Operation Little Learners

Interactive Parent-Child Education Program

Operation Little Learners at Armed Services YMCA Killeen is an early childhood educational program that acts as a much-needed platform to help support and build confidence in parents in their roles as their child’s first teacher.

This program guides and provides tools to parents to enhance key areas of early childhood development and offers an opportunity for parent-child bonding.  This class also provides the setting for both parents and children to make new friendships and feel part of a community, which is critical in the lives of military families.

Additionally, parent-child bonding can predict a child’s ability to develop healthy relationships, handle conflicts, and have an overall higher quality of life well into adulthood. The classes provide a variety of activities which enhance cognitive, emotional, social, motor, and other skills of children ages 18 months through 5 years old.

Program Overview

Frequent moves due to military orders are unique stressors of military family life. These moves can come without warning and without control over future location. The move can often cause economic hardships and feelings of isolation. Coupled with potential short-term deployments by the service member, military life can result in the military family feeling untethered without the support of their own family or an established local network to rely upon. Many junior-enlisted active-duty spouses are young, new parents, away from the familiarity of their home community.

This early childhood education program provides the setting for both parents and children to make new friendships and feel part of a new community. From a physiological and sociological perspective, we know a parent’s bonding with their little one can predict the child’s ability to develop healthy relationships, handle conflicts, and have an overall higher quality of life well into adulthood. As such, the Armed Services YMCA has created Operation Little Learners, which fosters a connection to a community of support, as well as fun and engaging activities to ensure that parents and their child/children learn ways to grow together as a family. With a focus on phonics, writing, art, music, nutrition, and fitness, each participant leaves the program having established a foundation for future social and academic success.

This program operates Tuesdays and Fridays during the schoolyear, in the Fall and Spring, at the Harker Heights Wellness Center, 110 Mountain Lion Road

 

Times:

  • 18 mos – 24 mos: 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
  • 2 yrs – 3 yrs: 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
  • 4 yrs – 5 yrs: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Signing up is easy! Just follow this link.

The next session starts in September 2023!