TheDay.com - Rell budget plan threatens popular children's programs
Page 1 of 2
close window
Rell budget plan threatens popular children's programs
Rell budget plan threatens popular children's programs
By Katie Warchut Published on 6/13/2009 in Home »Main Photo Every time Adwoa Bandele-Asante's younger children go by Harbor School, they say, “That's where play group is! That's where my sisters go!” For Bandele-Asante, the school and the program her two younger ones attend at the school's family resource center is part of what she calls “the neighborhood identity.” They go to the center for a convenient play-and-learn group, where parents compare notes and children learn to socialize. Program manager Mary Ann Root monitors their development, making home visits and referring families to other agencies when they need extra help. But the resource centers at Harbor and Jennings schools in New London, at Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School in Groton and others around the state could be suspended for two years if Gov. M. Jodi Rell's proposed budget cuts are realized. Rell's proposed supplemental budget released at the end of May says suspending the program at 62 sites for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 would save $6 million a year. Jeffrey Beckham, spokesman for the Office of Policy and Management, said the centers are a great resource but they are often found in larger communities that have “significant educational resources” and receive Priority School District grants. There are other social service centers that offer the types of referrals one can get at the centers, he said. ”They're obviously a nice extra to have,” Beckham said, but he called them “a duplication of effort, something we can do without for two years.” The proposal would have to be approved by the General Assembly and would also require a legislative change. Resource centers generally offer parent education and training, family support, preschool and school-age child care, teenpregnancy prevention and family day-care provider training. Many programs are free, though child care is provided on a sliding scale. A center's budget is about $97,000, Root said. As her 1½-year-old daughter clung to her Thursday, Jackie Hernandez described the benefits of the center's play group. ”They learn to give and take and share, to not get overwhelmed,” Hernandez said. “At story time they learn to sit down and listen. It's great preparation for preschool.” Root provides guides to parents about their children's progress according to age. At 28 months, for example, they will become more aware of their bodies, and may start to have fears and nightmares. On home visits, she assesses their language development and motor skills. ”Delays can be easily remedied. (We) can make the child fully ready to enter kindergarten and not lag behind. That in itself is so valuable,” Root said. “Parents feel comfortable and continue to be involved in their child's education.” As Beckham said, social services sources can be found elsewhere in communities, but Georgene Kaler, Groton's site manager, said the family resource centers are largely about the connection to the school. “(Children) feel like they're part of the school community before they enter kindergarten,” she said. Kaler runs a toddler music group at the Kolnaski site as well as at St. John's Christian Church to better reach families in areas like Branford Manor. Using maracas, bells and drums, the children learn to follow directions in a song, participate in a group and take turns, she said.
http://www.theday.com/re_print.aspx?re=98694ce6-51ea-4971-8a74-c4957cb86e67
6/15/2009
TheDay.com - Rell budget plan threatens popular children's programs
Page 2 of 2
”I don't know where we'd be without one morning of interaction,” said Kanika Richardson, a mother at Harbor School. “I think we love it just as much as they do.” k.warchut@thday.com
"Regional"
Total 2 images.
Buy Photo By Cheryl Albaine , The Day Akua Bandele-Asante, 5, of New London plays with a toy at the Family Resource Center at the Harbor School in New London on Thursday.
Buy Photo By Cheryl Albaine , The Day Tian Richardson, 2, of New London, plays by himself earlier this week at the Family Resource Center located within the Harbor School in New London.
http://www.theday.com/re_print.aspx?re=98694ce6-51ea-4971-8a74-c4957cb86e67
6/15/2009