 Where is Building Our Future Now? Building Our Future is focusing on getting Kenosha County’s children ready for school. We have a Kindergarten Readiness Network that has two work teams: Ready Family and Ready Community. Why Getting Ready for School? Having our youth ready for school benefits both the children and the community. Wichita State University found students from “economically disadvantaged homes who received high quality, early education” had greater state test scores for 4th grade reading and math than a similar group of students in a local school system who were not involved in the same early childhood education. A 2016 study from the University of Chicago and University of Southern California also found when a community invests $1 in early childhood, specifically for disadvantaged youth, an estimated $7.30 is returned. How Do Youth Get Ready For School? Getting ready for school starts early. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website provides milestones and tips to help parents keep their children on track. For example, a milestone for a three-year-old is acknowledging a friend by name. Keep in mind, every child is different and will get ready for school in their own way. What Is the Kindergarten Readiness Network? It is made of individuals in the community who are focusing on engaging the community and determining how we can support families in preparing their children for kindergarten. What Does the Kindergarten Readiness Network Do? It is committed to collaborating, using data, connect families to the resources they need, and identifying developmentally appropriate practices to ensure children and families are ready for kindergarten. How Can You Join the Work Building Our Future is Doing? Email us and visit our website. Community Bright Spot The Even Start Family Literacy Program began in 2001 and is currently run by Kenosha Unified School District. Hansel Lugo, Even Start Program Liaison, shared that the program focuses on parent education that emphasizes developing English skills, early childhood, home visits and interactive learning activities to help parents lead as examples for their children while they learn & grow together. Even Start is open to individuals with children ages 0-5, as well as individuals looking to strengthen their English skills, shares Lugo. Current classes are at the Brass Community School, 6400 15th Ave. The beginner-level meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the intermediate/advanced-level group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in learning more about the Even Start Family Literacy Program, please contact Hansel Lugo at 262-359-8051 or hlugo@kusd.edu.  Article written by Marley Uran Communications Intern University of Wisconsin Parkside Published by the Kenosha News Comments are closed.
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