Imagination Station Spreads Love of Learning


  • November 6, 2013
  • /    Shannon Nickinson
  • /   community-dashboard
The word about the WSRE Imagination Station is spreading — all the way to Israel.

The Imagination Station is a free learning lab open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Maritime Park in downtown. It uses PBS’ research-based programming to encourage kids to read, learn with touchscreens and hang out with PBS favorites like Elmo and Curious George.

Imagination-Station-Sign

It is also an extension of the local PBS affiliate’s commitment to expanding early and lifelong learning opportunities to the Pensacola community.

In that report, WSRE’s general manager Sandy Cesaretti Ray shared a note that Pensacola mom Cassie Morgenstern sent about the visits she and her 2-year-old son, Asher, have enjoyed.

Morgenstern wrote that she took her mother-in-law, who was visiting from Israel, along when she and Asher visited Imagination Station.

“She is going back home to Israel in a couple weeks and wants to try to start an Imagination Station in Israel to help teach toddlers and preschoolers English,” she wrote. “As a parent and grandparent, she sees the value of having a creative, fun gathering place for children to nurture their curiosity and foster a lifelong love of reading and learning.”

Since the station opened, more than 7,000 visitors have stopped by, with 827 visitors in the month of September, according to the station’s recent report.

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Local early learning centers, ARC and Head Start providers have visited the center with their children and families. Escambia County teachers had a continuing education workshop there before the start of the school year where they learned about apps in the marketplace that can enhance their work.

Though the center’s target audience is children ages 8 and under, adults have gotten in on the fun. The City of Pensacola has hosted financial literacy workshops there and WSRE plans to target other community groups to host free lectures, training sessions and other events.

Learn more about the Imagination Station at www.wsre.org. [progresspromise]
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