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Ready to Learn Providence
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Mind in the Making is increasing the comfort level of families in the schools and strengthening the life skills of both adults AND children, according to Providence parents like Joselina Reyes and Michelle
Vélez (shown above, l-r), and school personnel we talked with recently. See what they said in stories below under Empowering Families.
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L-r: Donna Chartier, Debbie Durant, Coleen Smith
and Karen Pucciarelli, director of the Center.
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Center for Early Learning Professionals
Second anniversary celebration features voices from the field
"I was able to get four BrightStars after taking classes and receiving technical assistance at the Center," Donna Chartier, a North Smithfield family child-care educator, told the gathering at the second anniversary celebration of the state's Center for Early Learning Professionals. Donna and three other representatives from the field -
Rosa Reyes, a Providence family child-care provider; Coleen Smith, an early childhood coordinator with the South Kingstown public schools; and Debbie Durant, the child-care director at the Smith Hill Early Childhood Center - sat on a panel at the event on February 1 to discuss what the Center has meant to them and their programs.
"The classes have really helped me understand what quality is," said Debbie. "It's not the 'stuff;' it's what you do with it."
"I came from an elementary school background and wanted to learn as much as possible about the early years," explained Coleen. "The training is fantastic. The facilitators strike you as life-long learners."
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Yvette Mendez, deputy director of the Department of Human Services, speaks to the group. Seated at left is Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of RI Kids Count.
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"For the first time I felt I could make a phone call and someone would help me find a solution," added Donna.
"They understand we all have different problems," said Debbie. And the classes are so much better than the short two-hour workshops. The classes are 15 to 18 hours, and we didn't want them to end."
"It's such a great feeling to know where to go for an answer," said Rosa. "Don't give it up. We depend on you."
The state, through its Exceed initiative, awarded the Education Development Center a contract to establish and operate the Center in January 2014, with Ready to Learn Providence serving as a major partner. Exceed is Rhode Island's cross-departmental program charged with implementing the work of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant. Click here to see more photos from the celebration.
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Empowering Families with Mind in the Making
Parents say MITM improves the lives of children AND adults
From dealing with bullies to warming up to a stern teacher, their children are now far better at handling the challenges of school and childhood, said graduates of Mind in the Making in an informal conversation held at Ready to Learn last month.
Just as important, the parents and grandfather noted, they have adopted these skills in their own lives, making them more effective as caregivers and employees, and better models for their children.
"It's such a good training," said Scarlet Arias, whose two children are in kindergarten and third grade. "It should be mandatory. I recommend it to everyone."
"I no longer assume I know what [my children] are saying," said Jennifer Ureña, whose children are seven and 14. "I really listen, not just to the words, but to the tone. I'm applying this skill at work too."
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... and it's increasing family engagement in the schools, according to teachers and administrators
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Miguel and Laura Espino with their three children
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"I feel much more comfortable talking with teachers now and asking for help," says Laura Espino, a mother of three who recently completed Mind in the Making with her husband, Miguel.
Rachel DeNofio, a kindergarten teacher at the Asa Messer Elementary School who completed the course herself, says that the parents who have taken it, especially those who speak English as a second language, "seem to be more comfortable in the school and more comfortable interacting with the faculty."
Kelly Spaziano, the assistant principal at the George J. West Elementary School, agrees. "The team [which includes a bilingual family outreach ambassador and an AmeriCorps member, both from Ready to Learn] has worked very hard at recruiting, and they get a lot of parents at their classes," she said. "They've encouraged many of them to attend my monthly coffee hours, which have doubled in size. And we're seeing parent participation increase in other school activities as well."
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T.E.A.C.H. Rhode Island
Look what it's accomplished since its inception
As of February 2016, T.E.A.C.H. RI, a project of Ready to Learn Providence, has awarded scholarships to 168 early-childhood educators seeking degrees in early childhood education. These scholars have completed 3,827 course credits. T.E.A.C.H. has serviced 113 early-learning programs, including 10 home-care settings. Twenty-four scholars have received associate's degrees.
Congratulations to Donna Chartier (above right), who was one of three T.E.A.C.H. scholars to receive her AA degree from the Community College of Rhode Island in December.
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AmeriCorps
Applications now available for 2016/2017 team
If you enjoy working with young children and their families, take a look at the kind of instrumental work our members do in the community to help us ensure that all young children will be healthy and ready to learn. Our alums tell us that serving in our AmeriCorps program proved to be a life-changing experience. To learn more about the program, come to one of our Information Sessions, which are held in English and Spanish. Applications for new and returning members can also be found on that page.
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