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Austintown garners extra funding
By Elise Franco
Austintown
An exemplary pre-kindergarten summer literacy program has scored the Austintown School District additional funding through the United Way’s Success By 6.
Superintendent Vince Colaluca said the program, which came to Austintown last year, is completely funded through the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and meant to give early literacy training to students about to enter kindergarten.
“The course work is directly related to literacy and math — basic alphabet, number and word recognition,” he said. “We’ve gotten really good in Austintown at looking at the needs of individual children during these summer sessions.”
Bob Hannon, United Way president, said the program was successfully piloted in Campbell and South Range schools in 2009.
He said Austintown was among 14 schools to participate last summer — receiving funding for three units at $4,500 each. The school district funded a fourth unit.
Hannon said this summer, the United Way will fund four full units in Austintown.
“We felt Austintown ran an exemplary program,” he said. “They get what we’re trying to do, and they were able to justify to us that they had a need for the fourth unit.”
Hannon said Austintown students showed great improvement in pre- and post-screening scores.
Colaluca said they anticipate about 60 students this summer.
“It starts with children who haven’t had preschool and will fill in the gaps with others who have, but are still interested,” he said.
Colaluca said it’s important for those children who don’t have any school experience to get acclimated to their learning environment early.
“We’re excited to be a part of it because it’s a really nice springboard for the children,” he said.
Hannon said one of the things Austintown has done is get its kindergarten teachers to teach the summer course, giving the students stability going into the new school year.
“That child who comes is going to begin in the first few days terrified, and at the end, they didn’t want to leave,” he said. “Then when they come back the first day of kindergarten, they love to see that same face and hear that same voice.”
Kristina Warga, who teaches at Woodside Elementary, instructed a unit last year and is in charge of the program this year.
She said the teachers kept track of progress this year for the students who participated last year.
“It’s been a great success for them,” she said. “When they come in their anxiety is lessened, so they can focus on learning.”
Warga said parents interested in enrolling their children can contact their child’s school office.