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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indian River County-JUMP Into Reading-CSAC of Indian River County <br /> C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (Entire Section C, 1 — 6, not to exceed two pages) <br /> 1 . List Priority Needs area addressed. Focus III-Childcare Access and Focus I-Mental <br /> Wellness Issues. <br /> 2. Briefly describe program activities including location of services. (Taxonomy # PH <br /> 150 . 500- 10+) Big Brothers Big Sisters provides role models for young children in Indian River <br /> County who are at risk. The CSAC Jump into Reading mentoring program is school-based (at <br /> Citrus, Sebastian, Treasure Coast Elementary) and site-based (at Boys & Girls Club in <br /> Sebastian). It revolves around one-to-one reading mentoring to promote school success, improve <br /> literacy and increase socialization skills. Mentoring services at schools are generally delivered in <br /> the media center; however, volunteers have the option of working in the classroom. Mentors at <br /> Boys & Girls Club will work with the children in their learning lab . Activities related to <br /> mentoring and family literacy services involve : client referral from teachers or site-based staff, <br /> parent permission; client interview; assessment, pre-testing; volunteer recruitment; background <br /> screening; volunteer training to promote best practices in mentoring that support the social <br /> development strategy model; matching; case planning; one-to-one mentoring; case management <br /> with volunteers, clients, teachers and parents to promote school success and healthy lifestyles ; <br /> family literacy; post-testing; evaluation & assessment; reassessment of need; client satisfaction <br /> survey; case closure; referral and follow-up. Intended outcomes revolve around on-grade level <br /> promotion, enhanced literacy skills, academic improvement, consistent school attendance, <br /> increased self-esteem, improved conduct, enhanced emotional-social skills and the ability to <br /> build positive relationships to promote healthy lifestyles and increased resiliency. <br /> 3. Briefly describe how your program addresses the stated need/problem. Describe how <br /> your program follows a recognized "best practice" (see definition on page 12 of the <br /> Instructions) and provide evidence that indicates proposed strategies are effective with <br /> target population. Mentors make a commitment to be a dependable, steady presence in a <br /> child ' s life. They meet with their student, one hour per week in two, 30 minute sessions and <br /> provide protective factors that help build resiliency and limit exposure to risks . Time together is <br /> spent building a relationship, reading aloud, responding appropriately to a child' s reading, <br /> promoting writing, praising efforts and making reading fun ! Mentors learn to build personal <br /> connections to books to promote academic success . They are urged to make stories come alive <br /> and share related experiences that can broaden the child ' s world of knowledge. Volunteers <br /> reinforce the association between oral and written language while emphasizing good attitudes <br /> about learning. Mentors utilize Book Buddies activities to reinforce phonemic awareness, <br /> phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. This source was designed for volunteer use <br /> and is based on a balanced reading approach adopted at the state level by Department of <br /> Education. Each match session includes work with familiar books, word study (word bank, <br /> alphabet basic phonics and phonemic awareness), writing and new books. KeepBooks are sent <br /> home with the student on a weekly basis. Parents are encouraged to read aloud with their <br /> children at home to reinforce reading skills . The Case Managers supervise and support matches; <br /> assist in ongoing goal setting; monitor school performance; expedite other referrals when <br /> appropriate; and act as a facilitator among key stakeholders. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is <br /> a structured mentoring program that has been acknowledged, as a "best practice", by such <br /> reputable independent researchers as Public Private Ventures ( 1994, 1996, 1999); Communities <br /> That Care Prevention Strategies: A Research Guide to What Works, ( 1996); and Grise (Florida <br /> State University; 2003 , 2004, 2005) for its ability to promote healthy beliefs, clear standards and <br /> bonding. According to these resources, BBBS mentors help fight risk factors such as early <br /> 6 <br />