Play: Not just a laughing matter Young children working together to build a robot out of pipes and blocks. Two more creating a puppet show about forest animals. Another group discovering the magic of bubbles. A father and son  | | Photos courtesy of the Grand Rapids Children's Museum |
making sushi in the kitchen. That's just a start of what you see when you walk into the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, and while you may not realize it, Executive Director Bob Dean is convinced what you're really seeing is future CEO's, artists, teachers, and doctors developing some of the foundational skills they'll need to be successful. Dean explains, "Open-ended play is what the research has found really contributes to the development of cognitive skills, particularly executive function skills." Those are higher level skills that help with things like planning, prioritizing and emotional control, or as Dean puts it, "the skills that enable us to go through life." The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a report a few years ago entitled The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. It says, "Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them." 
The report also says that time for free play has been "markedly reduced for some children," for a variety of reasons, including: - An increase in scheduled activities for children, even at a very young age.
- More time spent watching television or playing computer and video games.
- Less time in school devoted to recess and other free play.
- Less time available for parents to play with their children, given the increase in households with single parents or two working parents.
The Grand Rapids Children's Museum wants to help the community accept and value play as an important part of a young child's development. Dean says he recognizes that a few trips to the museum won't fundamentally change a child's life. However, he adds, "a child who grows up in a family that values play and lives in a community that values play is going to be fundamentally different. Part of our mission is to move Grand Rapids in that direction."
Click on the link to read the American Academy of Pediatrics report and other early childhood research.
Click on the link to learn more about the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.
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News & Updates
Diaper Drive: Help keep 'em covered
One in four babies in our community lives in poverty, and most public  assistance does not cover diapers--so many young children go without this basic necessity. You can help get diapers to families in Kent County by contributing to the Great Start Parent Coalition Diaper Drive. Over the last two years, the Great Start Parent Coalition has collected 70,000 diapers that were distributed at local food pantries. The goal this year: another 40,000 diapers! Please visit www.diaperdrivekent.org to make a donation or to find drop off sites.
Early childhood sector valued at $400 billion
A new report from the Partnership for America's Economic Success says the U.S. needs to invest additional resources in early childhood and do a better job of allocating those resources where they will do the most good. The report estimates the annual value of public and private investments in young children at nearly $400 billion--or 2.9 percent of the gross domestic product--ranking ahead of agriculture and utilities and just below transportation.
Included in the report's evidence that the current investment is "not adequate":
- Two-thirds of all low-income children are served in early care and education settings that lack the level of quality shown to produce developmental gains.
- 17 million American children go without dental care each year.
- Nearly half of total U.S. health expenditures on young children pay for hospital visits, many of which could be avoided with preventive measures.
The Partnership for America's Economic Success is managed by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Click on the link to read Vital to Growth: The Early Childhood Sector of the U.S. Economy.
Early childhood in state & federal budgets
Want to follow proposed changes in the state and federal budgets and how they would impact young children? Here are a couple of resources that are updated as the budget process evolves:
Michigan's Children: Budget Basics
Early Childhood Investment Corporation
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Early Learning Communities
We want to share the stories of programs and services that are working with young children and their families in Kent County. This time we are featuring Early Learning Communities, a collaborative partnership led by First Steps, Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Great Start Collaborative.
Tawnie Fisk says she's a better parent and child care provider than she was a year ago, and she attributes much of that to her experience with Early Learning Communities.
"It's made a world of difference for how I treat my own kids and the kids in my care. I have more patience. I see things differently," she explains.
 | | Tawnie Fisk at a Play & Learn Group with her daugther, her niece, and a friend |
Early Learning Communities are a collaborative partnership to enrich the early learning experiences of young children by strengthening the skills of parents, early childhood caregivers, and educators. Barb Todd is a retired elementary school principal in Grand Rapids Public Schools and is now a site coordinator for Early Learning Communities.
"Language acquisition is so important for young children," Todd says. If they don't hear rich language, it is difficult for them to master the basic skills they need to be ready for success in kindergarten,"
There are several components of the program:- Play & Learn Groups, in which the evidence-based curriculum is aligned with Michigan Department of Education standards for kindergarten readiness
- One-on-one coaching for in-home caregivers
- Professional development, training, and support services for educators and caregivers
Early Learning Communities grew out of a smaller pilot project completed last year. The 2010 evaluation found improvements in several areas: interactions between the caregiver and child; number of literacy activities in the child care home; and learning development and social skills of young children.
"The things that caregivers do with young children every day are critical," Todd explains. "It's not like we're going to do something once a month to get them ready for kindergarten. It has to be reinforced daily."
In addition to raising her own children, Fisk cares for nine other children of relatives and friends at various times during the week. She says prior to being part of Early Learning Communities, she was "mostly a sit in front of the TV day care provider." Now she has a tool kit of low-cost activities that she can do at home. One of the favorites: writing the alphabet in shaving cream.
She also is working toward her child care license and is taking classes at Grand Rapids Community College to earn a degree in early childhood education.
"I want to be licensed because I think people will not see me as a babysitter; they'll see me as someone who really wants to provide quality child care. I just want to give my kids and the kids in my care the best start to a good life that I can," Fisk explains.
In addition to First Steps, Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Great Start Collaborative, Early Learning Communities partners include: Arbor Circle, Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, Grand Rapids Public Library, Kent District Library, Kent Intermediate School District, Kent Regional 4C, Kent School Services Network, Michigan Family Resources/Head Start of Kent County, Western Region Great Start Child Care Resource Center and several local churches.
Click on the link to learn more about Early Learning Communities, including the 2010 evaluation.
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