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Program prepares tomorrow’s leaders |
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Thursday, 25 September 2008 |
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By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
If you are a parent, you have no doubt experienced many of the uncertainties and questions that go along with watching a child grow. Should my baby be able to roll over by now? Shouldn’t my child be walking by now? At what age should my child be able to speak clearly? Is it normal for my 2-year-old to throw fits when they don’t get what they want?
The list of questions is endless, and for many parents it can become stressful trying to make sure you are doing the right things for your child at the right time. The good news is, now there is help for parents of young children with those kinds of questions and many more.
The importance of early education is a subject that has been studied and debated for years. However, research now verifies that from birth to age three is the most critical years in childhood education, and one-on-one visits in the home are the most effective tool in that education process. Those facts are the premise of the Sixpence Program, a collective effort to establish lines of early education in our area.
The Sixpence Program consists of three entities; the Broken Bow Public Schools early childhood program, Parents as Teachers through Central Plains Center for Services, and Early Head Start through CNCS. The Sixpence Program provides a variety of services to young children and their parents, and thanks to a recent endowment grant will be able to expand those services for a long time to come.
The Early Childhood Endowment Grant was founded in part by Susan Buffet, and was developed to provide funds for programs like Sixpence. The funds from this grant will enable representatives of the three Sixpence organizations - Jackie Chandler, Stacy Zauha and Kim Shafer - to provided home visits to families with children pre-natal to age three.
The gals will visit the homes periodically throughout the month, discussing a variety of topics pertaining to parenting young children. Starting in October, a time of parent socialization will be offered once a month at North Park School, allowing parents to network with other parents of young children to get advice and information.
Families are currently being recruited to participate in this free program, according to Amy Wenquist, co-chair of the Planning Region Team #28. This team serves as the advisory committee for the Sixpence Program, and is a group of parents and agency representatives working together to assist parents who are concerned about the growth and development of their child, or have questions about what “typical” development is.
The in-home visits are open to all qualifying Custer County families of young children at no charge. The purpose of the program is to assist parents in providing learning tools for their children and different ages and stages of their child’s development. The information provided by these professionals helps parents understand the role they play in helping their children be prepared for education, which in turn will give them a much greater chance of success throughout life.
For more information on the Sixpence Program or to make an appointment to apply, call Kim Shafer at 308-872-2744. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 October 2008 )
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