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Over the past six years, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands has invested about $1 million in early childhood education programs in the territory and on Friday, the organization took another step forward with the opening of its Born Learning Trail at Magens Bay.
"Today we are celebrating another milestone for our families and our most vulnerable children," CFVI Board Chairman Ricardo Charaf said at ribbon-cutting ceremonies held on the cool and breezy beach.
Born Learning is a national campaign designed to help parents, caregivers and other community members create early learning opportunities for young children. The trails, for example, use outdoor learning and interactive games to build everything from literacy to early math skills that prepare children for school.
Trail stations -- 10 in total -- are scattered along the beach, running from the end of the bridge to Shed No. 4. The stations, which are meant to be navigated by both children and their parents, each have their own theme, which encourage everything from singing to wiggling.
At the second station, for example, the parent-child team is instructed to make note of the different shapes around them, compare their similarities and differences and to draw the shapes they see in the sand.
"You might feel silly, talking to your child like this the first time," said Judith Richardson, CFVI's Kids Count director, said to the small group that came out for unveiling. "But trust me, as you continue, you won't feel so silly."
Similar trails, which are organized in conjunction with community United Way programs, have popped up across the mainland, and CFVI officials said Friday they are hoping to put a couple more on St. Thomas, along with sites on St. John and St. Croix.
"We are encouraging people to use everyday moments as learning moments," said Eleanor Hirsh, head of CFVI's The Family Connection, which opened its doors in Vitraco Park in 2004. "And hopefully, this will stimulate parents to do other things with their children."
The Born Learning Trail is a Family Connection Initiative, sponsored by Standard Pacific Capital Holdings and supported by the Magen's Bay Authority, whose board members also attended Friday's ceremony.
Authority board chairman Aubrey Nelthropp said that he was "wary" when CFVI first came to him with the idea.
"I'm always wary," he said. "You have to be so careful and particular of what the end result is."
After learning more about the project, Nelthropp said he realized the trail could be used by both older and younger children, with the older children helping the younger ones learn how to read the signs and work through the puzzles.
"Tomorrow, I’m going to bring down my two grandsons -- they're 12 and 13," Nelthropp said. "I want to see how they like it."