How you can give your kids a leg up in life in just 15 minutes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Trisha Young
July 4, 2023
Just 15 minutes of playing, reading, singing and interacting with your child can help build important connections to family members and the community.
That’s the message the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, or OECI, is stressing as it rolls out the Mighty Small Moments public service campaign.
One of the campaign’s messages is that kids are like sponges, which is to say they are constantly absorbing information and experiences, all of which affects the people they become as they age.
A majority of a person’s brain development and learning behavior starts in the first three years of life. So, it’s essential for families to make those learning connections with their infants as soon as possible.
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Studies show that fewer than half of children living in poverty are ready for kindergarten at age 5. This correlates to higher rates of behavioral issues, health problems and interactions with the criminal justice system.
Because babies are born with fairly undeveloped brains, this makes the early years of learning crucial.
Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, who is a pediatrician, child health advocate and partner of OECI, said this about the possibilities of an infant’s brain: “You have an opportunity to either create the conditions for really good brain circuits: for learning, for language, for love. Or circuits that are not so good, because they are responding to stressful environments where brains are worried for food, shelter and safety.”
The OECI started in 2018 with a mission to ensure that every child has the fundamental elements needed for success in both school and life.
“Talent is equally distributed across our population, but opportunity is not. When we don’t allow that talent to come to the floor, then we are all poor,” Navsaria said.
Through its PopSpot spaces, the OECI tries to make  learning accessible by incorporating vibrant color schemes, sensory activities, songs and reading opportunities in various languages so parents and families can engage children while being in spaces like waiting rooms, laundromats, parks, bus stops, banks and grocery stores.
The newest PopSpot location is at the Southside Health Center, located at 1639 S. 23rd St.
Maria and Jesús Beltran and three of their children checked out the PopSpot while visiting the clinic.
Maria Beltran sits on the Family Advisory Board for the OECI and is described as a volunteer ambassador. Three of her and her family’s children wandered around and played with various items in the space on this day.
“This gives them an opportunity to have a place to belong and be themselves and learn,” she said while watching her kids play. “They ask questions, they interact, and it makes the time go by so much faster if we’re waiting.”
The OECI understands that many parents and guardians face financial and educational barriers, so it designed an easy and streamlined one-stop shop for accessing free and low-cost tools necessary for child care. Check out its website at https://www.oecimke.com/.
Visit another PopSpot space at the Keenan Health Center at 3200 N. 36th St. And be sure to be on the lookout for other spots at bus shelters around Milwaukee to get in those moments of fun learning with your children.