Branford Children Play and Learn at Foote Park

“I see a triangle!” shouted one excited preschooler, pointing to the roof of a gazebo in Branford’s Foote Memorial Park Wednesday. “I see a rectangle!” chimed in another, pointing to a sign near the parking lot.

The children were among roughly 30 preschoolers from Indian Neck Family Resource Center and the Branford Early Learning Center who walked along the new “Born Learning Trail,” marking its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.

The trail, which was installed as a volunteer effort by Comcast employees, in partnership with United Way of Greater New Haven, is a set of activities that parents and caregivers can do with young children in an outdoor setting that encourages talking, listening, reading, thinking and imagining.

The Branford Early Childhood Collaborative was an instrumental partner in engaging the early childhood community and recommended the location of the trail. The Branford Department of Parks and Recreation, which maintains the park and the trail, also played an important role in the trail’s completion, said United Way of Greater New Haven Vice President of Development Maria Arnold.

The station on the trail that was the most popular among Wednesday’s group of children was called “Hop, Toss, Shake and Wiggle.” Cheering and laughing as they went, the children - led by one of their preschool instructors - followed directions posted on a sign at the station that prompted them to hop up and down, shake their bodies and wiggle around. Other stations asked them to listen to nearby birds chirping and mimic the sounds, and to find objects in various shapes around the park.

The trail’s stations continually remind parents and caregivers to listen to, and talk with, children as they are completing the stations, taking note of what sparks the children’s interest.

The project, said Arnold, “is an example of partnership and collaboration to bring the community together and create an early learning opportunity for Branford's children.”

Comcast employees installed the trail last month as part of the company’s annual Comcast Cares Day, said Kristen Roberts, vice president of public relations and community investment for the company’s Western New England Region.

“This is the fifth trail our employees have installed across the state over the past five years during Comcast Cares Day and we are proud to continue our support of this initiative and to help bring this valuable resource to the Branford community,” she said.

More than 650 Comcast workers nationwide, along with their families and friends, spent the day on April 21 participating in the 11th annual Comcast Cares Day, one of the country’s largest corporate days of community service.

Other Born Learning Trails have been built in Hartford, Middletown, New Haven and Waterbury.

The children in attendance Wednesday helped United Way, Comcast and local leaders cut a “ribbon” – a chain of paper links, which the students had made – to officially open Branford’s trail.

United Way of Greater New Haven is involved with the Born Learning Trail through the nonprofit’s “Success by 6” program, which focuses on the importance of early childhood education, said United Way CEO Jack Healy. Education is one of United Way’s main areas of focus in its community work.

The trail, he told the preschoolers, will help make them “really smart” and prepare them to enter kindergarten.

“It really helps kids’ learning” by engaging them in thoughtful, creative activities with their parents and caregivers, he said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We are proud to partner with Comcast with the installation of another Born Learning Trail. Comcast is creating a fun and effective way for parents to teach their children the kinds of skills they need to be prepared for school success.”

Branford First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos agreed. “This is something that all of us can enjoy,” he said, standing along the trail. “Comcast and United Way ended up being quite a team; they made a wonderful park into a great park.”

State Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Branford, told the children in attendance that they are “part of an adventure” in experiencing early childhood education. He noted that earlier this month Connecticut lawmakers passed legislation that will make 1,000 new preschool slots available to children.