UW-Madison Division of Extension's The Early Learning and School Readiness Project: Supporting families by providing children a positive and engaging environment.

What issue is UW-Madison Division of Extension's The Early Learning and School Readiness Project designed to address?

When children have strong bonds with the important adults in their lives, they become resilient. They are able to face challenges and rebound from those difficulties. UW-Madison Division of Extension’s The Early Learning and School Readiness Project decreases stress for parents and increases their confidence in their parenting strategies. This increases the positive interactions between parents and their children, which in turn, strengthens the parent-child relationship.

Programming serves parents and caregivers of young children. Educators specifically reach out to families who have a member involved in the legal system, Latinx families, families who have children in 4K and 5K programs in our local schools and other underserved audiences.

What does UW-Madison Division of Extension's The Early Learning and School Readiness Project do (overarchingly and on a daily basis)?

UW-Madison Division of Extension provides programs to support parents and caregivers in raising their children. Programming is provided based on input from parents, caregivers and partners. Additionally, their bicultural parenting educator is able to offer select parenting programs in Spanish that are culturally sensitive. Parents and caregivers can also request an interpreter for other programming. UW-Madison Division of Extension also offers programming for children who have a parent involved in the legal system, which are offered in partnership with local correctional facilities. Parents who are incarcerated learn strategies to help their children manage strong feelings and explore ways to maintain their relationships with their children during this separation.

What is the impact of UW-Madison Division of Extension's The Early Learning and School Readiness Project?

In 2022, 100 percent of parents involved in the legal system and participating in parenting education programs indicated that interacting with their children is extremely important. Ninety-four percent of parents noted that maintaining a strong bond with their child was extremely important.  One parent shared that the program “made me feel more confident in myself as a father. I felt overwhelmed with joy that my child will get to see me and hear me read a book to him.  It meant a lot.”

Since July, 29 children who have a parent involved in the legal system have received books that their parents chose for them along with videos of their parents reading the stories. Caregivers have reported that the children will watch their parents read to them frequently. Several caregivers have also reported that their children sleep with the books from their parents.

What does the future look like for UW-Madison Division of Extension's The Early Learning and School Readiness Project?

At the height of COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person programming was not an option, UW-Madison Division of Extension introduced remote parenting education.  Parents/caregivers were able to join a class with their phone, tablet or laptop from the convenience of their homes.  In the future, UW-Madison Division of Extension foresees an expansion in remote education across programming. UW-Madison Division of Extension will continue to work with partners, assess needs in the community and adapt programming to meet the needs of Racine County families.

Pam Wedig-Kirsch is the School Readiness and Family Resiliency Educator and Sarah Hawks is the Family and Community Educator for UW-Madison Division of Extension.