The Early Learning Coalition of Lake County hosted their 11th annual “A Day in the Park “ event on October 16, 2014 at Hickory Point in Tavares, FL. “A Day in the Park “ event is specifically designed for four year olds in Lake County public schools and private child care facilities whose teachers have been trained with the Starts with the Arts curriculum. This special event is not just another fun day in the park, but is a day filled with over 20 art activities designed to provide a specific learning experience that can be used in the classroom.
The art stops were open from 9:00am until 12:00pm. There were two concerts presented by “The Learning Station” with a final live performance by Leesburg High School Band. An addition to this year’s annual event included a “Drop by Drop: You Make a Difference” mini-grant from Lake County’s Water Authority. Lake County Water Authority serves the community by seeking to protect and improve the water quality of our lakes. To promote water resource education in Lake County multiple stations were set up to introduce the following topics to young children: water pollution, quality of water, water conservation, the water cycle and recycling water. Children participated in each station with hands-on activities to reinforce their newly acquired knowledge. The stations concluded with children learning about the formation of rainbows while using prisms to reflect rainbows on white paper. Each child was given a prism to take homeThis years participation included 92 teachers, 620 students including12 students with varying disabilities ,131 parents and 106 volunteers.
The Coalition partnered with local business partners and other community agencies including: University of South Florida/VSA of Florida, Lake County Water Authority, BJ’s Of Clermont, ERA Grizzard Real Estate, Leesburg FL, Fl. Department of Health Lake County, Brown & Brown Insurance of Florida, Inc., Hallmark Name Plate, Gary Stura, Cart World Golf Cars, Business Techs, Inc. of Leesburg , Discount School Supply, Home Depot of Clermont, Don Monopoli Productions/The Learning Station, Lake Community Action Agency/Head Start, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Schools, Education Foundation , Nemours Bright Start, Tri-County Clowns, Bob Evans, Mount Dora, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A Mt. Dora and The Villages, Kaplan Early Learning Company, Lakeshore Learning Materials, Leesburg High School Band, Just Funtastic Party Rentals, Leslie and Louie Campasano, Tim Tomato, Lake County Library/Linda Goff, Florida Diagnostic Learning Resources Services (FDLRS), Florida National Guard Post Leesburg/Members of Alpha Company, Lake County Sheriff’ Dept. and Fire Rescue Departments, Tavares’ Police Department, Lake County EMS, Golden Triangle Kiwanis, Tri-County Optimist Club, Bud Brown & Kiwanis Club of Lady Lake, Kiwanis of Clermont, Kiwanis Leesburg Noon and Mount Dora , Silver Trefoil Girl Scouts Alumnae-Villages, Sandy Stura, Ms. Regina from Lake County Schools, Leesburg High School Band, PNC Bank Citrus Tower Clermont, Job Site Services. This event could not have been possible without the dedication and support of these local businesses, the Coalition’s Board Members and Coalition staff.