GREENVILLE – Four-year-old Jay Owens was having the time of his life on Wednesday sandwiched between his parents, William and Crystal Owens, at a Life for Little Ones luncheon at Nickerson Elementary School.

The Greenville youngster, one of about 16 attending the luncheon with family members, grinned widely when valentine-related craft materials were deposited in front of him after a meal of sandwiches, veggies, brownies and punch.

Cooperatively working with his parents, Jay decorated a white paper bag with red hearts and crepe paper, holding up his finished design for all to see.

Life for Little Ones is a free program, funded by a $25,000 Barbara Bush Foundation grant received in 2004, designed to introduce pre-kindergarten children to school to make a smoother transition.

The school and Lil’ Lakers’ Learning Center, a private pre-school program in Greenville, team up to operate the program.

“This opens him up more,” William Owens said of his normally shy son. In fact, early Wednesday morning, Jay didn’t want to get dressed, but he quickly changed his mind when his parents told him it was Life for Little Ones day.

In an isolated community like Greenville, where tax dollars are hard to come by for supporting programs such as this, educators and administrators take unusual approaches to ensure that local children have opportunities similar to those offered children in wealthier communities.

The newer program is an offshoot of Learning In Families Everyday in Greenville, a free program for families of elementary-age children, which connects learning, families and fun in an effort to promote family literacy. It, too, was funded by a $25,000 Barbara Bush Foundation grant received in 2003.

The LIFE program offers workshops on topics such as family nutrition and budgeting, monthly family luncheons and dinners, and a humanities-based book discussion program for adults who are not in the habit of reading.

The school received a $7,000 grant from the Maine Humanities Council to purchase the books for the participants.

The program has not only boosted self-esteem in younger children and acquainted them with the school, it also has drawn the community and parents closer together, Union 60 Superintendent Steven Pound said Wednesday.

The public library, hospital, the parent-teacher organization and adult education are all connected to the program. That relationship has drawn some parents to adult education programs to enrich their own minds, he said.

“It just continues to promote that literacy programming for our district,” Pound said.

Bette Di’Angelo, program coordinator of both programs, has seen a remarkable difference in the attitudes of the children since September.

“It’s fun to see the families create a solid foundation to grow,” she said. About 40 families participate in the two programs.

“We try to solidify the foundation for a great learning environment and bridge the gap between home and school,” Di’Angelo said.

Di’Angelo, who is co-author of the successful grants with Darralyn Gauvin and Linda McBrierty, both school employees, said the elementary and adult programs are so successful that the trio now is looking for other grants to continue beyond the year.

“Learning is a lifelong process and when a community can create a program where families, fun and learning are connected, that is a great success,” Di’Angelo said.