Ready Child
Ready Child Awards Presented
NDEA Member Darlene Musland had quite a surprise on Dec. 1, when President Dakota Draper arrived at the Edgeley School to present the first ever NDEA Ready Child School-Based Award.
The award was for the Dickey/LaMoure Early Childhood Education Program, which is preschool designed and meets the needs of students with special needs.
To enhance the students' learning, an average of 16-20 typical preschoolers (4-6 students each quarter) are reverse integrated into the class to serve as language/social role models. Pre-literacy activities are incorporated into the program daily.
Four times a year, the preschool class presents a program to parents, grandparents and friends. Every month, the preschool class the kindergarten class do an activity together.
Throughout the year, the third-grade class and sixth-grade class assist the preschoolers in making bread, decorating gingerbread house, science experiments and writing letters. The community is involved in providing several field trip experiences such as: feeding horse, picking apples, visiting the post office, fire station, nurses, police officers, etc. The class also sends cards to veterans and soldiers on various holidays.
Musland has presented workshops on "Reverse Integration of Typical Preschoolers into an Early Childhood Special Needs Class" at the North Dakota Pathfinders Conference, and "Incorporating Pre-Literacy Activities into your Daily Preschool Curriculum" at the North Dakota State Reading Conference.
Then, on Dec. 8th, NDEA President Dakota Draper surprised Lisa Bordan-King of Minot State University (MSU) with the first ever Ready Child Community-Based Award.
The Reading Clinic Program Bordan-King started at MSU helps college students get clinical practice for reading concentration. The program is offered year round to students of all ages. The number of students it takes depends on how many college student teachers there are. "I was one of the student teachers and watched how the clinic influenced and changed my student as well as many others," said Brooklyn Schaan, who now teaches in Garrison.
The Reading Clinic really focuses on the Ready Child Mission in that it helps children improve and practice reading skills essential to life. In order to meet goals, the clinic must have caring teachers and parents/guardians, provide a safe learning (and fun) environment, and give both the child and student an opportunity to give back the knowledge and skills to help or be helped.
Many of the children that do the Reading Clinic are recommended by a teacher or parent for the extra help. These children are not very excited to be in the program, because their self esteem is so low. And, their self esteem is low because they feel they are horrible at reading. The Minot State Reading Clinic Program helps those struggling readers not only with knowledge but with encouragement and a safe haven to practice in an environment where they feel safe.
The children get one-on-one time to practice reading skills through games, activities, books, internet, buddy reading and more. The children learn strategies to help them when at school, and the program provides a role model for them to look up to.
"The MSU faculty who prepare the students (college students) for this Clinic are outstanding and really give back to others more than they know," said Schaan.
"Lisa Bordan-King in partnership with MSU should receive the Ready Child Award. Not many people know the impact they have made on the community children as well as on their college student teachers," Schann said.
The Ready Child School-Based Award honors a school program or initiative that exemplifies or promotes the Ready Child Vision Statement, the Ready Child Mission Statement, and/or the Ready Nine.
Deadline for next year's nomination is June 15, 2010.
