Imagine
if every child had five years of education before kindergarten. That’s
what the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley, United Way
of Kankakee County and its partners are promoting with Born
Learning.
We know
what happens in a child’s early years matters – for success
in life and for school readiness. Yet many parents and caregivers
don’t know exactly what actions to take to prepare young children
for school or feel like they don’t have time to do what’s
needed.
The United
Way of America, the Ad Council, and Civitas formed an unprecedented
partnership around Born Learning. Born Learning is a new national
public engagement campaign, focused on creating early learning opportunities
for young children. Public service advertising, a national Web site
and educational material gives parents and informal caregivers easy,
“doable” action steps to help young children learn.
The fact
is, it’s the simple things that make a difference in building
a young child’s foundation for future success. It’s not
flash cards or expensive educational toys – it’s making
your grocery trip into a treasure hunt for colors and shapes, or turning
laundry sorting into a silly song about body parts. On your next walk,
narrating your child’s actions as if you were a sports announcer.
Even dinner can become a learning opportunity, as your toddler builds
math skills by counting eggs.
The Born
Learning campaign shows how to turn everyday activities into opportunities
to encourage learning. It’s built on the idea that while children
are born learning, parents, grandparents and caregivers can encourage
that learning in everyday moments.
The educational
materials for bornlearning are user-friendly and designed to help
parents and caregivers understand how to prepare their children for
school.
We hope
you use these materials and share them with others.
Brought
to you by the Kankakee County Success by Six Coalition, 815.939.1611.
