Born Learning Community Engagement Toolkit for Americas Early Learning Grassroots Community

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Born Learning Community Engagement Toolkit for
Americas Early Learning Grassroots Community

• 2006 National Early Childhood
• Comprehensive Systems Grantee Meeting
• September 26, 2006

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Why is United Way Involved In Early Learning?

• United Way of America is transforming itself
• from fundraiser to community leader
• focused on galvanizing communities to change
  lives
• United Ways Success By 6 has been doing that for
  17 years
• 350 local state public-private-nonprofit
  partnerships working to boost school readiness
• Americas largest network of early learning
  coalitions

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Its All About Economic Opportunity

• Early learning is one of United Way of Americas
  top 3
• strategic initiatives
• because we know its the only way to break the
  cycle
• of poverty to build a foundation of success.
• UW SB6 wants to renorm thinking around early
  learning
• Supporting the children starts by helping
  families help kids

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The Unacceptable Gap

• Half of Americas kindergarteners are coming to
  school behind.
• The poorest children are at least 1-2 years
  behind
• By the age of 5, many children in high-risk
  environments are already developmentally behind.
• This gap only grows over time -- undermining
  school readiness and success in life.
• -- Dr. Craig Ramey, Center for
  Health Education, Georgetown University

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Family, Friends Neighbor (FFN) Caregivers Need
Help Information

• Parents caregivers dramatically undervalue
  their role in school readiness -- 1 in 3
  incorrectly believe their loving interaction has
  little impact on their childs learning capacity.
  (2000 study done by Civitas, Zero To Three
  BRIO)
• FFN caregivers know the early years matter, but
  dont know exactly what to do to promote early
  learning and dont think they have time to do
  what it takes. (Ad Council UWA public opinion
  research, 2004)
• Thats why United Way is investing in an ongoing
  public engagement campaign to give parents,
  caregivers communities tools to support school
  readiness

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What Is Born Learning?

• Unique national public engagement campaign with
• national visibility (34 million worth so far)
  designed
• for local adaptation
• Goal is to help parents, caregivers communities
  
• create early learning opportunities for young
  children
• Set of 450 online tools resources to support
• Public Awareness TV/radio/print/billboard PSAs
  PR tools
• FFN Education Web site educational material
  give easy, fun action steps to help young
  children learn
• Community Action Tips how-tos to enlist
  champions, grow coalitions or impact policy

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Born Learning Headlines

• News Flash 1 Born Learning leverages new
  research saying that relationships are the engine
  of a childs development not flash cards or
  fancy toys
• News Flash 2 It gives any early learning
  coalition pre-packaged, research-based tools to
  support community change
• You dont have to be a United Way
• News Flash 3 Its a free, multi-media toolkit
  thats continually updated to help you engage
  your community

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Built on Partnership

• United Way of America
• Civitas
• Families and Work Institute
• The Ad Council
• 350 local state Born Learning campaigns
• Growing list of national partners
• Birth to Five Policy Alliance, Association of
  Childrens Museums
• Discussing partnerships with the American Academy
  of Pediatrics, Talaris Institute, the National
  League of Cities, High/Scope Foundation, the
  Child and Family Policy Center, First Book and
  Dolly Partons Imagination Library

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The Message Framework Everyday Moments

• Telling stressed, overwhelmed parents,
  grandparents caregivers that early learning
  isnt hard or expensiveits nurturing
  relationships that matter
• Communicating that children are active
  participants in their own learningliterally born
  learning and heres how you can support
  learning
• Targeting adults impacting children in the early
  years
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Family friend caregivers
• Professional child care providers
• Decision makers who impact early learning
• Opinion leaders who influence decision makers
• Helping adults create environments to support a
  childs social, emotional
• cognitive development at home, in child care
  in the community

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How Can United Way Play a Role?

• United Ways at the local/state level can
• Raise awareness
• Connect with business leaders
• Collect data
• Engage convene leaders around community issues

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What are United Ways Doing With Born Learning?

• Generating new energy, partners focus on early
  learning
• Increasing parent outreach education
• Greenville providing material to home visitors
• Brownsville incorporating into
  neighborhood-based meriendas
• Involving new community partners
• Detroit partnering with movie theaters
• Engaging hospitals, pediatricians state
  agencies
• Highland City, FL doctors offices are Born
  Learning kiosks
• Enlisting new champions
• Atlanta reaching out through pastors pulpits
• Generating new sponsors
• New attention by TV stations, major employers
• Enrolling the business community
• Employers turning break rooms into family support
  centers

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How Can Born Learning Support You?

