Play2Learn and the Klamath County Basics Return for Second Year
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Program expands to six KCSD schools
When young children arrive at kindergarten to start the race toward high school graduation, some don’t make it to the starting line. When the race starts, some begin far behind.
“We try to say childhood is not a race. Well, I’m sorry to tell you, it really is a race,” said Dr. Sara Johnson, director of assessment, equity and school improvement at the Klamath County School District. “Kids are losing the race in Klamath County before they even get to the starting line.”
To get more children to the starting line, the Klamath County School District is running the second year of Play2Learn nights featuring the Klamath County Basics. Families learn the five Basics to get their 3- to 5-year olds ready for kindergarten.
“This message can be simply shared with parents and educators,” Johnson said.
The KCSD is hosting Play2Learn nights at Merrill, Gilchrist, Keno, Chiloquin, Stearns and Bonanza elementary schools.
At each night, families hear a brief explanation of the Klamath County Basics, then spend the majority of the time practicing them. Parents, children and siblings count, group and compare to practice math skills, children listen to a story and interact with a teacher, and everyone runs through an obstacle course to explore through movement and play.
“We’re talking about enriched experiences where they play and interact,” Johnson said.
The night ends with each family receiving a Play2Learn bag containing toys, books and information to continue the Klamath County Basics at home.
In the first year of the program, the district gave away 325 bags to Klamath families. This year it expects to give away about 220 bags.
The district started the 2018 Play2Learn nights in late February. They will continue through May.
Behind the Basics
The reason for the Play2Learn nights and the strategy behind the Klamath County Basics are based on science, testing and return on investment.
The Klamath County Basics are based on the Boston Basics, a program developed by Dr. Ron Ferguson, with the Harvard Kennedy School. It is backed by brain science and is evidence-based.
Babies are born with 100 billion neurons in their brains, Johnson said, and 50 trillion connections between those neurons. The Klamath County Basics helps strengthen those neurons and connections by encouraging parents to interact with their children – playing to learn.
“If you use it, the brain keeps it. If you don’t, just like a tree, the brain trims it off,” Johnson said. “Every time you can provide an experience where a child uses one of those neuronal connections that will pay off when they get to high school.”
More information on the Play2Learn Program can be found HERE.
Press release and photography from Samantha Tipler, Public Relations, Klamath County School District.