The Excel By 5 Mobile Resource Center recently visited several target communities in the area and daycares who have joined the program, including Kids’ Kountry in Rienzi.
Corinth and Alcorn County’s Excel By 5 Coalition is spreading the word about early childhood education and recruiting more local organizations to the cause.
The local Excel By 5 effort recently took its Mobile Resource Center on the road last week, on a maiden voyage to visit target communities and several Excel By 5 affiliated daycares, including Kids’ Kountry in Rienzi, the first of six local daycares to sign up for the program.
Excel By 5 Certification Manager Susan O’Connell emphasized how important it is for brain development for parents to interact regularly with their children. It is important to build the roads early in the brain to carry information, she said.
“We worked with parents at Kids’ Kountry to spread the word about Excel By 5 and the message to touch, talk, play and read to your children to build more connections in your child’s brain so they are better prepared for school and life,” O’Connell explained.
Excel By 5 is a community-based certification program that focuses on the important roles communities play in educating their children during the most formative years of birth to age five.
“Excel By 5’s main focus is to make our community aware of the deficiencies, as well as strengths, and build an infrastructure to bring everyone together to improve the child’s wellbeing mentally and physically, i.e. families, daycares and other resources,” O’Connell said.
The next Excel By 5 event will be to help the Corinth School District host Dr. Lynn Darling, who will present the new early learning standards for three- and four-year-olds.
Excel By 5 will also continue to take the Mobile Resource Center on the road.
“We plan on taking the Mobile Resource Center out into the community quarterly, so be on the look out,” said O’Connell. “Volunteers are needed to visit with parents and play with children when the MRC visits the community.”
(For more information or to volunteer call Susan O’Connell, Excel By 5 certification manager, at 662-286-6401.)