| Minority children in Madison enter kindergarten largely unprepared. According to the Children's Service Society of Wisconsin (CSSW), less than half of Madison's minority children have the skills they need to succeed in school when they begin kindergarten. If not addressed, this number will only increase as Madison's minority population grows. From 1995 to 2005, the number of Hispanic students in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) nearly tripled. The African American population grew from 15.8% to 21.3% and the Asian population grew from 7.1% to 10.5%. While educators recognize the vital importance of school preparedness, budget restrictions faced by both schools and community organizations has led to a lack of programming for children age birth to five. While MMSD struggles to provide basic services for school-age children, the idea of expanding services to early education programming is simply not feasible given current budget restrictions. Yet, in the long-run, early education programming could potentially save the school district money and time spent with children who are not succeeding in school. According to the U.S. Government, there is a strong connection between the development a child undergoes early in life and the level of success that the child will experience later in life. A child's knowledge of the alphabet in kindergarten is one of the most significant predictors of what that child's 10th grade reading ability will be. Developmental scientists have, in fact, discovered that infants acquire a tremendous amount of their language skills before they even start speaking (before the age of one.) What a child learns in the early years is one of the strongest predictors of how they will succeed later on. That is why a group of community organizations have come together to serve some of Madison's highest risk families with children age birth to five. KinderReady, a new program developed by CSSW, with the support of CUNA Mutual Group Foundation, the United Way of Dane County, Dane County Human Services, MMSD and Family Enhancement, hopes to combat school unpreparedness among Madison minorities and low-income families, while giving them the tools they need to start school successfully. "KinderReady is, thanks to Cuna Mutual, a wonderful program that is focused on educating parents so that they are their child's first and most important teacher," CSSW Community Support Specialists Supervisor Lynn Riley said. "Those first five years, before school, are so imperative for brain development and social/emotional skill building. At KinderReady, we have the opportunity to offer in-home education in partnership with a playgroup and a parent support group. This program helps strengthen families and send kids off to school ready for success from day one." Described as a community-wide initiative to prepare children for kindergarten, the program is targeting their efforts in high minority and low-income areas. Programming includes Parent as Teachers; in-home parent education; Incredible Years Groups, parenting classes for parents with children age 2-7; KinderPlay Groups, parent/child play groups offering guided play activities designed to improve child development; a Parenting the First Years newsletter; and Family Resource Center services which include parenting classes and workshops, parent coaching, play groups and referral services. At the core of KinderReady is the newly implemented parent educator program which provides in-home, personalized education for parents of 0-5 year-olds. "The goal is to make sure that parents have all the tools they need to help their children enter kindergarten with a good solid base," CSSW Early Childhood Specialist and in-home parent educator Romilia Schlueter said. According to the National Institutes of Health, one of the most important predictors of child cognitive and social development is the quality of mother-child interactions. Other vital factors include the quality of the family environment, exposure to books and play materials, and exposure to enhancing experiences both inside and outside of the home. Schlueter said that in-home education is one of the most personalized ways to help at-risk families properly prepare their children for school. Educators can assess what specific needs there are in each family and interact one-on-one with parents and their children during guided activities and informal communications. Schlueter described one activity where she gave children a scissors, glue, and magazines. They were charged with creating a collage of the things they liked and then pasting them on a silhouette of themselves. On the back side, they pasted things they didn';t like. Several of the children had not yet been allowed to use scissors. Schlueter encouraged the worried parents to let their children try this new task and witnessed parents relax as this new opportunity unfolded. More importantly, parents were able to get to know their children a little better by talking about their project, their likes and dislikes. Schlueter does little things in the home, too. If she notices a lack of books, she will bring some on one of her visits and leave them with the family. She'll trade them in for new ones on her next visit. "We know what happens to a child that nobody reads to," Schlueter said. "They never read as well as their peers and are always playing catch up. The school system would like all students, when they complete the third grade, to read at grade level or better. Right now, that is just not happening." The most vulnerable families will be targeted for in-home services, while other KinderReady programs will be offered to a wider-range of at-risk families. Program partners hope to increase programming and the number of families served in the years to come. For more information on KinderReady programs contact the Children's Service Society of Wisconsin at (608) 221-3511 or e-mail Romilia.Schlueter@cssw.org. |
| KinderReady School preparedness for minority kids by Laura Salinger |
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| (L-r) CSSW Community Support Specialists Supervisor Lynn Riley and CSSW Early Childhood Specialist and in-home parent educator Romilia Schlueter |
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