For the City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – United Way of Inner Wisconsin is excited to announce the launch of the first Born Learning Academy in south Wood County.  Born Learning Academy is a series of six free workshops that provides families and caregivers with practical, user-friendly ideas to turn everyday activities into learning moments.

The workshops are for parents and caregivers of children from ages birth to four. Up to 20 families may participate in each academy.  The south Wood County Born Learning Academy is sponsored by Domtar.

A spring Academy will begin on Tuesday, April 10 and run each Tuesday through May 15, 2018 from 5:00pm-6:30pm at Mead Elementary Charter School.  The event will include a FREE dinner from 5-5:30pm, FREE childcare and FREE giveaways each night – additionally each family that attends 5 of the 6 workshops will receive a FREE gift from United Way of Inner Wisconsin.

United Way strives to meet parents where they are at.

“The Born Learning Academy is an opportunity for parents to meet other parents, enjoy a meal together and learn different skills that can help promote literacy and school readiness for their child(ren),” said Tari Jahns, CEO United Way of Inner Wisconsin.

The Born Learning Academy can do more than strengthen our community’s school readiness efforts—it can also help our school partners engage families before kids start 4K. Founded on an evidence-based curriculum established by early childhood faculty at Northern Kentucky University, the workshops are led by a trained professional and focus on the following topics: Building Relationships, Building Your Child’s Language Skills, Nutrition and Health, How Children Learn and Routines and Learning on the Go.

More than 600 United Ways and partner organizations have used Born Learning’s materials to help parents, families and caregivers to promote school readiness and literacy, and to enlist business leaders and decision makers in the cause.

Each Academy workshop offers individualized attention and support to families, including:

• Research-based resources to take home, which help parents apply their new knowledge
• Opportunities to practice new skills with their children, and with other parents
• Free, age-appropriate and activity based childcare
• A nutritious dinner
• A pre- and post-workshop survey to assess new knowledge

“The Born Learning Academy is made possible through a generous sponsorship by Domtar,” said Jahns.  “We are thankful for their support to help bring this program to young families in our community.”

For more information or to register, contact Emily Stieve, 715-421-0390 or emily@uwiw.org or visit United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s website:www.uwiw.org/born-learning-academy.