November 5, 2014

On Friday mornings, a new mom loads her 11-month-old twins into the car and drives them to the old high school in her home town. They are welcomed by two enthusiastic teachers into a classroom full of toys where ten or twelve other parents sit in an approximate circle as their babies either lie on the floor or crawl around exploring the room and people. Hers are already the oldest and most mobile but the other parents don’t seem to mind the boys getting into everything. For an hour and a half, the circle chats and chases babies in between teacher-led songs/activities and mini-lectures on topics in parenting and child development. They have all come there for varying reasons; to meet other parents, to learn how to get their babies to eat/sleep/stop crying, to learn about development, or to let their babies socialize. They are all benefitting from a unique program for parents and children in Minnesota known as Early Childhood Family Education ECFE.

Source: Child Trends

Available at: http://www.childtrends.org/early-childhood-family-education-celebrating-40-years-of-learning-for-minnesotas-parents-and-children/