APPLETON EDUCATION FOUNDATION, inc.
ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE SINCE 1997
 |
"The potential possibilities of any child are the most intriguing and stimulating in all creation." --Ray L. Wilber Physician |
|
|
|
Press Release- Brain to Five
Download Article:
NEWS RELEASE
For Release at 6 a.m. Wed. Jan. 9
For more information, contact: Dave Willems, cell 920-419-3550 or
Lori Van Handel, Willems Marketing, 920-831-6580 ext. 20;
lori@willemsmarketing.com
Appleton Education Foundation Forms Unique Partnership with
UW-Madison to Educate Community on Brain Development
Davidson Among Four to Speak to Fox Cities Parents and Educators on
Early Brain Development
APPLETON, WIS. (For Release, Jan. 9, 2008) – Fox Cities parents,
educators and childcare providers will be the beneficiaries of a unique
partnership announced today between the Appleton Education Foundation,
UW-Madison’s renowned Waisman Center and the Wisconsin Academy of
Sciences, Arts and Letters.
In a first-of-its-kind opportunity, four leading “brain investigators”
from the Waisman Center – including Richie Davidson, one of Time
Magazine’s Top 100 Minds – will address the intricacies of early brain
development encompassing infants, toddlers and preschool children. The
AEF Community Education Series – Brain to Five will feature Davidson and
fellow researchers Susan Ellis Weismer, Jenny Saffran and Seth David
Pollak, all noted for their groundbreaking studies related to brain
behavior and learning.
Davidson, also named Madison’s Person of the Year by Madison Magazine
this year, will launch the series on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Appleton North
High School at 7:30 p.m. The presentation will be held in the North High
auditorium and is free to the public on an open-seating basis. Overflow
seating will be available. The other presentations will follow on March
5, April 2 and April 23.
Julie Krause, Appleton Education Foundation executive director, said the
goal of the cutting-edge program is to rally the community around the
importance of early childhood learning and brain development while also
underscoring the Appleton Area School District’s intensifying focus on
school readiness through the District’s 10 Birth-to-Five initiatives
adopted in 2007.
“As the Foundation moves into its second decade, we want to bring
opportunities to the community that help underscore our mission of
excellence in education,” said Krause. “This is a great opportunity for
us to do that while also highlighting our support of birth-to-five
school readiness and early learning.”
For UW-Madison and its wealth of intellectual talent, the partnership
represents a chance for these world-renowned researchers to share
directly with parents and care providers the very
latest on what they’re learning. "In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea,
the Waisman Center looks forward to this connection with a community in
Wisconsin, where several of our
investigators will share the most recent findings of their research in
areas such as autism, early emotional development, and brain imaging,"
said Marsha Mailick Seltzer, Ph.D., Director of the Waisman Center. "We
anticipate a valuable exchange with the parents and educators in the Fox
Cities.”
The Brain to Five series was announced at a news conference held at The
Child Care Resource and Referral Center in Menasha. It is one of the
many resources available to parents in Appleton and the surrounding Fox
Cities area that specializes in helping parents and caregivers with the
critical early years. Appleton Area School District Superintendent Lee
Allinger has stated that educating parents and the overall community
about the vast resources available in the immediate region is an
important piece of the early childhood equation.
Planning for the series, Krause said, is already helping bring many of
the Fox Cities resources together – including educators, childcare
agencies, funding organizations and businesses – into one dialogue and
the hope is that this community-wide momentum will lead to heightened
awareness of early childhood learning and the importance of brain
development. She noted the birth-to-five movement is gaining significant
steam nationwide and Appleton and the Fox Cities have great potential to
take a leading role in Wisconsin.
“Our partnership with UW-Madison is a big step toward a stronger
emphasis in our community on this important topic,” Krause said. “As
each of the school districts grow their birth-to-five programs, the
partnership can play a major role in allowing us to tap current thinking
and future trends.”
“This initiative is more than a one-time educational series,” noted Dr.
John Mielke, a founding member of the AEF board. “Our UW-Madison
partners have been very enthusiastic about providing other speakers and
other resources to our community and our schools. It’s very exciting.”
Tim Riley, board president of the Appleton Education Foundation, said
the series and the overall initiative is indicative of the kind of
innovative and visionary programming the Foundation would like to
introduce to the community during its second decade of existence. “The
community has been very responsive to the Foundation’s purpose during
the first 10 years and for that we are extremely grateful,” Riley said.
