By ALAN HOSKINS
A celebration of the first Kansas City, Kan., Born Learning Trail will be held on the campus of Kansas City Kansas Community College Saturday, Sept. 22.
Sponsored by Tri-County Smart Start, the celebration will be held from 9 a.m.-noon in the area between the Performing Arts Center and Field House on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue.
Free and open to the public, the celebration will feature entertainment, face painting and other activities for young children, a fire truck, give-aways and refreshments.
KCKCC President Dr. Doris Givens and Wyandotte County United Way Executive Director and KCKCC Trustee Wendell Maddox will cut the ceremonial ribbon.
In addition, the celebration will give families a chance to enjoy the Cooper-Foreman Heirloom and Pioneer Gardens located immediately north of the Flint Building and east of the Born Learning Trail.
The Born Learning Trail is made possible through a grant from Project Launch to Tri-County Smart Start, a program of the Wyandotte County United Way.
“The Born Learning Trail is unique,” says Jennifer Traffis, Tri-County Smart Start Director. “No other parks, play areas or trails give adults tips on engaging and interacting with their child to encourage development. Not only does it give parents an opportunity to enjoy physical activity while engaging in conversation with their children but it also provides adults with the tools needed to have quality interactions with their children.”
A quality improvement initiative working to increase the number of quality early learning programs in Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson counties, Tri-County Smart Start funds participation in professional development and the Kansas Quality Rating System which includes coaching, assessment and quality improvement mini-grants for 40 early childhood programs.
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PHOTO: KCKCC student Austin Taylor will be one of the face painting volunteers at a celebration of the first Born Learning Trail Saturday, Sept. 22.
