On Friday, April 22, 2022, the CNMI Child Care Development Fund Program (CCDF), in partnership with Evergreen Learning, completed the first CNMI Brain Builders-Science of Early Learning Orientation with its partner agencies.
CCDF recently established partnerships with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs (DCCA) – Division of Youth Services (DYS), CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD), Commonwealth Health Care Corporation (CHCC) – Community Guidance Center – System of Care (CGC-SOC), and Joeten-Kiyu Public Library. Through these partnerships, CCDF will be able to connect with parents and families in the community, to implement the Science of Early Learning Initiative, brand new to the CNMI.
The Orientation was held at the Kagman Community Center from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and facilitated by Melissa Palacios, Science of Early Learning Coordinator, and Rayanna Fitial, Science of Early Learning Administrative Assistant. In attendance were DYS Community Development Specialist Ms. Maria Olopai, DYS Community Development Technician Josephine Kapileo, and Council on Developmental Disabilities Administrative Assistant Kyanna Norita. Not in photo is Philip Santos, CHCC-CGC System of Care Lead Family Coordinator, who attended the orientation previously virtually.
At the Orientation, members of the partner agencies had an opportunity to gain information about the Science of Early Learning Initiative, the approaches that will be taken for the implementation, the curriculum that will be used and the resources available to activate the program.
Mind in the Making (MITM) Curriculum provides knowledge about the scientific tenets of early childhood development and how to boost life skills for children ages 0-8. MITM establishes “why we have to elevate the importance of the first 5 years of child development,” particularly, brain development.
Vroom, an early learning program, offers tips and tools that are used throughout early childhood systems, community agencies that provide services to children, and other networks. Vroom is the tool that offers strategies that parents, families, and caregivers can apply to use everyday moments to build children’s brains.
Together, MITM and Vroom are complementary offerings responding to the national landscape of early learning. Both early learning programs are asset-based and start with the relationships that are built between caregivers in the lives of children. Now that these partner agencies have completed their orientation, they are ready to proceed with the next series of trainings.
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