Reading is a Walk in the Park for Local Children

According to data obtained by the United Way of Martin County, only 51 percent of Martin County students read at grade level by third grade, which is below the state average of 53 percent. To help improve these numbers, the organization partnered with the Martin County Board of County Commissioners and the Martin County Community Redevelopment Agency to install Born Learning Trails in New Monrovia Park and Kiwanis Park in Stuart this past spring.

The trails feature painted walkways accompanied by signs, in English and Spanish, that prompt kids to take part in fun, educational games that boost language skills and literacy development. “Children are literally ‘born learning,’ and we know that what happens in a child’s early years matters for success in life and for school readiness,” says United Way of Martin County president Carol Houwaart-Diez. “The trails promote fun and games, both important components of early childhood learning.” The two new Born Learning Trails add to those already in place in Stuart in Flagler Park, Shepard Park, and Guy Davis Park.