THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 20, 1995 TAG: 9501180153
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
FOUR-YEAR-OLD Samuel practically bounces out of bed and urges his mother to hurry so they won't miss the school bus.
Since September, he and his mom, Brenda Henry, have boarded the bus together two mornings each week to take part in the district's Even Start Family Literacy program.
Even Start, housed at the D.A.C. Center for Learning, is set up to teach mothers and fathers parenting skills and basic academic subjects while their children get a preschool education. So far, 24 families are enrolled.
For the children - who attend four mornings a week - Even Start is the first taste of classroom learning. For parents, most of whom are single mothers, it offers a chance to beef up skills needed to complete a high school education, become more independent and successfully rear children.
After arriving at school about 9:30, the children and parents eat breakfast together before splitting up for most of the day. The youngest kids head for the nursery. Awaiting the others is a class with activities around the room - like the writing corner, a listening area with tapes and a table where they create whatever comes to mind. The mothers go off together for math, spelling and other instruction from Karen Smith.
Later in the day, parents and children get back together for storytelling, games or reading they can share in.
``It feels like a little family here,'' said Juanita Crawford, whose twin sons played in the nursery while she was in adult-education class one recent afternoon. ``We all get along and we can talk about things with each other. There's no pressure or anything like that.''
Crawford was inspired to join Even Start when a neighborhood friend finished the adult education component and then enrolled at Tidewater Community College.
Over the years, Henry, 32, had tried other programs designed to help her earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. One program ran out of money and folded last summer before she could finish. Her first attempt - three years after she dropped out of school and had her first baby - ended on a sour note. She earned all B's, but that wasn't good enough, she said, because at least two A's were required to pass.
This time, Henry said, the conditions are just right: Samuel's nearby so she doesn't worry. A bus picks them up. The twice-a-week attendance requirement for parents leaves her with time to study while rearing four children.
Unlike some programs aimed at giving needy preschoolers a leg up in school, Even Start makes the education of children and parents its focus.
Experts say that's the best way to break the cycle of illiteracy from one generation to the next, and change the attitude of parents who think school doesn't matter.
The key teachers, they say, are those in the home.
``What we're trying to do is teach parents, give parents the skills to be involved in their child's education for the rest of their educational years,'' Even Start director Sharon Warren said. ``What we try not to do is do it for you, but show you how to do it. We want to teach them how to work through problems.''
Last summer, the School Board said it would like to expand such early childhood programs if the district ever secured enough money to pay for a far-reaching initiative. Such a step, board members said, truly would begin to address low-achievement trends among the district's disadvantaged students.
Early intervention also has been on the minds of state legislators.
It might not be enough to cover all eligible children, but Portsmouth will get nearly a half million dollars from the state next school year to fund a program for 4-year-olds most at risk of failing.
Even Start, which kicked off last school year, targets kids ages 2 to 4 and monitors their progress until age 8. The program is limited to children whose parents or guardians don't have a high school diploma and live in one of three subsidized-housing communities - Lincoln Park, Dale Homes or Swanson Homes.
Priority is given to those most in need.
The local project is one of eight in Virginia and about 500 nationwide. A summer session has been added. The federal government covers 75 percent of Even Start's budget; the district tossed in the rest.
Common hurdles to getting disadvantaged parents involved in such programs have been removed.
Transportation and day care for kids not ready for classroom activities are free. Breakfast and lunch are provided on site, also free of charge. And at least four times a year, parents can ask educators for advice or discuss concerns on familiar turf: their homes.
Moreover, said teacher Gail Barnes, ``you have people at Even Start who care.''
Government research has shown that participation in the program has raised parents' expectations of their kids and given many children a solid foundation for kindergarten.
``I try to tell my children the mistake that I made and for them not to go the route I went,'' Brenda Henry said.
Paulette Jones, a 24-year-old mother of two, dropped out in the seventh grade. She signed up with Even Start last school year and is still taking adult-education classes at the center. She was reluctant to go at first because she figured people would make fun of her, she said.
But she's gotten over that.
Her goal this year is to earn a general educational development certificate and sign up for nursing classes at TCC. Tyresia, her 5-year-old daughter who had been in the program, is now in kindergarten.
``I'm learning more (academically),'' Jones said, ``and I'm learning how to be a better parent . . . a better mom. Like on Sundays, we have `family day.' I never did that before.''
The mothers also said they've seen changes in the kids. Many said their children flip through books at home now and ask them or older siblings to read stories. They're also more independent and mannerly, several women said.
Peggy Lee, 33, says she's participating mainly for the benefit of her 3-year-old son, Gerard. She likes the way he seems to be on track for early success in school. Two of her other children were not, she said.
``When I wake him up, he'll say, `Where are we going?' I'll say, `School.' And then he'll jump right on up, run right in the bathroom and get ready to brush his teeth and put his clothes on. He's excited about it. I'm just glad I'm doing something that can help him and me at the same time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover
Staff photos by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Dana Richardson exchanges a throwing kiss with 2-year-old
Monntavious Crawford in the nursery of the DAC Center, where he and
his brother Quinntavious, foreground, stay while their mother
attends class.
Juanita Crawford
KEYWORDS: PARENTING PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM by CNB