Families, Community Asked to Help Children Thrive by Embracing "Ossining Basics"

The principles of “Ossining Basics” are simple – talk, sing, point, count and group, for example. But together, they are critical to giving young children all the tools they need to be prepared for school.

The Ossining School District, along with the village and town governments, police department, Open Door Family Medical Centers and other organizations, launched the “Ossining Basics” campaign this week to encourage families and the community to embrace its goals.

“This is a community movement to support our youngest children and their families,” said Carrieann Sipos, the district’s director of elementary teaching and learning. “This campaign is really about ensuring that through deliberate and intentional interaction with our children, zero to 3 years old, we can all, as a collective group, make sure that everyone is prepared to enter the Ossining School District.”

The kickoff event on Dec. 5 started in the Ossining High School library, with stations set up that illustrated the five “Ossining Basics” principles. At the “Maximizing Love, Minimizing Stress” table, children learned they can rock babies to console them, and they practiced with dolls.

At the “Talk, Sing and Point” station, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez, Claremont School Principal Kate Mathews and Mirla Puello, director of elementary literacy and ESL, sang “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Diez Deditos” (“Ten Little Fingers”) and other children’s songs. They encouraged children to point out objects on the table, including a rubber ducky, a bell and a lunchbox. Elsewhere in the library, children threw balls into a basket, counted and sorted fruits, and read books with their parents.

More than 125 people were at event, along with staff from the district, local government, the library and other institutions, and Ossining High School student volunteers. All the handouts and speeches were offered in both English and Spanish. Attendees signed pledges to support “Ossining Basics,” and children received donated gifts like books, puzzles and activity kits.

“Ossining Basics” is modeled on the successful “Boston Basics” initiative, which was launched in 2015 by Ronald Ferguson, faculty director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Reaching children at a very young age is crucial because 80 percent of brain development happens in the first three years of life, according to the Boston campaign. Racial, ethnic and socio-economic skill gaps are evident in national data by the time they turn 2.

Attendees watched a recorded video message from Dr. Ferguson, who asked them to become committed to the important initiative. “If you do, children’s lives will change,” he said. “It will make a difference not only for those children, but for their children and their children.”

Ossining school officials decided to bring the initiative to the district after hearing Dr. Ferguson speak at a workshop, Mr. Sanchez said. Ossining has a history of commitment to early childhood education, closing the achievement gap and ensuring excellence for all children. “Ossining Basics” is a commitment to move effective parenting strategies from knowledge to behavior, he said.

“It’s a special day in the history of Ossining,” Mr. Sanchez said. “It’s the point where we make ‘Ossining Basics’ the fabric of who we are as a community here in Ossining.”

The Ossining Public Library is proud to be part of the campaign, Director Karen LaRocca-Fels said. “We know that when we read to our young children, sing to them, count with them, move with them and love them, that we are laying the foundation for learning,” she said. “This is a wonderful reminder to us as parents the difference we can make in our young children’s lives.”

Veronica Paute attended the event with her husband, Pablo Pesantez, and their son, who is in second grade, and 14-month-old daughter. She wants to learn more ways to support her kids. “I thought it was great,” she said of the kickoff. “It’s wonderful and I feel like Ossining is really taking care of little children.”

OHS senior Brianna Cauthen, who is in the dual-language program and volunteered at the event, said “Ossining Basics” is a great campaign. “I like the idea of introducing children to these principles at a young age,” she said. “I especially like the fact that they’re doing it in both English and Spanish.”

These are the “Ossining Basics” Principles:

• Maximize Love, Manage Stress/Dale Todo el Amor, Controla al Estrés
• Talk, Sing and Point/Háblale, Cántale y Señálale las Cosas
• Count, Group and Compare/Cuenta, Agrupa y Compárale las Cosas
• Explore through Movement and Play/Exploren Mediante el Movimiento y el Juego
• Read and Discuss Stories/Lean y Comenten Cuentos