.

WIC staff meet with participants in person or by phone to provide nutrition information, referrals and food benefits. New participants start with an in-person appointment. WIC staff check each participant’s height, weight and hemoglobin to ensure healthy growth and development. The families also learn about WIC and what resources are available to them. Follow-up appointments can be done over the phone — that gives families more flexibility.

Last year, the county started a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program that offers additional lactation support to WIC families. The peers are parents with personal breastfeeding experience who can share valuable advice to WIC participants. The peers are trained to help families reach their infant feeding goals.

Five breastfeeding peer counselors work part-time to serve more than 225 Dakota County WIC families. They represent different cultural backgrounds and speak multiple languages, including Spanish and Somali, to better serve all residents receiving the service.

The WIC program is supported primarily with federal funding and some county property tax dollars. We’re committed to helping families through pregnancy and beyond by making sure they have the food and nutrition information they need to be healthy.

To learn more, visit www.dakotacounty.us, search WIC

Customers can now use the Farmington Library when it works best for their schedule.

Beginning January 2023, the Farmington Library is offering self-service hours where customers 18 years and older can register to access library resources during normally closed hours.

With the addition of self-service hours, the Farmington location is now available 6 a.m.–11 p.m., seven days a week, including holidays. Before the self-service hours, it was open limited weekday hours and closed on Sunday.

How to register

1. Register online to use the library during self-service hours.

2. Watch the training video.

3. Staff will contact you when your access card is ready for pick-up.

During the extended hours, registered customers and their guests enter through the main doors using their access card to use computers and meeting rooms and to check out materials such as books, movies and more.

Security cameras have been installed throughout the library to monitor activity. Customers must follow library policies and are responsible for their guests.

For more information, visit www.dakotacounty.us/library, search extended hours.

Dakota County Parks remain a destination for people looking to pitch tents, park RVs and cozy up in camper cabins.

Camping is available at three regional parks: Lebanon Hills, Whitetail Woods and Lake Byllesby. Each park features unique offerings, recent upgrades and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Considered the county’s flagship park, Lebanon Hills offers campers a nearly 2,000-acre outdoor oasis in the middle of the Twin Cities metro. Visitors have access to top-flight mountain bike trails, a series of lakes to be paddled, a popular beach, paved walking paths and miles of hiking trails — to name just a few activities available.

Lebanon Hills offers RV and tent camping. There are 58 sites with full RV hook-ups (water, sewer and 50-amp electricity). Additional 30-amp electric and nonelectric sites are available for tent or RV camping.

RV campers will find brand-new paved pads at the full hook-up sites. The upgraded surface replaced gravel pads in 2022.

Amenities include on-site caretakers, a camp store, laundry, picnic tables, fire rings, accessible restrooms with showers, a dump station and six accessible campsites.

A half-hour’s drive from almost anywhere in Dakota County, Lake Byllesby represents a true escape from the city.

Here, water is the star of the show. Lake Byllesby — a human-made reservoir formed by the damming of the Cannon River — draws boaters, anglers, paddlers and swimmers who can access a popular park beach. A separate park operated by neighboring Goodhue County can be seen across the reservoir.

Getting on the water is easy at Lake Byllesby Regional Park, which offers separate launches for motorized and nonmotorized boats. Scenic bluffs, birding and spectacular sunsets are just some of the offerings.

Up for more water fun? The park also features a splash pad that’s open midMay through September. Families will also enjoy a nature play area next to the splash pad.

Sand volleyball, horseshoe pits, a fishing pier and a connection to the Cannon Valley Trail round out the offerings at Lake Byllesby. Outside the park, visitors can explore the surrounding Cannon River Valley, including attractions in Cannon Falls, Welch and Red Wing.

Campground upgrades in 2020 brought paved sites to all 83 camping spots at Lake Byllesby, many with lakeside views. Camping amenities include on-site caretakers, a camp store, picnic tables, fire rings, accessible restrooms and firewood for purchase.

Campers looking for quieter grounds and the opportunity to camp closer to friends and family may wish to consider midweek camping. Weekend camping reservations fill quickly.

Visitors in search of a unique camping experience seek out this park — the newest in the Dakota County Parks system.

Whitetail Woods, located in the geographic center of Dakota County, opened in 2014 and is the only