2004-229F (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indian River County, Jump Into Reading, Children's Services Advisory Committee co PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (Entire Section C, 1 — 6, not to exceed two pages) 1 . List Priority Needs area addressed. Focus III-Childcare Access and Focus I-Mental Wellness Issues. 2. Briefly describe program activities including location of services. (Taxonomy # PH 150 . 50040+) Big Brothers Big Sisters provides role models for young children in Indian River County who are at risk. Jump into Reading mentoring program is school-based . It revolves around one-to-one reading mentoring to promote school success, improve literacy and increase socialization skills . Mentoring services are generally delivered in the media center; however, volunteers have the option of working in the classroom. Activities related to mentoring and family literacy services involve: client referral from teachers; parent permission; client interview; pre-testing; volunteer recruitment; background screening; volunteer training to promote best practices in mentoring that support the social development strategy model ; one-to-one mentoring ; case management with volunteers, clients, teachers and parents to promote school success and healthy lifestyles ; family literacy; post-testing; evaluation & assessment ; reassessment of need; client satisfaction survey; case closure ; referral and follow-up . Intended outcomes revolve around on-grade level promotion, enhanced literacy skills, academic improvement, consistent school attendance, increased self-esteem, enhanced emotional- social skills and the ability to build positive relationships to promote healthy lifestyles and increased resiliency . 3. Briefly describe how your program addresses the stated need/problem. Describe how your program follows a recognized "best practice" (see definition on page 12 of the Instructions) and provide evidence that indicates proposed strategies are effective with target population . Mentors make a commitment to be a dependable, steady presence in a child ' s life. They meet with their student, one hour per week in two , 30 minute sessions and provide protective factors that help build resiliency and limit exposure to risks . Time together is spent building a relationship, reading aloud, responding appropriately to a child ' s reading, promoting writing, praising efforts and making reading fun ! Mentors learn to build personal connections to books to promote academic success . They are urged to make stories come alive and share related experiences that can broaden the child ' s world of knowledge . Volunteers reinforce the association between oral and written language while emphasizing good attitudes about learning . Mentors utilize Book Buddies activities to reinforce phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension . This source was designed for volunteer use and is based on a balanced reading approach adopted at the state level by Department of Education. Each match session includes work with familiar books, word study (word bank, alphabet basic phonics and phonemic awareness), writing and new books. Keep-It Books are sent home with the student on a weekly basis. Parents are encouraged to read aloud with their children at home to reinforce reading skills . The Case Managers supervise and support matches; assist in ongoing goal setting; monitor school performance; expedite other referrals when appropriate; and act as a facilitator among key stakeholders . Follow-up continues on a bi-monthly basis for a period of 8 months after they have exited . Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a structured mentoring program that has been acknowledged, as a "best practice", by such reputable independent researchers as Public Private Ventures ( 1994, 1996, 1999) and Communities That Care Prevention Strategies: A Research Guide to What Works, 1996 for its ability to promote healthy beliefs, clear 6