OPEN and United Way Partner to Bring the Born Learning Trail to N.O. East
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eady, Set, Go!, the Orleans Public Education Network’s (OPEN) early childhood initiative, is proud to announce the opening of New Orleans’ first-ever Born Learning Trail in Village de L’est. In partnership with United Way of Southeastern Louisiana and Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training (VIET), OPEN is promoting healthy child development activities and games that enhance children’s language and preliteracy abilities, physical well-being and motor skills. Each stop of the Born Learning Trail presents a different opportunity for children, parents, siblings and friends to explore, play and learn together. From promoting physical activity with animal impressions to asking parents to sound out words with their child to encouraging creative imagination games, each step of the way boosts skills associated with the five domains of childhood development: Physical Health & Well-Being, Social Competence, Emotional Maturity, Language & Cognitive Development, and Communication Skills & General Knowledge. “The idea behind the trail is to help parents and kids to think, learn and grow in a comprehensive way, instead of focusing on a narrow range of academic skills,” said Saundra Reed, Ready, Set, Go! Coordinator and spearhead of the project. “When whole-child wellness is the priority, kids come to school ready not just to learn but to excel.” The five domains of child development are standard tools of the Early Development Index (EDI). In 2011 and 2012, OPEN used the EDI to evaluate the needs and vulnerabilities of kindergarten-age children throughout New Orleans. This neighborhood-specific data is shared by Ready, Set, Go! to engage communities and make them aware of where local children’s vulnerabilities lie, which, in turn, helps to direct preventative resources and support where it is most needed. The Born Learning Trail will be free of charge and open to the public. It is set to be completed in October of 2013, with an opening ceremony and community activities in the works.
More information about the Born Learning Trail, the Early Development Index and Ready, Set, Go! can be found at OPEN’s website, www.opennola.org
It’s Time to Look at Early Childhood
By Julia Kahn, Assistant Editor, Education
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ew Orleans is full of educational chatter. School reform, the charter school movement, ensuring students have quality teachers and the implications of standardized tests are all important conversations for children, parents, teachers and other direct stakeholders. There is also widespread acknowledgement that these are important conversations for the city as a whole. It’s encouraging to see so many of our citizens committed to making the school system safe, equitable and competitive on a national level. I believe there is another crucial piece of this conversation that we need to add to the city-wide conversation around education. It rests on the fact that for most children, institutional education begins years before they officially enter the public school system. Early childhood education has been getting increasing national attention as study after study has emphasized the importance of early learning for life-long academic and emotional success. In our society, where many parents hold full-time jobs on top of the full-time job of parenthood, third-party early childhood education is going to be a key factor in the success of future generations. In my conversations with parents across the city, they frequently identify finding and accessing quality childcare options for their children before they are ready of Pre-K or kindergarten as one of their greatest challenges. There are good options, of course. There are dozens of centers run by Total Community Action, Inc. that fill a vital role of providing high-quality educational daycare to low-income families at their Head Start and Early Head Start programs. There are also many fantastic private institutions that provide nurturing, educational environments. However, these cannot
THE TRUMPET | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER | 2013
accommodate all of New Orleans’ young children. Furthermore, each option carries some significant restrictions. Private institutions can be very costly, while Head Start programs around the country have strict income qualifications. There are many families who are above the poverty level and, as such, are not eligible for Head Start, but for whom paying for private daycare is a severe financial burden. Though parents are universally looking for the same qualities – safety, trustworthiness, learning-focused – there is a highly stratified system of providers based on income level, and all sectors are highly competitive just to find a spot. Mariah Grant Marcelle, mother of a six-month-old daughter, knows this challenge well. “With my job, I’m busy mostly in the afternoon,” she says. “Most places close at 5 or 6 (p.m.), so it’s been a challenge to find somebody I trust who will keep her until 8 p.m.” Ursula Price had similar challenges finding a caregiver for her three-year-old while she was at work. She is pleased that she eventually found a wonderful women, but it took time, trial-and-error and luck. The tension resulting from the search for quality childcare and demanding careers is a common phenomenon for parents. They have been feeling this pressure for a long time. It is time that the city’s larger conversation about education include the question of early childhood education. It will be impossible to truly reform education unless all parts of the system are addressed, from birth to graduation. This is a charge that can and should be led by parents. It is my hope that NPN’s Parent First program can provide a space where parents can begin to talk about this systemic service gap, identify the specific issues and start to collectively problem-solve and advocate for better investment in the youngest citizens of New Orleans.
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