United Way Worldwide Brings Noggin to GLR Communities ― A Special Opportunity

During this May 19, 2020 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar, Alicia Lara of United Way Worldwide joined Michael Levine and Julia Levy of Noggin to announce a special opportunity for GLR Communities: Free Noggin content for families over the next three months to support parents and caregivers as they mitigate early learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To set the context, Gloria Corral of Parent Institute for Quality Education shared the results of one-on-one interviews with low-income parents, many with mixed immigrant status, across California. In addition to concerns about providing the holistic supports to their children ― food, housing, etc. ― parents also expressed the need for supports to ensure their children continue to learn now that their Head Start or preschool programs have closed. In addition ― and perhaps ahead of content ― is the need for connectivity to make it possible for many families to take advantage of great programming like Noggin.

Alicia Lara shared the work of the vast network of United Ways across the country, who continue to lift up early childhood as a top priority. Through partnerships, United Ways are working to respond to parents and caregivers in communities domestically and internationally.  This is why they have joined forces with Noggin. Michael Levine provided an overview of Noggin, an interactive learning service for preschoolers that offers brain-boosting content ― such as Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig and others. Julia Levy shared the launch of Noggin Cares, responding to families’ needs during this pandemic. In addition to providing free content for three months, Noggin Cares created Navigating the New Normal: Parents Edition, a 20-minute special video. Finally, Levy shared details about how to access the free content, which will require a unique URL to be provided to partner organizations, including Campaign for Grade-Level Reading communities. Closing out the webinar was Sabrina Whitfill from National Head Start Association who shared information about her organization’s partnership with Noggin and the positive impact of the learning content provided by Noggin.

Attendees heard from:

• Gloria Corral, Parent Institute for Quality Education
• Alicia Lara, United Way Worldwide
• Michael Levine, Noggin
• Julia Levy, Noggin