Education begins when a child is born. The brain undergoes its most dramatic growth in the earliest years of life as children begin to develop their capacity to think, learn, speak, and reason. Early experiences play a critical role in solidifying a child’s ability to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to learn. Everyday life is a learning experience for children.  This is why it is so important to read, sing and play with your child from the day he is born.

Born Learning is a public engagement campaign with resource materials for parents, grandparents, and caregivers. The materials include low- or no-cost early learning activities for children from birth through age six to be used while at home, traveling, and in public places. Born Learning shows caregivers easy ways to help shape their child's world and offers fact sheets about ages and stages of development, brochures on how to get the most out of play with your children, tips on health and nutrition, ideas for grandparents, activities especially for fathers, and so much more.

United Way of Greater New Haven makes Born Learning materials available free of charge to families and other caregivers throughout the region. In addition, United Way worked with volunteers from the Regional Water Authority and Comcast to install the first two Born Learning Trails in Connecticut.  The Born Learning Trail is a set of outdoor signs that provide practical and engaging ideas to inspire parents, grandparents and other adults to make learning fun by encouraging children to talk, listen, read, think, imagine and create. Born Learning is part of United Way's committment to improve the quality of early learning.

Explore ways to turn everyday moments into fun learning opportunities through Born Learning. Read more about it and download free materials from the website, www.bornlearning.org.  If you have questions about Born Learning in the Greater New Haven region, please contact Amy Townsley at atownsley@uwgnh.org.