Families First is offering free School Readiness Workshops

Published 9:45 am Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Families First is offering free parent workshops to families with young learners in their homes. These workshops will help prepare children for school.

The United Way Born Learning Academy offers parents tips, tools and resources to provide everyday activities that are fun, easy and encourage learning. It is a series of six free workshops that provide families with young kids additional resources to turn everyday activities into early learning moments. The workshops are at night at Jennie Rogers, food and childcare are provided. Supported by Toyota, it’s one of more than 100 United Way Born Learning Academy programs in Kentucky. The program was started by United Way of Greater Cincinnati with local school leaders and Northern Kentucky University, in partnership with United Way Worldwide’s Born Learning public engagement campaign (www.BornLearning.org).

Why does early learning matter? Experts say the first few years are one of the most critical times for a child’s development. Kids who get the right learning opportunities in their early years are more likely to graduate high school, go on to college, stay married and be productive citizens.

But kids who come to school without the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical skills needed have a harder time learning basics like reading. Research states that by the end of third grade, kids who can’t read on grade level are four times as likely to drop out of high school.

The United Way Born Learning Academy is offered to any family with kids under five in Danville. The workshops focus on how to turn everyday moments into learning opportunities. They’re also a chance to connect with other families, and learn new skills.

Parents are not required to have a child enrolled at the school to attend. All sessions are 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Sept. 27 for meet and greet, Oct. 18, Nov. 15, Dec. 13, Jan. 17, Feb. 14, March 14 and April 18 for final meeting.

For more information or to register, parents and caregivers should contact Anna Houston at Families First. She can be reached at (859) 936-8564 or anna.houston@danville.kyschools.us.