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| Annual Report, 2008 | |||
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Children's Services This was the first year for a new early childhood literacy program called Parents as First Teachers / Padres Como Primeros Maestros. This research-based program served 29 families. We introduce a new book or educational toy each week, model appropriate behavior, and explain the rationale behind the new learning. At the end of the first year, each family has a small collection of books and educational toys with which to act as their child’s first teacher. Research shows that children who graduate from this program are much more likely to graduate from high school than a control group. The Gads Hill Child Development Center served 221 children from Chicago’s North Lawndale, South Lawndale, and Pilsen neighborhoods. Each 3-5 year old in our program has multiple risk factors for academic failure. By bringing a high quality research-based curriculum to these children and by partnering with parents, we ensure that students are prepared for kindergarten even with limited resources at home. This year, 85 kids left the program ready for kindergarten. Our home-based Head Start and Early Head Start services also ensure that families who would otherwise not have the tools to prepare their young children for kindergarten can feel secure that their child – 54 were served during 2008 – is on the path to success in school.
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