Community Involvement

The organization received its 501(c)(3) determination letter in April of 2017.

Mission: To assist families, educators, and communities in strengthening the foundation on which children can succeed.

Vision: All children have the solid foundation needed for future success.

TrainingGrounds, Inc. assists parents, caregivers and professionals with providing children with rich learning experiences, positive adult-child interactions and social emotional skills that will contribute to success in school and beyond. We use the following three approaches:

1. “We PLAY Center”: The We PLAY Center is a free community based space where caregivers and children thrive through education, enrichment, community and support.
   The space is filled with age appropriate toys and activities where parents and caregivers follow the child-directed play of children 3 and under. The We PLAY Center serves as an alternative setting for the caregivers and their children who do not have access to quality early childhood learning centers/experiences. During play sessions, parent educators model appropriate adult-child interactions for parents and facilitate learning opportunities for children that stimulate brain development and foster social emotional, language, cognitive and school readiness skills. In the center, adults use narrative and parallel talk to stimulate language development. Puzzles, sorting toys and music are used to develop numeracy skills. Over time the We PLAY Center organically develops into a community and a natural support system where Center participants have access to trusted sources and a safe space to ask for assistance with parenting, nurturing and/or educating their children. Through the We PLAY Center caregivers and children both develop competence and confidence that will contribute to the child’s success in school and beyond.
2. Parent Learning Opportunities: To complement the learning that takes place in the We PLAY Center, TrainingGrounds’ workshops and seminars are specifically designed to provide parents and caregivers with strategies and techniques to improve their parenting skills and to develop positive adult-child interactions
3. Professional Development Workshops: TrainingGrounds works closely with early childhood professionals to send a consistent message to all individuals impacting the lives of our earliest learnings. Through professional development workshops we assist early childhood educators with understanding the “science” and “why” behind many of the standards they are being asked to implement. As well as provide them with strategies and techniques to create quality learning experiences for children.

Impact:

• We PLAY Center *
  • Opened April 25, 2017
  • 179 Families have participated in the program
  • 60% of participants returns for multiple visits
  • 1000 contacts with caregivers and children

*The We PlAY Center is currently open 3 days a week for 2 hours each day and continues to deliver programming
and attract new families.

1. Current We PLAY Center demographics:
   • As a result of visiting the We PLAY Center:
     • 91.7% of families reported having a better understanding of ages and stages of development, feeling supported in their role as caregiver and engaging in different types of interactions with their children at home (singing songs together, telling stories, reading)
     • 83.3% of families reported being able to identify the benefits of play in child development.
     • 95.8 % of families report their children have exhibited an increase in age appropriate social skills and they have a better understanding of how to increase language development skills with their children
     • 91.6% of families either strongly agreed or agreed feeling like that they have a stronger bond with their children
     • 100% of families reported creating more opportunities for them and their children to play together and would recommend the Center to family and friends
   • Anecdotal
     • “The engaging environment is conducive for learning for both parent and child.
       The professionals who head this project prompt and interact with the children and guide parents in their role…This program has a very strong sense of community amongst the parents and children.”
     • “The staff is tremendously welcoming and knowledgeable! My son’s social and verbal skills continue to improve!”
     • “I love the interaction with the kids at the we play center…It’s a very nice space for kids to play and learn. I’m so happy I introduced my son to this type of environment. I wish the hrs were longer, but other than that it’s an excellent form of learning for my baby and it’s really preparing him for head start.”
   • Professional Development for Educators
     • 500+ Early Childhood Professionals attended workshops
     • 2000+ Children Birth-5 impacted
     • 95% stated information learned will be used
   • Parent Learning Opportunities
     • Presenter at the Power Parent Forum at Southern University of New Orleans sponsored by The United States Department of Education and Modern Parents Magazine.
     • Fall 2017: Contract with Family In Need of Services to offer 4 workshops per month for 10 months
     • Fall 2017: Contract with Family Court to offer 2 Co-Parenting workshops per month
     • Spring 2018 HealthyBlue Louisiana sponsored a 5 workshop series of Active Parenting the First Five Years

   Support:
   TrainingGrounds participated in three competitive venture startup programs. Propeller, 4.0 Schools and Camelback Ventures each provided one-on-one weekly mentorship, access to high-level networks and investors, pro bono technical support, and free office space. We received financial support in the amount of $10,000 and $40,000 from 4.0 Schools and Camelback Ventures respectively. In Fall 2017, Traininggrounds won the Pitch NOLA Education Competition for their We PLAY Center and received $5500. We have received grant funding for the 2018 year from the GPOA Foundation as well as the Institute for Mental Hygiene. The Corpus Christi Community Resource Center continues to demonstrate support for our initiative by donating the use of space for our We Play Center as well as our Parent Learning Opportunity workshops. Also, the families that utilize our free We PLAY Center show their support by donating money and refreshments.

   Collaborative Organizations:
   Corpus Christi Community Center provides free space for our We PLAY Center and parent learning opportunity courses. In Fall 2017 we co-hosted with Propeller Incubator a Race and Equity in Early Childhood convening to bring awareness of the challenges facing New Orleans. We have conducted professional development workshops for Kingsley House, Total Community Action, Hoffman Early Learning Center, Families in Need of Services, Primary Colors Learning Centers, and professional organizations.

   Our Team
   Melanie Richardson, MSW, LMSW
   Melanie Richardson is a native New Orleanian who has been working in the fields of mental health and adult education for over 20 years. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Since returning to New Orleans, Melanie has served in the role of director of a psychiatric residential treatment facility for adolescents and program director for a community based mental health rehabilitation facility, securing Joint Commission and COA Accreditations respectively.
   As the start-up operations director for both agencies, Melanie aided in turning ideas into fruition and was instrumental in providing much-needed services to the community. Her years of working with students, parents and community members in a variety of settings has afforded her valuable insight and understanding into the types of services that will allow communities and constituents to flourish. Melanie is married and has one teenage son.

   Christine Neely, M.Ed
   Christine Neely has been in the field of Education for over 20 years and has always worked to improve standards and provide resources to families and students. Christine has spent over 15 years serving as lead teacher in grades PK-3rd while working closely with administration to mentor new teachers, develop curriculum and make the switch to Common Core. Christine has
   presented at national conferences and conducted workshops about literacy development, hands on education, Brain Architecture and Mind in The Making Seven Essential Skills. She is an active member of P.E.O International which promotes educational opportunities for women worldwide. She has been married for over 21 years and has two teenage boys.

   Both Melanie and Christine have received Louisiana Pathways Certification on a wide range of topics and have both been through CLASS Observation Training.

   Our board provides a proficient mix of skills in both the education and business community.