When students at several schools in Central Virginia and Petersburg walked through the doors last month to head back to school, they and their parents had the opportunity to be part of VPM’s Ready to Learn – Learning Neighborhoods initiative.
“A Learning Neighborhood is where we bring families, children and educators together for fun, interactive workshops several times a month.” explained Mary Jo Grieve, VPM’s director of early childhood care and education.
The goal of a Learning Neighborhood is to help kids build skills in everyday literacy and critical thinking to prepare them for kindergarten.
“We welcome the families and encourage the children and parents to explore and engage with the learning stations we’ve set up,” Mary Jo explained. All families participating in Learning Neighborhoods receive a take-home learning bag filled with books, activities and learning tips sheets, and at the end of the event, they leave with dinner to enjoy at home.
Last year, VPM partnered with the Excellence in Children’s Early Language and Literacy (ExCELL) program, a literacy-focused organization, to launch Learning Neighborhoods in two preschools in the Richmond Public School system (Summer Hill Preschool and J.H. Blackwell Preschool) and one preschool (Westview Early Childhood Education Center) in the city of Petersburg. This year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool in Richmond’s Northside will join the Learning Neighborhood initiative.
“The pandemic highlighted education inequities and demonstrated the need for change and innovation,” said Cynthia Hutchinson, director of ExCELL. “The creation of Learning Neighborhoods promotes the idea that children benefit more when they and their families engage in a comprehensive array of family services.”
One of the most important priorities for VPM is to be an educational partner for Virginia families, caregivers and educators. As part of this mission, VPM coordinated with the ExCELL Program to participate in the Ready to Learn Initiative supported by PBS KIDS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. Department of Education to build Learning Neighborhoods in Richmond and Petersburg.
“Learning Neighborhoods can take place wherever learning happens – like schools, playgrounds, libraries or parks,” says Mary Jo. “VPM and ExCELL chose these public preschools because of the trusted relationships we’ve built there.”
Learning Neighborhoods are successful because they meet children and families where they are. They bring together multiple community organizations with different strengths, connecting them in a way that’s engaging and conducive to continued learning at home. “When media, families and educators come together to become educational partners, they are the true essence of a Learning Neighborhood,” explained Gabriela Benzel, VPM Ready to Learn - Learning Neighborhood Project Manager.
To learn more about Learning Neighborhoods and VPM’s early childhood initiatives, visit https://www.vpm.org/early-childhood-community-partners-and-schools or email Mary Jo Grieve at [email protected].
