United Way of Henderson County (UWHC) is celebrating the update and ribbon cutting of the Born Learning Trail on the Oklawaha Greenway.
On Thursday, May 22nd, the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting to officially open the refurbished trail on the Oklawaha Greenway. Henderson County has two Born Learning Trails for all to enjoy. The trail on the Oklawaha Greenway runs from the parking lot at Kimberly-Clark to the Berkeley Road parking lot and the Mills River Park trail is located at 124 Town Center Dr in Mills River.
“Quality early learning experiences for all children are a key driver of school readiness,” said Kat Carlton, Executive Director of United Way of Henderson County. “Our impact areas of kindergarten readiness and school success align with the purpose of the Born Learning Trail. This interactive trail provides a learning opportunity tailored to our youngest neighbors and their parents and caregivers and expands upon local opportunities for them to learn and grow.”
Originally constructed in 2017, the Born Learning Trail on the Oklawaha Greenway has received an update to the signage, including the addition of Spanish language signs, and a fresh coat of paint on the interactive learning spaces. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Hunter Subaru, the refurbished Trail is open for all residents to enjoy. “We love partnering with United Way and the work they do for our community,” said Kate Redmond, Marketing and BDC Director, Hunter Automotive Group. “Thank you for allowing our company to be part of this project. Helping young children enjoy the outdoors and learn at the same time is a big win!”
The trail consists of a series of ten signs placed along a walking path through the park. Each sign offers an educational prompt that guides adults on specific ways to create learning games outdoors and suggests tips to use at home. The Born Learning Trail on the Oklawaha Greenway helps parents and caregivers turn a small excursion into a creative and fun learning experience.
Based on the latest early childhood research and approved by national early learning experts through United Way Worldwide, the Born Learning Trail is designed to help adults interact with children to boost language and literacy development and to help caregivers understand how to best support early learning in everyday moments.