THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508290155
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
Michael Standard's 4-year-old eyes have seen things they probably shouldn't have.
``His dad's in jail,'' says Paulette Moorer, watching her grandson do a Superman leap onto the sofa and off again. ``He saw him handcuffed, taken away. He's angry.''
Moorer has custody of Michael and his 1-year-old brother, Dakota. She hopes the boys' mother, who is Moorer's daughter, will get her life back together so that the arrangements will be temporary. In the meantime, it's difficult for the 49-year-old grandmother to keep up with the two lively boys.
Dakota topples a vase from atop the television in Moorer's comfortable Salem Woods home. She jumps up to replace it and reprimand the toddler. Michael, meanwhile, takes advantage of the fact that his grandma's back is turned. He grabs a handful of metal coasters and begins rolling them across the floor one by one.
Because of his family situation, Michael is at risk educationally, say experts. So when the school year begins next week, he will join 277 other Virginia Beach 4-year-olds in a pilot program called ``Early Discoveries.''
The $1.4 million project is part of a cooperative state and city effort. More than $10 million in state funds were allocated to help targeted cities in Virginia begin or expand programs for 4-year-olds at risk. Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk also are part of the initiative.
More than 600 at risk 4-year-olds in Hampton Roads will take part in the all-day programs. Roughly a third of the money was supplied by participating cities.
In Virginia Beach, the project will be administered by the YMCA of Hampton Roads. Eighteen teachers and 18 teachers' aides will supervise groups of no more than 16 youngsters in mobile classrooms behind four elementary schools - Seatack, Newtown Road, White Oaks and Birdneck.
``What makes this grant different from Head Start is that the risk factor definition is much broader,'' says Linda Lloyd-Zannini, director of child care services for the YMCA. ``Where Head Start can only take children from families that are below poverty level, our program can take kids that are at risk because of income, single-parent households, grandparent situations'' and more.
Stresses in families that might qualify a child for Early Discoveries also include ``military, homelessness, unemployment,'' says Laurie Zeeff, one of five family involvement specialists specially hired by the YMCA to act as liaisons between the schools, families and social service agencies that might benefit participating children and their families.
``It's a way to bring in 4-year-olds to assess'' their needs, says Zeeff.
``It says something about our City Council, investing in small children so that when they get to school they'll hit the ground running,'' says Dan Stone, director of the city's Department of Social Services.
``It's not just minority kids,'' Stone says. ``It includes the North End, too. If they live in this world today, if they're out there,'' children are at risk.
Deborah Brinkley, special education services coordinator for Virginia Beach schools, says a number of factors can place a child at risk.
``Virginia Beach chose to use as guidelines for participation all of the characteristics the state cited as putting a child `at risk' - educational levels of the family and stressors such as abuse, alcohol and drug abuse and incarceration,'' she says.
So far, 130 children are registered for the Virginia Beach program, but openings remain.
Besides helping children, the free program will provide parents with time to go back to school or work.
Another aim of the program is to help parents feel comfortable in the schools, and this, it is hoped, will be the impetus for continued involvement in their children's educations.
Paulette Moorer is ``ecstatic'' about grandson Michael's upcoming school experience.
``It will prepare him for school and give me a break. I quit my job to take care of the kids.''
The energetic grandmother of 11 wants to form a grandparents group to focus on issues such as drug and alcohol abuse. These are societal problems that frequently result in grandparents being forced to function as parents, says Moorer.
She says she resents having to care for grandchildren after raising her own six children as a divorced mother.
``That was a little detour, but now I want to go ahead with my life - want to go back to school and eventually work with Indians in Arizona - open doors for others.''
As for Early Discoveries, ``It's like an answer to a prayer,'' says Moorer as she grabs some paper towels to wipe up a milk spill. Without the new program, there would not be any help for her and other grandparents like her, she says. ILLUSTRATION: HOW TO ENROLL
For more information about Virginia Beach's Early Discoveries
program for at-risk 4-year-olds, call 624-YMCA. Openings still exist
for this year's program, which starts Tuesday.
by CNB