The Learning Link program at Beyond Blindness is just six months old but is already making a big impact on local families.
Parent Tania Cabrera has been coming to the program regularly with her two young children Gael, age three, and Gianna, age one. “The kids love coming here and socializing with friends while they do the activities,” she says. “We have built a little family here.”
On a recent bustling Thursday morning, a large sign outside the classroom displayed learning objectives for the day, which included math skills of identifying patterns and the development of fine motor skills through a camping-themed craft.
“My son is using a lot more words since we started coming here and is expressing himself more confidently to his peers,” says parent Jaqueline Ortega, who brings son Aram, age three, and daughter Katherine, seven months.
Aram’s progress is significant because program staff detected a speech delay and referred him for a free screening at Family Support Network. Screenings help ensure that children do not fall behind on key milestones and can connect children to resources parents did not know exist.
Bilingual Family Support Coordinator Wendolyn Amante mingles easily amongst attendees, greeting parents and encouraging kids to try new things. “We use a lot of very basic items in our activities like clothespins or plastic cups to show parents how easy it is to replicate learning activities at home,” she says. “And we help our parents build parenting skills so they have more tools at home as well.”
Learning Link is open to the public and has proved to be a great connection point with local families, with several program participants opting to enroll their children into onsite classrooms.
“We are thrilled with the success of this program so far,” says Manager of Therapy Services and Learning Links Coordinator Irene Takahashi, who has more than 30 years expertise in early childhood development. “Parenting children, especially children with special needs, can be a very hard job. So what I love seeing the most is the community that is being formed at a very important time in a young family’s life.”
All About Learning Link:
Re-opened thanks to a generous grant from the PNC Foundation, Learning Link is a free, drop-in program for children ages 0-5 and their parents. Offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30am to 11:30am, it features a developmentally appropriate curriculum designed by Beyond Blindness early learning specialists designed to boost school readiness skills.
The program currently serves approximately 24 children and family members per week. Attendance has been steadily increasing as participants invite neighbors and friends.
Drop-ins are welcome! Please email irene.takahashi@beyondblindness.org with program questions.
