Life

Web-based forums identify gaps in '5 Promises'

Derek Stipe of Allison Development Group, Judge Emily Cowan, Jay Robichaud of Family Preservation Services, and Dr. Caroline Lewis, a psychiatrist with Blue Ridge Community Health Services, prepare to tape

By Bill Moss, Published: February 20, 2014

During a discussion of early childhood education, a reading coach explained how word problems on standardized math tests had changed.

Here is an old question.
Matt has 12 boxes of apples. Each box holds 24 apples. How many apples does Matt have in all? A 36. B 72. C 248. D 288.
"In the story about Matt, the situation is straightforward and students can simply use the multiplication algorithm to solve the equation 12 times 24," said Rebekah Evington, an instructional coach at Edneyville and Etowah elementary schools.
Today, the math problems arise from practical situations, and are harder. Here is one from the state's 2012 fourth grade end-of-grade test:
Patrick is buying cheese for a party. He needs to buy 50 ounces of cheese. Cheese is sold only in 8- and 12-ounce packages.
Which choice shows the least amount of cheese Patrick can buy for the party?

• Three 12-ounce packages and two 8-ounce packages.
• Five 12-ounce packages.
• Two 12-ounce packages and three 8-ounce packages.
• Seven 8-ounce packages.

"There are real situations in our adult lives where we are forced to find the solution," Evington said.

And maybe not as easily as a smart fourth grader.
"As what I consider to be an experienced parent in education, it was scary to me to help my kids with math problems like this," said Matt Gruebmeyer, a former middle and high school teacher, coach and principal who is now Title 1 director for Henderson County schools, focusing on academic improvement for disadvantaged children.
Evington and Gruebmeyer participated last week in a web-based conference on how parents can better prepare their children for kindergarten, how people can volunteer in schools, clubs and preschool settings and how the community can advocate for preschool coverage.
The discussion was part of Speak Out for Children, a project led by the Children and Family Resource Center, to identify how Henderson County can made good on "5 Promises" that studies show will help children become successful. The promises are Be a Caring Adult, Provide Safe Places, Provide A Healthy Start, Deliver an Effective Education, and Provide Opportunities to Serve. Research shows that children who grow up with four of the five promises met are significantly more likely to do well in school, avoid violence and become involved in their communities.
People can participate in the virtual conferences by signing up and chatting live when the session plays on the web or by watching the video later. People can submit questions and get answers from the panelists.

Preschool gap
On Tuesday, mental health practitioners and a District Court judge focused on access to mental health.

The early education forum highlighted the fact that fewer children here than across the state attend preschool. As a result fewer are ready for kindergarten.
Gruebmeyer explained a graph showing that Henderson County, for all its affluence and its above-average test scores in public schools, ranks below average in kindergarten readiness.
"It's interesting to me to learn that we have about 10 percent fewer of our preschool age children enrolled in daycare versus the state average, and it just happens to be that we score about 9 percent worse when it comes to kindergarten readiness," he said.
Statewide, about 44 percent of children fall into the red (well below) and yellow (below) bars. In Henderson County, 53 percent of kids are below readiness, "which means that over half our kids start kindergarten not prepared necessarily for what is coming," he said.
"In Henderson County we are unfamiliar with that," Gruebmeyer added. "We typically score very high in our state and we typically score higher than the averages in everything schoolwise. ... The takeaway from this slide is that kindergarten students in Henderson County, despite the great efforts of our partners in Head Start and Smart Start — we just don't have enough kids doing these programs and they start less ready than their peers across the state."
Later data shows that in Henderson County schools, kindergarten teachers made better progress than their peers statewide with the lowest-ranked students — those in the red "well below" readiness bar. Statewide, just 45 percent of children who are first assessed at the lowest category finish the year at readiness. In Henderson County, classroom teachers guide 58 percent of the least-ready students up to readiness.
"Our teachers take on the task, because they have such high expectations," he said. "Our teachers are evolving with the higher standards. Our kids certainly, as we have seen in the data, are responding. But we really are interested in getting our parents to understand how empowered they are to do, although different things at home, how powerful they are with their kids when it comes to education."

