Helping Parents Provide for Children while Helping Children Succeed in School
Tuesday March 10, 2009
It is nearly six o’clock on a Thursday night and the hustle and bustle of feeding the kids and getting everyone out of the house has become a weekly occurrence for families who take part in the Comprehensive Family Literacy Program held at the Riverside/Gause Campus in Fort Meade.
H.E.L.P of Fort Meade, a partner program funded by the United Way of Central Florida, sponsors the program. The program offers working families better ways to find and maintain financial stability by teaching them to speak English, learn to read, and complete a GED. Improved skills offer opportunities for better jobs.
Parents are pleased that an early literacy program in the next classroom helps young children to enter school ready to succeed. Older children improve their skills while reading to little ones. Attention from the “big kids” helps preschoolers to prepare for kindergarten. Pre-k children are happy listening to a story in Circle Time, dancing to a new song in Music and Movement, or dressing up as a doctor, police officer or fire fighter in Dramatic Play. Play is a child’s work and the improved language scores generated by this program prove once again that children learn best through play.
Childcare is certainly not a barrier for parents in this adult education program. In fact, children encourage their parents to attend. When her mother came to get her, one child asked, “Can I stay?”
Volunteers of all ages demonstrate commitment to their community by embracing the Comprehensive Family Literacy Program. It is a small town model that sets an example for larger communities. Helping parents to provide for their children while helping their children to succeed in school - that’s how Fort Meade LIVES UNITED!
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