Success By 6 Summer School Program
Jill
Thompson
Summer Program Coordinator
Phone:
(315) 593-1900
Email: Jillt20@yahoo.com
Since
1996, Success By 6 has reached over 1000 Oswego County children through
our summer school pre-k program. The children served by this program are
at risk for failure in the first year of school if they are not given the
support and fundamental skills to ensure continued success in school.
We have had wonderful results in this program. Our follow-up research has
shown that nearly 90% of the children we reach through our summer school
program continue to be successful, at least through the 4th grade. And we
have no plans to stop! We hope to continue expanding the summer school
program to reach as many at-risk children as we possibly can
The Enrollment Process
Prior
to kindergarten screening, Success By 6 distributes informational packets
to each elementary school in Oswego County, which are to be given to
parents of at-risk children during their kindergarten screening. The
packet contains information about the summer school program itself, as
well as various other informational brochures.
If
parents feel that the Success By 6 summer school program is right for
their children, the next step is to contact the school where the children
will be attending kindergarten. Applications are available through the
elementary school offices, and are returned to the school principals.
Once
all applications have been reviewed, the principals submit class lists to
Success By 6, and we begin preparing for our summer program.
The
Classrooms
We
have been fortunate to have 14 classrooms throughout Oswego County during
the summer of 2003, including the addition of a classroom in the APW
district. It is our hope to continue adding classrooms where needed, so
that the maximum number of needy students can be reached.
Each
class has a maximum capacity of 18 students, but depending on demand,
there may be less. Overall, students that participate in the program are
experiencing a class size similar to what they will experience in
kindergarten.
Teachers
and Students
The
teachers that participate in the summer program come from all across the
county, many teaching in the school districts where they work. In addition
to the teachers, Success By 6 works to place teacher's assistants in each
classroom. The TAs are college students, community volunteers, high school
students, even some junior high school students!
The
students themselves come from all walks of life. Some students have been
to a year-round pre-k program, others are stepping into a classroom for
the first time when they begin our program. Still others may be repeating
kindergarten. Each student brings their own educational barriers and needs
into the classroom. Some students need help recognizing letters and
numbers; others need to learn proper behavior for school, and how to
interact with other children. The teachers and TAs work with these
students to address their needs and prepare them for kindergarten.
The
Skills
There are many skills addressed by our summer school program's curriculum, and they fall under four categories: kindergarten readiness/motor skills, literacy, social awareness, and behavioral awareness. Here are some examples of specific skills that these categories touch on:
Kindergarten
Readiness/Motor Skills - Can the student recognize his/her name in print?
Does the student listen without interrupting? Does the student raise
his/her hand to speak? Does the student use materials properly? Is the
student able to properly hold a crayon, pair of scissors, cut on a line,
trace accurately, etc.?
Literacy - Does the student recognize the letters of the alphabet? Does the student recognize numbers? Can the student tell the difference between letters and numbers? Does the student understand that print has meaning?
Does
the student enjoy listening to stories and looking at books? Can the
student write their name, or make the letters with other materials, such
as Play-Doh?
Social
Awareness - Does the student share? Does the student work without
disturbing others? Does the student understand that he/she is part of a
family and a community?
Behavioral Awareness - Does the student understand the classroom rules, and does he/she follow them? Does the student know and follow playground rules?
Does
the student understand the consequences for acting inappropriately in
class?
Because
each classroom is different, and each child has different needs, the
teachers that participate in our summer program work with the curriculum
to find the right activities and topics that work for their individual
classes.
Getting
Involved
There
are many ways that you can get involved in Success By 6's summer school
program:
Volunteer
to read to a class!
Chaperone
any field trips your child may take during the program!
Volunteer
to be a parent helper, or even a teacher's assistant!
For more
information about the summer school program, or to get involved, contact
us at
(315) 593-1900