Children’s home program brings HOPE to elementary children_30705

Posted: 3/4/05

Children's home program brings
HOPE to elementary children

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home

ROUND ROCK–Among the chemical charts and beakers in the science laboratory at Round Rock's Gattis Elementary School, students take part in different kind of experiment–designed to improve their reading skills. And the data shows it's a success.

Texas Baptist Children's Home's HOPE program has helped children make strides through its readers' theater, held in the science lab because it was the only space available.

“Several kids have made a year's advancement in their reading,” said Kristal Shanahan, counselor at Gattis Elementary School. “Others are participating in class more and showing more self esteem. It's just a remarkable difference.”

The readers' theater provides 15 slots for economically disadvantaged children to participate in acting out parts in small plays. In addition, each story line has an activity associated with it to further the comprehensiveness of the program.

“The scripts are in story form, and the activities allow the kids to improve in their language, reading and even comprehension,” said Melanie Martinez, supervisor of the HOPE program.

HOPE stands for Healthy Opportunities that Protect and Empower, and it offers various activities and programs in apartment communities and schools in the Round Rock area. This is HOPE's third year partnering with Gattis Elementary School.

“As far as I know, there is no other free program like it,” Shanahan said. “And they provide a snack and transportation. That is huge for these families.”

Gattis Elementary has a sizeable lower-income population that fluctuates regularly, Shanahan said.

“Whereas some schools might have 10 new students in a year, we might have 10 new students in a day. Programs like this help fill that gap for teachers,” she continued.

Teachers often find themselves helping new children catch up with their grade level. The readers' theater allows those kids another outlet for learning.

Principal Jennifer Lucas said some parents underestimate the importance of reading to their children.

“We're lucky if we can get some parents to spend 20 minutes a night reading to their children,” she said.

“It is so important because it sets the foundation for so many other skills. Just the cadence and rhythm helps with so many other functions in life.”

To help parents better understand their children's needs, HOPE and Gattis Elementary plan to partner in the future to provide parent workshops.

By offering programs where the school's parents live, they hope to help bridge the gap of learning.

“Promoting something for the parents is the key to helping the kids,” Martinez said.

They hope to offer programs about how to teach children responsibility, homework encouragement and ownership of behavior and problems.

“These are the basic things kids need, but sometimes we get so busy in our lives that we forget how important they are,” Martinez said.

The new program is slated for April. Until then, the handful of children in the readers' theater stumble through their lines, and some even bow when they are finished.

“Our ultimate goal with this program is to serve the community by helping children reach their full potential,” Martinez said.

“And we have such a great partnership with Gattis Elementary School to let us do this for the kids. It's hard work, but very worth it when you hear the results.”

Those results include making chatterboxes out of children who were once so shy they never engaged in conversation, never said a word.

Today, they read scripts aloud in front of an audience of their peers, and observers note they make every story a success story.