• Clear intersection with Protective Factors
• Supports 4 out of 7 key strategies for Quality
  Early Care Education
• Builds knowledge of parenting child development

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Protective Factors
Quality Early Care Education
Parental Resilience

• Program Strategies that
• Facilitate friendships and mutual support
• Strengthen parenting
• Respond to family crises
• Link families to services and opportunities
• Value and support parents
• Facilitate childrens social and emotional
  development
• Observe and respond to early warning signs of
  child abuse or neglect

Social Connections
CAN Prevention
Knowledge of Parenting Child Development
Concrete supports in times of need
Social Emotional Competence of Children
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Levels of Born Learning Engagement
Awareness
Education
Action
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• Parent
• material

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Born Learning Products

• A suite of research-based, high-quality products
  support advertising and Web messages and offer
  specific support to caregivers on key topics.
• Created and market-tested with consumers by
  Civitas.
• Content approved by national panel of Civitas
  experts.

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Born Learning Product Overview

• Local Born Learning campaigns get pre-designed
  toolbox of materials to localize, print and
  distribute
• Playbook brochure equates play with learning
• Kid Basics snapshot cards
• Your Child _at_ series on ages stages (birth5)
• Parent Tools offer interactive supports
• Poster spells out 5 keys to early learning

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Products Drive to National Parent Behavior
Outcomes

• All components of campaign PSAs, material, Web
  site
• drive toward national outcomes for parents
• Extending language literacy through talking,
  reading, telling stories, writing, singing
  rhyming with children
• Responsive care giving through responding
  sensitively to childrens needs, establishing
  routines, sharing love affection, talking
  lovingly with young children
• Reinforcing the valuable role of parents
  informal caregivers in supporting early learning
  
• Using everyday moments fun, loving interaction
  to reinforce learning

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Playbook Brochure

• 5-panel brochure helps make the most of a childs
  playtime
• Also available in Spanish and downloadable PDF
  format

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Kid Basics Card Ring

• 9 topical cards providing quick facts and
  recommended action stepsTopics well
  visits,connecting with kids, child care, sleep,
  play, dads, discipline, feeding,
  literacy(English Spanish)
• Also is downloadable PDF
• Format on Web site

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Your Child _at_ Series

• 10 covering ages stages (English Spanish)
• Birth
• 2 months
• 4-6 months
• 6-12 months
• 12-18 months
• 18-24 months
• 24-36 months
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years
• Includes seal from American Academy of Pediatrics
• Low-literacy version coming soon

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Parent Tools

• 12 guides for parents checklists, logs and
  ideas/activitiesTopics include child care,
  feeding, sleep, fathering, activities with
  grandparents, making reading fun understanding
  your childs feelings(English Spanish)

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Five Key Ideas Poster

• 11 x 17 poster highlighting key messages about
  creating a nurturing environment for a young
  child
• Ideal for child care centers(English Spanish)
• Also available in low-literacy format (with text
  for 3rd-grade reading level)
• Available in 15 x 25 supersize

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Parenting Grandparenting Videos

• Begin with Love Grandparenting DVD
• Targeted to new parents (narrated by Oprah)
• grandparents (narrated by Maya Angelou)
• Tips for connecting with young children
• Focused on responsive caregiving
• language literacy outcomes
• Begin With Love endorsed by American Academy of
  Pediatrics

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Understanding Children

• 10 11 x 17 encyclopedia-like sheets with QA,
  facts, advice, action tips and other info on key
  topics
• Brain development, prenatal development, sleep,
  play, fathers, child care, health/nutrition,
  stuff you need etc.

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Bits of Understanding

• Monthly email newsletter on topics of interest
• Parents, grandparents and caregivers can sign up
  at www.BornLearning.org

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Learning On The Go Tips

• On the Web
• at www.BornLearning.org
• And in downloadable PDF with
• Learning On The Go tips
• New tips PDFs in 2007

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• Preview of coming attractions

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Coming AttractionsParent Material

• Language Activity Cards
• (October 2006)
• Low-literacy
• 60 cards
• English and Spanish
• Activities for infants, toddlers and
  preschoolers

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Coming AttractionsParent Material

• Grocery store tip pad
• (December 2006)
• 25 parent tips for usein grocery store
• Magnetic pad
• English Spanish

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Coming AttractionsParent Material

• Talaris interstitials (October 2006)
• 30 and 60 videos that model parent
• behavior provide action steps
• Topics storytelling, reading, print awareness
• 3 English / 1 Spanish
• Co-produced by Civitas
• Talaris Research Institute
• Ideal for doctors offices, parent resource
  centers etc
• (cannot be used on broadcast TV)

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How To Get it All? Available to any registered
Born Learning Campaign, along with 450
awareness, education engagement tips, tools and
templates on www.BornLearnings orgs Campaign
Central
Any registered Born Learning campaign can get
strategy, ideas step-by-step help to engage
communities
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For more on Born Learning

• Check out parent tips at www.BornLearning.org
• Learn more about United Way Success By 6s
  support of early learning
• http//national.unitedway.org/sb6/
• Contact Rachel Perry
• Communications Director
• United Way Success By 6
• rachel.perry_at_uwa.unitedway.org
• [phone]

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• Thank You