KOSCIUSKO — For six months, the Dekko Foundation has invested in an up-to-the-minute digital marketing campaign designed to help today’s young parents understand how they can help their children thrive.  Now, the Foundation wants to go old-school and talk about that subject in person. 

The message is simple, to make the most of children’s learning, adults should embrace the old and the new.

“We want to talk to folks about the long-held truths, or principles, that govern children’s development,” says Kimberly Schroeder, program officer for the Dekko Foundation. “These principles help us understand why children are how they are, and why they do what they do.”

“Our new ideas about children’s development come from brain research and from the experiences of people who have studied children over time,” Schroeder explains.  “Combined, these old and new elements point early education away from traditional ABC’s and 123’s and toward a focus on problem solving, independence and meaningful work.”

To share this information, the Dekko Foundation is interested in presenting to community groups like rotary, lions and optimist clubs, sororities, book clubs and other places where adults gather.  The presentations are flexible, last from 20 to 35 minutes and include experiences and question time. “Over the next six months we hope to speak to lots and lots of groups,” Schroeder says.  We think grandparents, neighbors and community leaders will want to know how their interactions can help children learn.”

Some topics the presentations will include:

• Children are born learning.
• Children are capable of learning on their own from the earliest ages.
• Children see things differently than adults do.  You might see a stack of dirty dishes.  Your child just sees a chance to help.  You might see a weed.  Your child sees a thing of beauty.
• Preschool and childcare classrooms are changing into early education classrooms.  They look different.

To learn more or to schedule a presentation for your community group, contact Kimberly Schroeder at [email protected] or call (260) 347-1278.