THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508260099
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Back to School
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 145 lines
MABLE ARTIS CAN STILL RECALL some of the difficulties her teenage son had when he started school.
``Most of it involved adjusting, . . . getting used to a classroom and learning different things when he was in kindergarten. I felt kind of frustrated. If he would have gone to Head Start or something like that, I think he would have been more prepared.''
The 36-year-old mother of three is again preparing one of her children for school. But 4-year-old Rufus will have an advantage his big brother, Michael, did not: He'll get a preschool education.
The school district hopes a new offering, called Early Start, will help children each step of the way up to kindergarten and beyond.
``I feel good about it,'' Artis said recently. ``I think it will help him get used to the idea of being away from home and being with other kids - and also help him get a strong start on learning.''
Her son will be among nearly 80 youngsters enrolled in Early Start this school year. The free program, which targets 4-year-olds who can most benefit from extra attention or academic support, is the first of its kind that the district will offer in-house.
Early Start classes, scheduled to run all day, will be at Booker T. Washington and Mount Zion elementary schools. Transportation will be provided and classes will be small, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 8 to 1.
Much of the cost - about 67 percent of the roughly $432,000 - is covered by the state; the district pays for the rest. The General Assembly, after years of prodding from educators and other advocates for children, offered all Virginia school districts money this year to nurture preschool-age children who might otherwise begin school with a dizzying list of needs.
Such disadvantaged children can be increasingly tough to reel in if their difficulties mount.
Locally, that trend has persisted for a variety of reasons:
Affordable preschool instruction is limited in the private sector.
The city branch of the Southeastern Tidewater Opportunity Project (STOP) often has a waiting list for its federal Head Start program.
And district administrators said tight budgets prevented them from creating a general preschool program in the past - although some elementary schools still offer preschool classes for special-education students.
In Suffolk - where 28 percent of children younger than 5 live in poverty - the extra state dollars may seem thin. But it all helps, said Jacquelin Marshall, a central office staffer who's overseeing Early Start.
The students' academic performance will be tracked as they move through school. There's conflicting evidence on how much special programs enhance the performance of disadvantaged children once they're enrolled in regular schools. Still, the preponderance of evidence suggests that early intervention works if it's carefully designed.
The ``High/Scope'' curriculum forms Early Start's core. That approach, first publicized in 1970, stresses the importance of letting children learn at their own pace, through exploration and guided play. Classrooms are divided into well-defined interest areas.
It's a departure from traditional, teacher-directed lessons that may tell adults how well students follow instructions but little about their emerging skills and talents.
For example: In most classrooms, youngsters working on an assignment typically all get the same materials - such as glue, cotton balls, pre-cut construction paper and string - to craft an Easter bunny or some other creature. The teacher probably would show the class his or her own creation before explaining exactly how it's done.
In a High/Scope setting, kids would pick from a variety of materials. Instead of rigid instructions, they would have freedom to experiment. And the teacher's role would be to support students' efforts, while asking open-ended questions that force them to think about their work.
``It would be an enrichment for any child. It's a really hands-on, child-oriented program that gives a child a wealth of experiences,'' said Faye Goodloe Sobel, assistant principal at Booker T. Washington. ``It would be hard for any parent to duplicate this at home, no matter what their educational background is.''
The most famous experiment in preschool enrichment is the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation's Perry Preschool Program, which took off in the mid-1960s. Researchers tracked the progress of 123 impoverished black children from Ypsilanti, Mich. They were divided into experimental and control groups, with the former attending an intensive preschool program.
A University of Michigan economist who evaluated the Perry children through the age of 19 found that those in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group in several areas: They were absent from school fewer days, less likely to be labeled retarded and more likely to graduate from high school.
As young adults, the children in the experimental group were found less likely to be on welfare or to have been arrested for a serious crime. The economist, Edward Gramlich, said the savings to taxpayers represented by the differences far exceeded the preschool program's cost.
This month, Suffolk's Early Start teachers received three days of training in the High/-Scope approach. Burnette Boone, a 22-year district veteran and former kindergarten teacher, said she jumped at the chance to work with Early Start.
``An effort like this is really the best way to get children on track,'' Boone said, ``and help them stay there.''
That, however, is not the end of the story. Early Start also urges parents to play a prominent role in the development and education of their children. They will be encouraged to visit preschool classes and to attend workshops where they can get additional information about helping their kids at home.
Amanda Raimondi, who enrolled her son, Mike, in the program, looks forward to it.
``My son has a little speech problem, and the program will help him out with that, and give him a chance to play with other children.
``I think it's great.'' MEMO: AT A GLANCE
What: Early Start preschool program for needy 4-year-olds who would
most benefit from extra attention or academic support.
Classes are to run all day. Transportation will be provided, and
classes will be small, with an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. The
district's overall student/teacher ratio is 25-to-1.
Where: Booker T. Washington and Mount Zion elementary schools.
When: The program begins this school year. It will serve up to 80
children. The state may provide more money to cover additional children
in the 1996-97 school year.
Why: Extra money from the state allowed Suffolk to create the
program. The idea is to give needy preschoolers a leg up in school.
Parents are expected to attend some workshops and occasionally visit
preschool classes.
How: The ``High/Scope'' curriculum will be used. The approach
stresses the importance of letting children learn at their own pace,
through active exploration and guided play.
Cost: Free.
Registration: Held last week. To place your child's name on the
waiting list or for details about eligibility requirements, call
925-5500.
Several neighboring school districts also will have new or expanded
preschool programs this year. Call your district's central
administration office for details.
ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo on cover by John H. Sheally II
Mable Artis and her son Rufus are looking forward to the 4-year-old
school program that Rufus is entering.
Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Amanda Raimondi is looking forward to the extra support that her
son, Mike, will get in the Early Start program.
Mable Artis believes Early Start will give her son, Rufus, an
advantage.
by CNB