Coming this month to TDC: The Learning Village

The Learning Village - Home School
Resource Center set to open this August!

If you've been around The Discovery Center lately, you know something big is on the way. And you'll see a very familiar face around the park grounds making it happen.

Tina Smith, active stay-at-home mommy and Discovery Center board member, is spearheading The Learning Village, a home-schooling resource center. As a home-schooling mommy herself, Tina saw the impact this resource center could have in supporting local parents.

How The Learning Village came to be...
"I came up with the idea for The Learning Village from feeling my own need for some sort of cooperative learning environment for my little home-schoolers, right here in town versus the home-school charters that offer similar services, but are upwards of an hour away," said Tina. "In talking to other home-schooled families, I found that there was a lot of interest in something like this. So I put the wheels in motion to create it."

"I chose TDC because I feel really connected to and love the site and its mission..."

Choosing The Center as the site for The Learning Village was a pretty simple choice for Tina. "I chose TDC because I feel really connected to and love the site and its mission," said Tina. "I felt it would be a win-win situation for both organizations." Tina worked as a TDC educator from March 1998 until August 1999, even helping with two summer camps. "I remember doing 'Scientots' with a large pregnant belly!" said Tina. As she began to start her family, she continued to help with TDC programs on the weekends.

Before starting The Learning Village, Tina chose The Discovery Center as the site for another big event - The Fresno BabyFest.

"Despite no longer being a TDC educator, I continue to feel a deep connection with the Center," she said. In 2004, Tina helped create and organize the first Fresno BabyFest. She has continued helping organize this annual event, taking on the roles of Vendor Coordinator and Event Organizer for the past two years.

"The Learning Village will listen carefully to its members (especially the littlest ones!) and will do its best to create programs..."

Tina Smith - Mommy, Educator, and Author...
In addition to her full-time mommy duties, her role as The Learning Village director, and as Discovery Center board member, Tina gives back to her community through her websites www.mommychats.com and www.fresnofamily.com. She's also the author of How to Create a High Quality "Mommy and Me" Program.

With preparations underway, The Learning Village is set to open this August. It will have a lending library, where members can check out things education resources such as books, curricula, games, puzzles, toys, and science kits. Tina also hopes local home-schooling families will enjoy The Learning Village's seasonal events, special activities, and field trips geared for their children.

Why Home-Schooling Parents need The Learning Village
"I want people to know that The Learning Village and The Discovery Center are both wonderful places to take their children," said Tina. "As with TDC, The Learning Village will be a family oriented learning environment, with child-centered learning. I also want to add that The Learning Village will listen carefully to its members (especially the littlest ones!) and will do its best to create programs."

The Learning Village is set to open August 2009. If you'd like to help, or are looking for more information, visit The Learning Village online at www.fresnolearningvillage.com. You can also call us at The Discovery Center: 559-251-5533.