SMALL WONDERS |
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by Cheryl Rodewig
The ability of children to learn as much as they do in those first few years is a small wonder. In kindergarten, they begin to understand basic concepts like counting and grammar, but much of their success depends upon learning that has been on-going since birth.
Born Learning, a collective initiative of United Way and United Way Success By 6, the Ad Council, Civitas and the Families and Work Institute, builds on this concept of early learning. In response to growing numbers of unprepared school-aged children, Born Learning seeks to instill success in a child at an early age through a variety of simple techniques designed for the busy parent or caregiver.
“It’s geared toward busy parents to take simple moments and turn them into learning moments,” explained Lisa Deason, executive vice president and director of marketing, communications and operations of United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley. “Like playing I Spy, counting the steps as you walk up — there are so many opportunities to stimulate learning without having to take a 30-minute or a one-hour break from your busy schedule.”
With the goal of raising awareness about the importance of early learning, Born Learning was created in 2002. Based in Chicago, it became a nationwide movement in 2005 through a partnership with the Ad Council. The Ad Council runs national advertisements to spark discussion, such as their “I Spy” campaign, featuring conspicuous purple triangles and green squares that teach about colors and shapes.
United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley ran its own
campaign last year. Present at a luncheon to introduce
Born Learning to several community leaders was Jenn
Agnew, a busy mom with a two-year-old at home. “I
accidentally happened upon it, and I turned out to be so
blessed,” Agnew remembers. “Having a young child at
the time, it just fit perfectly into things that I was trying
to accomplish with raising a son.”
The store was one of Agnew’s favorite places to turn these everyday moments into tools for learning. “Let’s find something green,” she would tell her son. “‘Let’s find the cucumbers’…That’s essentially what we used to do all the time – and we still do it.” Her son is four now, and his little brother is only 10 months. Although Agnew admits it can be more challenging with an infant, she realizes the importance of communication, always talking to him to help him learn.
These daily activities, as simple as identifying colors or having a bedtime routine, help children develop basic skills that are essential as they begin school. “In Muscogee County, approximately 63 percent of our kids graduate on time,” Deason said. Many of these delayed graduations can be traced back to unprepared kindergarten students. Almost half of American kindergartners are already behind when they start school.
Researchers have long known that these first few years of a child’s life are the most formative years, both for physical development and mental growth. While parents are often aware that education must begin at home, they don’t always know how to take action. Born Learning bridges the gap, offering creative, fun and insightful ways to teach children from birth to five years, all at a parent’s fingertips, either online at bornlearning.org or by phone to the United Way. Most of the information on the website and in brochures is also available in Spanish.
“It’s a unique program in that it is not encouraging parents to do things that they really don’t have time to do,” Deason said. One of the online “Quick Tips,” for example, suggests letting a child help cook. If a recipe calls for three eggs, the child can count out the eggs. Their involvement makes children feel useful and also teaches them about numbers and cooperation. Most tips are divided by age into three sections, detailing what to do for an infant, toddler or preschooler. They include a variety of locations, from in the car to at the park.
As a busy mom herself, Deason can appreciate the flexibility of these learning moments. When her son was just starting to learn his ABCs in preschool, she used a game to help reinforce what he was learning. “We’d be driving down the road and I’d focus on A for a couple of days and we’d think of all the many words that start with A,” she recalled. “And he’s very smart with words that start with A in recognition…If you say ‘apple,’ although he can’t really spell yet, he knows that apple starts with an A.”
The information published by Born Learning is the result of the latest research. The tools and tips are kept accurate and up to date by Civitas, United Way and others who support the program. “We want people to understand that this research is relevant,” Deason added. “It is updated, and it is backed by several pediatric organizations.” Parents and caregivers can feel comfortable taking these everyday learning moments, knowing they are making a difference in the life of their child.
But Born Learning is for more than just
parents. It is for potential parents, grandparents,
daycare workers, community leaders
and business people, anyone whose life
has an impact on a child. It provides the
necessary tools and information for communities
and caregivers to support young
children and increase school readiness.
Early learning is an investment. Businesses
will benefit from a better workforce, and the
community enjoys an improved quality of
life. “If we are able to provide parents with
the necessary information — the keys to
success — early on, then we hope that our
poverty level in the future will be much
lower than it is,” Deason explained.
United Way wants to spread the word in our community and has plans to continue its campaign this fall. “Around the time school starts, we’d like to start promoting again,” said Deason. “It would be nice to have some parents who would be interested in helping us to promote it, talking to other parents, dispersing the information.”
However, one of the most crucial aspects of this campaign is hard to pinpoint. It’s another small wonder: children learn better when they have a close, emotional connection with their primary caregivers. Parents and caregivers, in turn, reap the rewards of such a special relationship. “By taking the time to talk in the car, turn the radio off and take those moments when you’re driving down the road to focus on your child,” Deason said thoughtfully, “just knowing that your child is able to communicate with you, just 10 to 15 minutes a day, makes a big difference.”
For more suggestions on how to get involved or to receive free information about the Born Learning program, contact United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley at 706-327-3255 or visit the website: bornlearning.org.
