United Way of Lebanon County is pleased to announce the opening of Lebanon’s first Born Learning Trail, which will be unveiled at a ribbon cutting at 11:30am this Saturday, April 21.
The Born Learning Trail is a series of 10 interactive signs that encourage active and fun early learning and engagement opportunities for young children and their families. Based on the latest early childhood research and approved by national early learning experts through United Way of America, the Born Learning Trail is designed to help adults interact with children to boost language and literacy development, and to help caregivers understand how to best support early learning in outdoor everyday moments.
Signs along the trail are printed in both English and in Spanish, and interactive murals coincide with the signs to offer a fun game-type atmosphere. The human brain experiences significant development in the first few years of life, and it is important to stimulate this development at an early age.The Born Learning Trail will be located across from the Lebanon Community Library, by the walking path that runs along the waterway. The trail begins on 7th Street and continues to 5th Street.
The Born Learning Trail is presented in a partnership between United Way, IU13, the City of Lebanon, and Brushstrokes on Canvas. The Born Learning Trail signs were purchased through grant funding from Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). This grant supporting the work of Lebanon's P-3 (Prenatal through third grade) Collaboration Team was given to grantees Lancaster-Lebanon IU-13 and Northwest Elementary School. United Way of Lebanon County coordinated with Mayor Sherry Capello to determine a location for the trail, and the city of Lebanon installed the posts.
Kate Kindelberger, a local Girl Scout, is also helping to implement the trail as her Gold Award project, by raising funds to purchase the sign posts and painting the posts for the trail. The Gold Award is the highest award given in Girl Scouts, open only to girls in high school, and focuses on challenging each girl to change “her corner” of the world.
The community is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony for the trail on Saturday, April 21 at 11:30 AM at the beginning of the trail. Speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony will be Kate Kindelberger, Girl Scout Gold Award Candidate; Dr. Brian Barnhart, Executive Director of Lancaster-Lebanon IU13; Brooke Smith, Director of Community Impact for United Way of Lebanon County; and Mayor Sherry Capello, Mayor of the City of Lebanon. Guests may park in the PA Counseling Services lot, 200 North 7th Street, Lebanon. Families are encouraged to visit and explore the trail following the ribbon cutting.
Through the generous donation of time and materials by Brushstrokes on Canvas, painted interactive murals will be added by May. The trail will be included on the map for the Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts First Friday Lebanon Art Walk on Friday, May 4, to highlight these murals.
The trail’s unveiling is intentionally positioned on the 2018 Day of Caring, as volunteer projects around the community are finishing and before United Way’s Spring Into Reading Fest and Play 60 events begin at 12pm.
Article published April 18, 2018.