43
ABCs — the United Way
By Denise Dick
Success by 6 program prepares kids for kindergarten
north jackson
Five-year-olds Cloie Musser, Conor Henderson and Conner Baytos stretch their arms in front of them and clap their hands together, mimicking an alligator’s jaws.
“Allie Alligator,” Cloie said.
That’s the letter A, the children explained.
“What does an A sound like?” asked teacher Corinne Tomaino.
“A-a-a,” Cloie and Conor replied.
The children raise their hands above their heads and then to their mouths, saying, “Bubba Bear.”
The hand gesture imitates a bear eating honey.
“What does a B sound like?” Tomaino asked.
“B-b-b,” they replied.
The three children are students in Success by 6 at Jackson-Milton Elementary School. The United Way program targets children who are going into kindergarten to ensure they enter school prepared to be successful.
Teachers instruct in letters, numbers, shapes and colors.
Principal Joe DiLoreto said the program also allows children to learn about lining up and finding important rooms within the school.
Those things sounds simple to adults but can be intimidating to a child, DiLoreto said, adding that attendance has been about 98 percent for the 27 children enrolled.
There also are lessons for parents, informing them of ways to help their children learn, the principal said.
Bob Hannon, president and chief professional officer of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, said the organization is focusing on education, income and health.
“The first level of that is education,” he said.
Education provides a foundation for a child to secure a career, earn an income and get health insurance, Hannon said.
Laura Lyden, chairwoman of United Way’s Success by 6 advisory council, said a study found that children who do well in kindergarten perform better in school.
Success by 6 is funded with $100,000 in federal money allocated through U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan’s office and $25,000 from PNC Bank. Jackson is one of 14 Mahoning and Trumbull county school districts to receive the grants for the program.
“Every district we’ve heard from, it’s all been positive,” Hannon said.
United Way hopes to continue to offer the program next year and beyond with improvements each year, he said.
Ginny Pasha, United Way’s director of community investment, said the organization evaluates the children at the program’s conclusion to determine its success.
Children are identified for the program through kindergarten screening. They may have demonstrated problems with social skills or difficulty with colors, numbers, shapes or the alphabet.
When some of the parents of eligible children elected not to participate, the program was open to any child until the spaces were filled, DiLoreto said.
“All kids can learn, regardless of whatever obstacles they have,” he said. “They just learn at their own pace.”