First teachers

Kindergarten readiness starts in the home, the panelists agreed.
Even before a child is verbal, moms and dads can describe scenes as they're driving, narrate their activities around the house and basically talk a lot about everything.
"There are 2,000 days in a child's life from birth to when they hit kindergarten," said Sonia Gironda, executive director of Smart Start. Many if not most of those days will be spent in the home, with parents serving as the child's first teachers, a teacher-student ratio of 1:1.
"Our goal is to make sure that all children are ready to thrive in kindergarten," Gironda said. "To do that we have to focus on their experience and the quality of their experience. Wherever they're interacting, those experiences need to be positive ones."
Perseverance, said Evington, the elementary school instructional coach, is another part of the learning process.
"Yeah, this problem's hard," she said of Patrick's cheese buying math. Parents and teachers can tell the child, "Let's try another way. We can do this."
"Parents can instill that attitude to in their children through sports," she said, "through lots of activities, not just being able to answer those math questions correctly."
As for the community response, the panelists said there are many opportunities for mentoring and volunteering.
"At Head Start we work with an agency that provides us with foster grandparents," Lovo said. "Universal pre-K is a hot topic right now. Politically, people can advocate to express their support for funding and continued funding for the programs that already exist in our county. And just be aware and be knowledgeable about what's going on in Henderson County. There are numerous resources available in Henderson County and everyone can do something to support them."

'5 Promises'
The virtual conferences highlighting the "5 Promises" continue through Feb. 27.
The project culminates with the communitywide Speak Out 2014 conference on Saturday morning, March 1, at the Conference Hall of BRCC. The event includes "Ignite" presentations that will highlight how Henderson County is meeting the 5 Promises and how it can meet them. Made up of 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes, an Ignite presentation is designed to be quick and easy to understand. So far, Ignite presentations are scheduled on foster care, autism, homeless children and "the first 2,000 days."
"It's going to be more about the solutions and looking forward than the gaps," said Erica Allison, a marketing consultant who is helping run the Speak Out campaign.

Here is the schedule of virtual conferences during the Speak Out Live event. To watch and participate in a conference go to http://www.vconferenceonline.com/event/home.aspx?id=1038.

Opportunities to Serve
Feb. 20, 4-4:45 p.m.
We live in an incredibly giving community, one that puts a premium on public service. This is true not only in our adult citizens, but in our youth as well. However, while the desire for service may be present, often there are roadblocks for children who want to serve in the community. From lack of transportation to an absence of adult volunteers, this session will discuss the ways that youth are challenged when it comes to serving in their community.
Session Moderator: Julia Hockenberry, Assistant Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County

Healthy Start: Access to Mental Health Care

Feb. 20, 2-2:45 p.m.
College Readiness
Feb. 22, 4-4:45 p.m.
Listen to members of the Henderson County Youth Council give pointers on preparing to apply to college and how to chose the one that is right for you.

Healthy Start: Prescription Drug Abuse
Feb. 24, 2-2:45 p.m.
Over the past decade, there has been a nearly silent epidemic growing with far reaching impact: the illegal use of legally prescribed drugs. Prescription drug abuse among parents and teens can affect family structure and stability; childhood health; and future success. Presenters will discuss the routes that lead to the illegal use of these prescribed substances, alternatives to their use, and what we as a community can do to ensure that our children have the healthy start they deserve.
Session Moderator: Milton Butterworth, Blue Ridge Community Health

Safe Places: Homeless Youth
Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Healthy Start: Childhood Obesity
Feb. 27, 4-4:45 p.m.

Speak Out for Kids 2014
March 1, 9 a.m.-noon.
BRCC Conference Hall.