Born Learning began in 2005 as United Way’s first national public engagement campaign. It made public service advertising, parent materials and online tips, tools and templates to help United Ways advance early childhood impact strategies.  

As Brookings and other smaller communities in Brookings County continue to grow, the need for free, interactive early childhood education activities increases. Therefore, the Born Learning Trail initiative was brought to Brookings County in 2020 and continues to be a focus for Brookings Area United Way. The primary goal of the Born Learning Trail is to create free, evidence based developmental learning experiences to increase school readiness for children, families, and individuals within Brookings County. The trails are geared towards our early learners in the community, those under five; however, all are welcome to explore the trails!

The trails consist of 10 interactive signs that offer fun, active learning activities for young children and their families. This will encourage outdoor exploration, learning, and imagination within a colorful environment. A child's first five years of brain development is incredibly important, and studies show that children facing adversity can quickly fall behind; however, this can be counteracted through "high-quality early childhood education" (Joughin, 2019 & Roos, Wall-Wieler, Lee, 2019). By bringing this initiative to Brookings County, it creates free, learn-through-play spaces everyone can access.

Citations:

• Boram Lee, J., Roos, L., & Wall-Wieler, E. (2019). Poverty and early childhood outcomes. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/143/6/e20183426/76812/Poverty-and-Early-Childhood-Outcomes
• Joughin, C. (2019). Major study shows poverty directly linked to lack of school readiness. First Five Years Fund.Retrieved from: https://www.ffyf.org/major-study-shows-poverty-directly-linked-to-lack-of-school-readiness/