Red Deer Coalition’s “Take 5” Campaign was a result of conversations around how to engage families in understanding key early childhood messages. Engaging with community, they heard from many families: “we’re so busy”. A strength-based solution was helping them understand that even 5 minutes of time with a child is the difference you can make. Adding the “Take 5” messages to the five Early Development Instrument (EDI) developmental areas worked well for the “Take 5” campaign.
Take 5 to play with me (physical health and well-being)
Take 5 to be present with me and teach calming strategies (emotional maturity)
Take 5 to explore with me how things work building my social skills (social competence)
Take 5 to read and talk to me for 5 minutes as it will grow connections in my brain (language and cognitive development)
Take 5 to look at me and listen to me for 5 minutes as it builds my understanding of how the world works (communication and general knowledge)
It just “takes 5 minutes” at a time to be present with a young child whether you are a parent, caregiver, or grandparent. Making a difference for the little one you love is worth 5 minutes at a time! Our “Take 5” campaign builds on community collaboration and we have made large poster boards that groups can have at events, display at programs, and spread the message of “Take 5”. A flyer was also created with the “Take 5” Campaign on one side and our community Early Development Instrument (EDI) results on the other. As a Coalition, the Communication plan including featuring one developmental area a month on social media (Facebook and Instagram) promoting information and activities that support the developmental milestone.
