Cramer-Krasselt Creates “Guerilla Classrooms” for COA

By Becky Johns, Monday, June 20th, 2011 at 4:29 pm

Additional images can be found below.

Life-size learning installations across Milwaukee encourage parent-child interaction

Milwaukee-based COA Youth & Family Centers (COA) is partnering with Cramer-Krasselt/Milwaukee to raise awareness of the positive impact parents’ involvement with their child’s education has on chances of success in the classroom and beyond. The pro bono campaign brings interactive learning displays, or “guerilla classrooms,” to life around the Milwaukee area.

From life-size puzzles, word searches, mazes, books and rulers, to sign-language translators, around-the-world basketball courts and even a visual sound wave wall, these high-impact games and activities – many a first of their kind – are designed to teach “real-world” applications of math, science, geography and reading, as well as encourage interaction between parents and their children. The campaign will span traditional radio and out-of-home executions, as well as full bus immersions and unique installations at one of three Milwaukee-area parks, including Johnsons, Mitchell and Bradford Beach Parks.

The effort is in support of the Having Involved Parents (HIP) program, a unique partnership between Milwaukee Public Schools and COA designed to help address Milwaukee’s public education challenges. The program places parental involvement coordinators in 35 largely inner-city schools to work daily with the other parents at the school to promote and facilitate daily parental involvement in their children’s education, at home and at school. National and local studies document daily parental involvement in children’s education as a critical factor in student academic achievement.

“Show me a parent who is involved every day with their child supporting education, and I’ll show you a kid who does well in school,” said Tom Schneider, Executive Director, COA Youth & Family Centers. “More than 65,000 parents and kids attended HIP parent-involvement events this year because many parents, when given the opportunity, are hungry for ways to get involved. While many local families and educators are familiar with the HIP Program and have seen its value firsthand, we knew we needed to make a big statement to truly engage those who should most benefit from the program.

“We turned to Cramer-Krasselt at this time of great strain on, and uncertainty about, our public education system to put the message of parent involvement – and everyday learning opportunities – front and center as children begin their summer break, typically a time when this is furthest from their minds.”

“To reach this dual target – both kids and their parents, many of whom may have had a negative education experience – we knew we had to reach them where they are, spark their imagination and offer approachable, yet valuable ‘learning lessons,’” said Chris Jacobs, senior vice president and executive creative director for C-K/Milwaukee. “Advertising alone wouldn’t cut it – the ‘With Your Child’ campaign puts an entirely new spin on the idea of the classroom, bringing learning opportunities into everyday life in a way that is both high-impact and high-involvement.”

Four Milwaukee County Transit System buses will be wrapped inside and out to deliver unique destination experiences – including a space shuttle, safari bus and submarine. (Each with the call to action: “With Your Child, Travel Through Space” or “Learn About the Sea.”) While the creative installations at each park will be unique – one display, for example, is a scale calibrated to show what a person would weigh on the moon – all will carry the same “With Your Child” message, directing them to having-involved-parents.org.

More information about COA
For 105 years, COA Youth & Family Centers has helped Milwaukee children, teens and families reach their greatest potential. COA offers early child education, family support services, after-school and summer-youth programs, camping and adult education programs. This year, COA served more than 25,000 children and families at 42 locations.