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A FRESH APPROACH TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
W.K. Kellogg Foundation and IDEO
release report on tangible steps to transforming early
education and ensuring success of the next generation
March 2008
March 6, 2008 - Seeking a
fresh approach and "out-of-the-box" ideas on school
readiness, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) created
a unique partnership. They engaged the brainpower of
the design firm IDEO to help them navigate a complex
challenge: envisioning tangible steps toward transforming
early education to ensure success for the next generation.
Ranked by global business
leaders as one of the world's most innovative companies,
IDEO approaches its work with the end user in mind.
In turn, the IDEO team immersed itself in the world
of early childhood education, conducting observations
in classrooms and the homes of parents, as well as connecting
to experts within and outside of the WKKF network. They
also drew on the ideas and extensive expertise of the
directors involved in WKKF's SPARK initiative, which
is designed to unite communities so that all children
can be successful before and after they enter school.
The result is a set of solutions
outlined in a new publication "Tangible Steps Toward
Tomorrow; New Designs for Early Education, Ages 0-8."
The solutions focus around three areas: parents, teachers
and schools. The report identifies ways to better engage
parents in their child's education, gives ideas on how
to provide practical and emotional support for teachers,
and suggests ways schools can become better connected
to their communities.
IDEO spokesperson Sandy Speicher
is Transformation Practice Lead at IDEO, the team that
worked on the Tangible Steps Toward Tomorrow report.
For more information, visit www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=168&NID=61&LanguageID=0.
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