Introduction / Background:

In 1998, the Bradford County Regional Arts Council (BCRAC) initiated the Learning Early Network in response to brain research indicating the importance of learning in early childhood. The Network is a vibrant collaboration of people and organizations including Head Start Centers, Daycare Centers, libraries, pre-natal and early healthcare programs, government programs, private and public preschools, and parents. Since that date the BCRAC has worked especially closle with Bradford-Tioga Head Start to develop and implement early arts programming.

In early 2003, a middle school student in Wellsboro, PA brought a gun to school and shot himself in the school bathroom.  Peggi Yacovissi, Bradford-Tioga Head Start Executive Director, responded, “When I put this (incident) together with my observation of more behavioral problems in our young Head Start students, I wish we could help young children learn to better communicate their feelings, needs, and thoughts.”  From this comment and six years of collaboration experience, a new program of the Learning Early Network was born: Learning Communication Skills Through the Arts.