“But with budget challenges locally and statewide, we know the
Foundation will need to both expand and be more proactive in ensuring
educational excellence in Appleton.”
Through the Brain to Five series, Waisman Center investigators will
share their latest findings on how brains develop and how others can
impact that development while also sharing information on how babies and
toddlers process the world around them right from birth.
The Brain to Five series topics are:
- Wed., Feb. 6, Shaping Your Child’s Brain, Richie Davidson, Ph.D.
- Wed., March 5, What Does That Gurgle Really Mean? Early Language and Your Toddler, Susan Ellis Weismer, Ph.D.
- Wed. April 2, How Babies Learn, Jenny Saffran, Ph.D.
- Wed. April 23, Children’s Emotions and the Developing Brain,
Seth David Pollak, Ph.D.
Krause said an offshoot of the Foundation’s efforts is to generate greater community awareness of the AASD’s 10 birth-to-five initiatives:
- Connecting with Early Childhood Economic Taskforce – Bring focus to the importance of language and literacy development from birth-to-five.
- 3- and 4-Year-Old Screenings – Encourage all families of pre-schoolers to attend developmental screenings prior to kindergarten.
- Title I Preschool – Ensure that 3- and 4-year-olds have a high-quality, developmentally appropriate environment for learning.
- Early Childhood Programming – Strengthen collaboration among schools, homes and community providers by offering special education services in a child’s natural environment.
- EvenStart – Prepare children ages birth to eight with prerequisite education and literacy instruction, enhance parenting skills with home visits and classroom instruction and foster quality interaction between children and parents.
- Kindergarten Home Visits (Pilot Program) – Build upon home-school connection with incoming kindergarten families by conducting home visits with school staff.
- Kindergarten Profile – Develop a family demographic of kindergarten students entering the AASD.
- Parent Connection of Northeast Wisconsin Family Services (NEW Family Services) – Offer on-site parenting classes at area elementary schools.
- Title 1 Parents as Teachers Project – Engage parents of children ages birth to three in early education opportunities.
- Books for Babies – Educate parents on the importance of reading to their newborns and infants.
The AASD recently contracted with The Child Care Resource and Referral,
Inc. to add Amy Wilson as the District’s birth-to-five coordinator to
begin intensifying its efforts with these 10 initiatives.
Waisman Center Pronunciation
The preferred pronunciation for Waisman Center is with a hard ‘a’ as in Waseman Center…not with a hard
‘i’ as in Wiseman or Weissman Center.
Background Information
About the AEF
Established in 1997 by parents and community leaders in the Fox Cities,
the Appleton Education Foundation provides classroom teachers
accessible, flexible resources to enhance student learning. Just
starting its second decade, the AEF has supported a variety of
innovative learning projects and awarded over one million dollars in
funding to educational programs that aren’t financed by public budgets.
http://www.appletoneducationfoundation.org
About the Waisman Center
For 34 years, the Waisman Center has been dedicated to the advancement
of knowledge about human development, developmental disabilities and
neurodegenerative diseases. It is one of nine national facilities with a
Mental Retardation Development Disabilities Research Center and houses
60 labs, seven specialty clinics and the renowned Brain Imaging
Laboratory. The Waisman Center is home to one of the most remarkable
neuroscience research facilities in the world and is a place for
discovery, care and learning as its faculty develop new therapies and
treatments for people with developmental disabilities.
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu
About the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters was founded in 1870
and is an independent, nonprofit organization connecting people and
ideas from all areas of knowledge and all walks of life to celebrate
thought, culture and nature in Wisconsin and help solve common problems.
The Academy provides information to members and the public and creates a
community where citizens and experts can share ideas.
http://www.wisconsinacademy.org
About the AASD
The Appleton Area School District has a rich, 157-year history of
educational excellence, coupled with a commitment to continue to improve
its ability to meet the educational needs of present and future
students. The AASD strives to address the needs of all learners and
provide graduating students with the skills and knowledge to
successfully pursue avenues of higher education essential to their
chosen career paths. The AASD has adopted 10 Birth-to-Five Initiatives
as a key component of its focus on early learning.
http://www.aasd.k12.wi.us
HOME | CONTACT US | LINKS