Twiga Foundation

The word twiga is Swahili for giraffe. From the beginning we recognized that we would be sticking our neck out as an organization promoting family-consciousness in the family, the workplace and in the community. So the giraffe became a symbol of that effort. The giraffe is a gentle animal that is very protective of its young. They are a symbol of love, friendship and flexibility. They often reflect a spiritual element as they rest in a yoga-like position for short periods during the day. As the tallest animal in the world the giraffe exemplifies having a vision of the past, present and future. The giraffe also has the largest heart of any land mammal. There is a tradition in parts of Africa where the symbol of a giraffe is always taken to a business meeting to remember to involve our heart as well as our heads when making important decisions.

Flexibility is a dynamic relationship between an employer and employee that defines how and when work gets done and how careers are organized that work for both. Ever since the term “family friendly workplaces” was coined, flexible work options (such as being able to take time off to address family matters, to work some regular hours at home, to change arrival and departure times at work, to move between part-time and full-time work, and so forth) have been thought of as benefits that employers may, or may not, choose to offer employees to help them manage their work as well as their personal or family lives. Today, we have come to think about workplace flexibility differently. New research from the Sloan Foundation Work and Family Initiative shows that when employers and employees partner in finding flexible ways to work, both benefit. In other words, working flexibly can not only help employees manage their work and personal responsibilities, it can enhance workplace effectiveness and be a management strategy for employers as well. Aspects of workplace flexibility are measured in the Families and Work Institute’s 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce.

Consciousness is defined as “the state of being conscious; awareness of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.” The mission of the Twiga Foundation is to inspire, promote and maintain a sense of family consciousness in the home, workplace and community. This mission is inspired by the realization that family is the core of our society and being fully conscious of the importance of the family structure, needs and dynamics is essential to build a workforce of the future and strengthen our communities.

BeyondBlocks™ is a program to expand the block play experience for families. It is a collection of block play resources to demonstrate the learning impact of blocks beyond the “building” taking place. BeyondBlocks™ promotes the research-based benefits of block play through (blocks and other) resources supporting STEAM, early learning and development. Through these resources, we hope to boost learning and development of children by sharing block play resources with caregivers and educators, promoting the important factor of family engagement. Twiga has a passion to share resources with parents and educators to see families thrive and children build a foundation of knowledge and skill through block play.

BLOCK Fest® is a research-based exhibit that helps raise awareness of early math and science learning by offering hands-on block play experiences to families with young children. Parents, preschool teachers, and the community will become more knowledgeable about the importance of early math and science learning as it impacts both school readiness and later math success BLOCK Fest® was developed to provide an interactive block building experience for young children ages 8 months to 8 years and their parents. BLOCK Fest® supports parents and children to form an emotional bond during the learning experience. The exhibit has been shown to increase parent knowledge of early development in the areas of math and science education while providing opportunities to increase social skills and literacy opportunities for young children. BLOCK Fest® is a family interactive event that uses five-block play stations to introduce children and their parents to the educational value of blocks. At BLOCK Fest® parents learn about early math and science concepts and that early math learning is a strong predictor for school readiness. Parents discover how they can help their children learn early math and science concepts while they play with blocks through guided play and conversation. BLOCK Fest® also educates communities about the short and long-term importance of early math and science learning.