Source: The Morning Journal
January 20, 2017
By Carol Harper
Partnering agencies have announced a Rising Titans Community Collaborative to increase kindergarten readiness at Lorain City Schools.
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Graham said preschool is the most cost-effective way to increase academic performance in a school district.
The effect of the preschool collaborative will not be shown on academic performance tests until the children are in third or fourth grade, Graham said.
The agencies identified four goals — parent engagement, family empowerment, healthy children and resources for providers.
The partners are Little Lighthouse Learning Center, Neighborhood Alliance, Lorain County Community Action Agency, United Way of Greater Lorain County, Lorain County Community College, and Lorain City Schools.
The group hopes to eliminate gaps in children’s early education by working together to identify children who need extra help and by providing it.
The group has been meeting for about three years, said Christine Matusik-Plas, community impact director for United Way of Greater Lorain County.
Small homecare providers will be brought alongside early learning centers for professional development and coordinated services, Matusik-Plas said.
Linda Coad, special education supervisor at Lorain Schools, said the group hopes to develop common assessment tools to create a data point for comparing growth of children.
But there emerged a deeper goal.
“This is about us empowering parent leaders,” Coad said.
Parents and grandparents can become involved and no longer work in isolation, she said.
Dina Ferrer, coordinator of LCCC Lorain Learning Center, said with two sites in Lorain, the college is convenient for classes.
“We want to be here in support of the various families,” Ferrer said.
Palma Stipe, executive director of Little Lighthouse Learning Center, said she encourages families to support Lorain Schools and administers Head Start to help families build strengths.
One of the things that makes Lorain special is its care for children, Graham said.
“‘When you ask people to rally around students, for us it’s a no-brainer,’” Graham said they replied to him, “‘Of course.’”
For more about Rising Titans Community Collaborative, visit www.uwloraincounty.org.
The next meeting of Lorain Community Business Schools Partnership is 11:30 a.m. April 5 with a state of the schools address in partnership with Lorain County Chamber of Commerce at Lorain High School, 2600 Ashland Ave.