Schools in Session By Amanda C. Outlaw, Urban Regional Extension Agent, Mobile County

The summer is over and America's children have gone back to school. Teachers geared up in July to meet the demands of new and returning students with inquisitive minds.

One of the movies that premiered this summer that had a lasting impression on many families was "Akeelah and the Bee." The movie involves a twelve-year-old that was constantly harassed by her peers because she was not ashamed to study and to do her best in school. But like many twelve-year-old students she didn't want to stand out and the constant battering from peers got to her. As a result, she almost withdrew from being the smart little girl her parents knew she could be. However, the community became involved in her quest to participate in the National Spelling Bee contest. The village came to her rescue.

Family literacy is a top priority if children are to succeed according to the National Center for Family Literacy. The Center started with one mission in 1989, to help parents and children reach their greatest potential together through quality literacy programs.

Lifetime Television recently featured the story of the 2004 American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who struggled to overcome illiteracy and the hardships of being a single mother. Her story reminds us that it is never too late to improve the quality of your life.

Family literacy should be a top priority as family care providers respond to adults and families seeking to improve their economic status. The educational system urges us to reach out to family literacy programs in our communities. The fact that there are 30 million adults in this country with below basic literacy levels underscores the great need to get involved.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation National Kids Count Data Book, family, friend, and neighbor care is a critical resource to help young children succeed. But these caregivers need the support of the community with reading circles and other adults who can read to children during the early years. Parents are already overwhelmed with day-to-day rituals of dropping kids off to daycare centers and schools, that sometimes reading to them at night is like another job. But the choice is much clearer now; a child who does not have the reading skills before he or she enters the first grade will continue to struggle. Family members, friends, grandparents, or neighbors who care for children in the absence of a parent or guardian, also need support from the community to improve and enhance the quality of childcare they provide. Quality childcare that encompasses strong developmental experiences has a long-term positive impact on academic achievement, while providing important social benefits for vulnerable children at risk of poor outcomes. Early interventions create benefits that can extend through adolescence and into adulthood. The Kids and Kin programs established statewide through the Family Guidance Center of Alabama, provides a hub where family and friend's caregivers can interact with professionals to get updated information to help developing children in their quest to be the best. Participants earn materials and resources to help with the quality of childcare they can provide.

There are other opportunities that are available to the village to help children, such as becoming a family coach or participating with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. The time is now for us to become more involved so that all children can have a healthy start and family literacy can continue to improve. It's time we all got involved!

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