The Tough Get Going | October 2017 SCGLR Newsletter

MORE MUST BE DONE TO HELP ALL CHILDREN SUCCEED

“What we have done is not enough … adults will have to behave differently; they have to speak out and break down the barriers that separate people.” — Yolie Flores, national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Herald-Tribune by Kathy Silverberg, a former publisher of the Herald-Tribune’s southern editions.

Few Americans would disagree with the belief that all children deserve a chance at a reasonable life, to grow up able to take care of themselves and their families and to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

But the reality is that too many children in this nation begin life with a handicap – and I don’t mean a physical anomaly. They are born into a family that is either incapable or unwilling to adequately provide the resources that will allow them to prosper.

Some parents are ill-equipped to give their children the attention or the care that will give them a good start in life. Some simply do not know what steps to take to make that happen, and so their children do not have the opportunity for the kind of development that will equip them for future learning.

Recent research indicates that crucial brain development occurs between birth and age 3, and yet too few children receive the kind of attention that will maximize this opportunity.

Children from low-income families frequently do not get quality early-childhood education and they will start school behind their peers from more prosperous families. Too often, they will miss school on a regular basis. When summer comes, they will lack the kind of enrichment programs available to the children from better-resourced families and will continue to fall behind in school, a pattern that will continue throughout their childhood.

Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are 14 times more likely than middle-class children to drop out before high school graduation. And that means they will be unqualified for 90 percent of the available jobs…

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HANDS UP FOR STRENGTHENING KIDS

“We are living in times that challenge the soul … How can we do good?” — Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation

Editor’s Note: The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (SCGLR) had its 2nd Annual SCGLR Community Update Breakfast on Thursday, October 5, 2017. Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, shared this speech. 

Time is the non-renewable resource … we will work hard to make this morning worth your investment.

Now we are living in times that challenge the soul. Whether the fury of Mother Nature’s wrath, global conflicts, and massacres that defy reason, it makes us wonder how can we do good?

Sometimes it feels overwhelming. Indeed that is the very reason we are here today. We not only care but also act. Each of us is one of Mr. Rogers’ helpers. Look for the helpers, and we will always find people who are helping. So I ask each of you to turn to someone else at your table and say, “thank you for being a helper.”

Everyone in this room has something in common — we were each babies, toddlers, then kids, then teens. We are who we are because of parents and family who love us, neighbors who care, and teachers who inspire(d) us. There are children being born today, there are toddlers, kids, and teens, who need us. It is our turn; our society is counting on us!

Just a reminder of why we are here. A child learns to read through 3rd grade, and they read to learn beginning in 4th grade. When the child can’t read proficiently in 4th grade, they are looking around realizing everyone is moving on ahead of them; they are on the pipeline to prison.

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EVERYDAY HERO

Developing brain architecture that provides the framework for all future learning.

• Reading Goodnight Moon, Pat the Bunny, or Are You My Mother? for the 26th time this week with a smile
• Counting fingers, toes, plates, spoons, bottles, and other objects aloud with great enthusiasm
• Describing in detail your actions as you are taking food items out of the refrigerator
• Getting a library card for your infant, and making sure you have frequent opportunities to use it
• Pointing out numbers on signs in the grocery store
• Answering the question “Why?” thoughtfully and patiently for the 100th time today

These are the actions of Everyday Heroes. These activities, and many more like them, help children to learn and develop language and math skills. From the time they are born, children’s brains are active making a million new neural connections every second. During the first three years of life, the brain will grow more than at any other time. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers are the teachers and young children are the eager students soaking up knowledge and experiences and building the brain architecture that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Everyday interactions can spark curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for learning. The patience parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers put forth while reading the same book over and over, singing the same song, or even making the same rhyme, provides the practice that children need to master new skills. Repetition helps to improve speed, increases confidence, and strengthens the connections in the brain that help children learn.

The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading would like to help parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers in their roles as Everyday Heroes.  Text EverydayHero to 77453 to receive weekly tips on how you can create and enhance learning experiences for your children … Every Day.

THE AGE-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL

Admission to the festival is FREE — #ForAllAges!

The Age-Friendly Festival is an opportunity to embrace life in all its stages and the first community celebration in the nation to focus on lifelong well-being while aspiring to connect people of all ages. The Festival is a gift to the community funded by  The Patterson Foundation and inspired by the Age-Friendly Sarasota initiative. It will take place Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. Admission to the Festival is FREE – #ForAllAges!   No tickets required!