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Community partners give children ‘A Taste of Learning’ at local grocery chain

bornlearning® strategy encourages healthy decision-making while grocery shopping

Friday, October 12, 2012

CINCINNATI (10/13/12) – United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Vision 2015, Agenda 360, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Remke bigg’s launched A Taste of Learning today at the grocery chain’s Newport location.

A Taste of Learning is a bornlearning® strategy that exposes children and parents/caregivers to fun learning opportunities that encourage healthy decision making while grocery shopping. The initiative also aims at increasing overall awareness for parents of the importance of early childhood education.

"We work to ensure that every child in our community has the chance to succeed," said Amy Neal, manager of United Way's Success By 6® initiative in Northern Kentucky. "The human brain develops more rapidly between birth and age 5 than during any other subsequent period and the pace of this growth depends on children’s early interactions with families and caregivers. A Taste of Learning is a great opportunity to turn the regular chore of grocery shopping into a fun learning experience for children."

A Taste of Learning activities include: 

• An information kiosk holds information about A Taste of Learning for parents and caregivers
• An "I SPY" game parents can play with their children to locate fruits and vegetables
• Live family-friendly food demonstrations with Remke bigg's chefs tailored to children
• "Silent" food demos featuring healthy foods and healthy, kid-friendly recipe cards

"Remke bigg's is thrilled to be a part of A Taste of Learning," said Laura Tiller, director of Human Resources at Remke bigg's. "We offer a wide variety of fresh and healthy foods, thus we can tout the value of individuals and families making good, nutritious food choices. The fact that A Taste of Learning brings together these two pieces - interactive engagement and healthy nutrition - makes this an initiative that we can be passionate about and execute successfully."

In 2011, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Vision 2015 and Cincinnati Children's began developing the grocery store concept for a local grocery store chain. Remke bigg's agreed to be the grocer for the project. In addition, early childhood education experts from Northern Kentucky University and University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College were recruited to tailor the bornlearning® content to fit a grocery store environment.

"What we know about how young children grow and develop is that they exist in multiple contexts, which include the family, school and community," said Helene Harte, assistant professor of education at UC Blue Ash College. "A Taste of Learning allows for both family and community involvement in children's learning."

A Taste of Learning will launch in the Cincinnati Remke bigg’s store on Highland Avenue Oct. 20.