The Play 2 Learn Program will soon be on the move, making stops in Gwinnett County neighborhoods, thanks to a grant from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation through the United Way. On Monday, March 4, in the parking lot of the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Rd NW Suwanee, GA, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Play 2 Learn On the Go Program Bus, a mobile version of the Play 2 Learn program. The event starts at 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

     Play 2 Learn is a program for children— ages birth to 5 and their parents— offered at all GCPS elementary schools. The goal is to help parents and caregivers be their child’s first and best teacher. In the program, children and their caregivers learn together through 90 minutes of engaging lesson plans focused on academic and social emotional skill development.

     GCPS’s executive director of early learning and school readiness is excited about the new learning vehicle. “This bus will provide families with a transportation barrier the opportunity to access the high-quality Play 2 Learn program in their community,” Kim Holland shares. “We plan to take the bus into the Meadowcreek and Norcross clusters for the first six weeks. It will make regular stops at identified churches, apartments, and other community centers that are walkable during the day. After the first six-week program, the bus will move to the Shiloh and South clusters.”

     GCPS donated the bus, and the retrofit was paid for through a grant awarded to Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains by the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation through the United Way. For more information about Play 2 Learn, visit the district’s home page and search for Play 2 Learn.