Visit the first-ever Born Learning Trail

On August 12 Mayor Thomas Menino joined United Way President Michael Durkin, Boston Children's Museum's David Ellis and John Lippitt, executive director of Thrive in 5 at Children's Wharf Park to launch the State's first-ever "Born Learning" Trail, an engaging path of interactive activities that helps parents promote language and pre-literacy skills, motor skills and school readiness in their young children.

 A 2009 study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that children living in poverty are less likely to have someone read to them, tell them stories or sing to them. Studies have also shown that low-income children can begin kindergarten 1-2 years behind their counterparts. Research from United Way of America indicates that lack of time and knowledge about how best to prepare children for school are often at the center of this disparity.

"We know that children need programs and support each day, from dawn to dusk, and at each stage of their education, from birth through college completion," Said Mayor Thomas Menino. "We know that children don't just learn in preschool or once they start kindergarten. They are learning all the time, everywhere, from everything, starting from the moment they are born. Children are literally born learning."

During the launch, United Way, an organization which aims to promote healthy child development both within the city of Boston and in the greater Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley regions, announced the availability of funding for 5 more Born Learning trails throughout the region.

"You don't need a lot of time or money to help a child learn," said Michael Durkin, President and CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley. "With the opening of this Born Learning Trail, and the funding for five more like it, we are launching a region-wide public awareness campaign aimed at connecting parents and caregivers to simple ways they can support their children's learning."

"Boston Children's Museum is excited to be the site of Boston's first Born Learning Trail. This trail supports the Museum's long-term commitment to early childhood education and reinforces the idea that learning is everywhere," said David Ellis, Interim President and CEO of Boston Children's Museum.

The Born Learning trail is part of a larger United Way public engagement campaign, which will consist of informational materials and an online resource site at bornlearninghub.org, designed to provide families with information about how to turn everyday activities, from running errands to doing laundry, into learning opportunities for young children. The campaign is built on the idea that children are born learning, and that even the smallest interactions with parents, grandparents and caregivers can encourage their development and school readiness. United Way's Born Learning campaign is part of its ongoing commitment to Thrive in 5 and to helping to ensure school readiness across the region.