蜜桃影视

Top Takeaways is a series of recaps from important conversations, town halls, webinars and virtual events about early learning.

On July 21, the (CGLR) powered a conversation about leveraging public spaces to advance early learning and literacy. The event was part of their webinar series.

Helen Hadani, dual fellow at the , shared the larger context for this initiative, and then Dr. Brenna Hassinger-Dass, assistant psychology professor at Pace University, and science advisor for , and Jane Park Woo, director of , shared their experiences integrating learning tools and opportunities into public spaces. Below are our top three takeaways from the event.

1. COVID-19 remains a challenge for learning. Hadani presented evidence that transitions out of school and to virtual learning may widen education inequality.

鈥淭here is a widening distribution, with children鈥檚 learning with more children left behind and most of those children are likely to be living in poor areas and marginalized communities,鈥� she explained, 鈥淲ealthier families are better situated to mitigate COVID effects, since they live in more comfortable homes and have better internet connections and resources to pay for tutors. That鈥檚 not the case most of the time for children living in poor areas.鈥�

COVID makes the divide more apparent and adds urgency to the movement to enrich learning opportunities in everyday environments that are accessible to all children and families.

2. Public spaces present learning opportunities. One possible solution is playful learning landscapes. These landscapes provide fun and interactive installations in spaces where families frequent, such as grocery stores, laundromats and public parks.

鈥淭he installations encourage critical connections and the development of skills that allow children from under-resourced neighborhoods to enter school on a more level playing field and continue to thrive in school and beyond,鈥� Hadani explained.

While there is no silver bullet for education inequity, playful learning landscapes offer a powerful solution with a wide range of benefits.

In western countries, kids spend about 20% of their waking time in school and the other 80% in their homes and community settings, but a lot of work to improve academic and other outcomes has been focused on school.

In explaining the work behind this initiative, Hassinger-Dass said, 鈥淲e thought, How can we use everyday places and spaces and transform them into places where we can foster learning and caregiver-child engagement? 鈥�

3. Children and communities benefit from the partnerships and implementation. The playful learning landscapes initiative has developed ways to spur playful learning, physical activity and caregiver-child interaction in everyday places and spaces.

In partnership with communities, the team designs projects that are non-obstructive, attention-catching, intuitive and interactive. The research and implementation of these projects are centered around community members and families and promote their input and involvement at every stage of the process.

鈥淧rojects are a collaboration with the community from the very start,鈥� Hassinger-Dass explained.

Libraries, vacant lots and bus stops are other examples of spaces that have been transformed to promote early learning and interaction. Philadelphia libraries saw an increase in program attendance after a renovation. 鈥淭he programming didn鈥檛 necessarily have to do with play and learn spaces,鈥� Hassinger-Dass clarified.

is another Philadelphia project that yielded positive results. What was once a grassy lot behind a bus stop was transformed into a learning space with various installations, incorporating stories and puzzles, to foster play, literacy and executive function skills.

Too Small to Fail is also focused on meeting families where they are. Describing Too Small to Fail鈥檚 campaign, Park Woo said, 鈥淥n average, children from lower-income families hear millions fewer words than their higher-income counterparts.鈥�

These findings reiterate the critical challenge we are facing but also illuminate opportunities we have in the first few years of life to build children鈥檚 vocabulary and a strong foundation for learning.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the number of words that children hear, but really it is the quality of the moments that are shared,鈥� she explained. Through partnerships, her team has transformed thousands of spaces to surround families with language, making everyday environments more conducive to learning.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.