Passport to Learning to guide Laguna Beach kids, parents into school readiness
The fields of child development and education have faced significant challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.
With that in mind, members of the Laguna Beach Early Learning Community Task Force say they’re enthusiastic about a local program that offers families with young children an opportunity to grow intellectually and in social-emotional areas free of charge.
Passport to Learning, a program in its fourth year, occurs Saturday with activities returning in person. The event is for families with children who are 5 years old or younger, and it is held from 9 to 11 a.m. on the terrace of the Laguna Beach Community and Susi Q Center at 380 3rd Street.
Registration will be available on site on the day of the event through a QR code.
“We are very excited to return to offering this event in person,” Irene White, director of special education for the Laguna Beach Unified School District, said in a statement. “Both parents and their children will have a great time engaging in many hands-on activities offered by a team of professionals. Parents will also be provided with information on activities that promote kindergarten readiness.”
Sandee Bandettini, an early learning program specialist for the district, said Passport for Learning had to be canceled in 2020, and then the event went virtual in 2021. With it back in person, Bandettini said she believes there is much to be gained from an experiential standpoint.
“What’s so interesting is those first five years are so critical in a child’s development, and during the pandemic, a lot of these little guys didn’t get those early learning experiences that kids typically get,” Bandettini said in a phone interview Friday. “Some did, but a lot of kids didn’t. It’s more important than ever that we educate parents that it’s not too late.
“A lot of parents will come to me, and they’ll say, ‘Oh gosh, Sandee. It’s March, and I’m just learning these things,’ and I say, ‘Yeah, but you’ve got from March until August.’ You’ve got a lot of time for those areas that you need extra support to learn and to grow and develop.”
Passport to Learning takes children and their parents on a grand adventure. Upon arriving, families receive a travel guide and an adventure map to help them maneuver through the various stations with creative names such as “Storybook Express” for family literacy and “Baggage Claim” for social-emotional support. “National Parks” promotes outdoor activities to develop gross motor skills such as body awareness.
There will be early learning experts at the ready to pass on their knowledge, including speech and language pathologists, as well as professionals who focus on child development and parent education.
“We meet three or four times a year,” Bandettini said of the Laguna Beach Early Learning Community Task Force. “We talk about developing programs to support families with children [ages] 0-5, and what’s unique about [Passport to Learning] is at each of the learning stations, you’re going to have a different expert in a specific area, so it’s a really wonderful way to bridge support for these families.”
Representatives from Lakeshore Learning, the Priority Center’s School Readiness Program and the Laguna Beach Public Library will also be at the event, at which children will be able to win prizes as they complete the course.
“The kids love this event,” Cherie Francis Boegeman, an occupational therapist, said in a news release for the event. “They have a blast while the parents learn. The event seems like a carnival at the park. While the kids explore the different activities and play, parents learn about important developmental milestones and strategies to support their child’s success. Historically, the families do not want to leave after the event ends.”
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