Return to core results contents.

Issue Statement
   Medical advances in the study of the human brain reveal the unproven potential of the young child. As in many areas of life at the turn of the millennium, what we do as the wealthiest nation in the world has not yet caught up to what we know.

   While highly educated people of means speculate on whether their unborn child can begin to learn a foreign language in utero, many mothers in Forest Park Southeast receive little or no basic care for their unborn babies. While upper class parents ponder which of a half-a-dozen excellent pre-schools is the best one for their unique child, most FPSE mothers lack either the education or resources to participate in programs like Parents as Teachers.

   As these examples indicate, the need for intervention in the lives of young children in our community is great. Consider these facts about FPSE:

High ratio of children to adults

High percentage of illiterate parents/non-graduates of high school

Low enrollment in Head Start

Low enrollment in Parents as Teachers

High unemployment, inaccessibility of day care and high degree of drug and alcohol abuse contributes to a lack of structure and consistency in the lives of children

Physical well-being of children is threatened by sub-standard housing, lack of medical care and lead-saturated environment (These areas are addressed in other parts of the proposal)    These circumstances are proven risk factors for failure in school and, therefore, in life. The brain research mentioned earlier has shown that there are windows of opportunity in the first six years of life that slam shut, never to be opened again. A wealth of human potential is lost for all the years stretching beyond the year 2000 each time a child does not receive the enriched environment he/she needs for brain development. Interventions are sorely need in FPSE to rescue children from a vastly diminished capacity to become productive citizens.

Benchmarks

• Number of children receiving quality day care
• Number of parents participating in a parent education program

Baseline Analysis

• Obtain exact figures on children receiving quality day care from the Child Day Care Association
• Need to retrieve baseline statistics on the number of parents participating in parent education programs

Strategies

• Implement the Center for Infants and Families
  • The Center is predicated on the knowledge that children who are well-adjusted by the time they reach age three are much likely than the remainder of the population to develop major mental health problems in adulthood. The Center's primary focus is on enhancing children's earliest social relationships. The Center represents collaboration between the Washington University School of Medicine, the Salvation Army, Parents as Teachers and St. Louis University. Outreach to the target population within the first two months of program implementation.
  • Enroll 75 families into the program for the first class.
  • Evaluate and revise program before enrolling the second class.
• Increase the Parent as Teachers (PAT) enrollment in FPSE.
  • Identify barriers to PAT participation through focus groups and interviews.
  • Find neutral locations for PAT visits.
  • Outreach and network with service providers who are in contact with mothers of children.
  • Develop means to continue benefits of PAT after child reaches age three.
  • Provide settings for informal mom clubs, facilitated by MSWs, parent educators or successful parents.
• Support existing day care providers - The FPSE neighborhood has several early childhood education and day care providers. These programs are already connected to the community, but need greater support to expand and serve a larger portion of the neighborhood's children.
  • Survey existing day care facilities about their needs. Evaluate existing day care facilities (ex. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats analysis) by impartial professionals, possibly outside the community.
  • Mentor existing day care providers that are seeking accreditation or planning expansion. Aid in developing business plans, strategic plans or policy manuals satisfying regulatory agencies.
  • Assist in grant writing or with Small Business Administration loans. Provide a connection to Early Childhood Funding at the state and/or federal level.
  • Provide scholarship funds for providers looking to upgrade their skills through workshops or college courses.
  • Learn where the gaps in day care exist and plan to fill them (ex. non-traditional childcare hours or cost).
• Improve the home day care system in the community through proper training and licensure. The FPSE neighborhood, like many other neighborhoods in the City, has its share of home day cares. These home day cares often function without licenses and without developmentally appropriate environments for young children. Many home day care operators are interested in training and increasing capacity with the proper support services.
  • Engage home day care providers through support rather than through punitive measures.
  • Provide a gathering place for caregivers of young children with entertainment for children and education for caregivers.
  • Mentor caregivers that seek certification, through education on the system and the bureaucracy.
  • Provide scholarships for caregivers seeking formal training and provide adequate compensation, which includes a substitution component for caregivers in training.
• Employ an early childhood education facilitator within the first year.
  • Responsible for implementing the strategies.
  • Given the level of responsibility, the facilitator must have a bachelor's level degree and relevant practical experience. The facilitator must be experience in early childhood and adult basic education issues and have the ability to work with a variety of people.
  • Responsible for tracking several children at the new Adams School from K-3rd grade.

Performance Measures

• The neighborhood will measure the programs' successes through quarterly reports made by Dr. John Constantino to the FPSE Community Council and other stakeholders.
• Quarterly reports from the Parents as Teachers program to the Community Council and other stakeholders regarding the number of participating parents in FPSE.
• Quarterly reports from the Early Childhood Facilitator the FPSE Community Council and other stakeholders.
• All positions will coordinate with the Human Service Project manager on program content and reports.

Budget

Return to top of this Core Result 2 page, or
to core results contents.