As Celeste White approaches age 4, this once shy child has found her place with confidence at George Washington Carver Early Learning Center in Hahnville.
When the youngster first entered the program at a year old, Celeste played by herself, said her grandmother, Patsy White, also of Luling. A week later, she watched astounded as the youngster happily interacted with other children.
“They got her to feel comfortable enough to play with the kids and, from then on, she’s been surviving in the environment,” White said. “Everyone at this school knows my granddaughter from the custodian to the director. She’s known. She has a place.”
It’s the difference participating in the Early Childhood Network has made toward the program’s goal to prepare children for kindergarten,
White was equally impressed with how the program helped her daughter, Jessica, with parenting. She’s a single parent who lives with her parents.
“What I love about that program is they work with parents,” White said of how important it is that parents play a role in a child’s early education. “They have workshops for parents. It’s just wonderful to be a part of that program.”
“With my daughter being a single parent it’s wonderful to see,” she said. “With young parents, they don’t know what they don’t know. We, as parents, can only do so much.”Celeste knows her ABCs, but she has also leaned about putting their dinner plate away and brushing her teeth.
“It’s amazing,” White added. “They teach them so much about being independent.”
White also welcomes the security of knowing she is in a safe environment.
The Early Childhood Network is making headway on its goal, said Tamanika Odinga, director of Early Intervention in St. Charles Parish.
“Even though they may be bright, they may not have the exposure they need for these programs,” Odinga said.The network represents a collaboration of 10 childcare programs – public and private – serving children from birth to age 4, including special education children. Parents are brought into the teaching process.
“We have 76 classrooms in this network,” she said. “So with every classroom we are preparing the teachers and staff to work on common goals for education to ensure children enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed.”
The parish’s School Board is the lead agency toward pulling together all childcare programs (early Headstart and Headstart).
According to Odinga, “We work together to ensure the programs are quality, ensure teachers are well trained to provide the services in the classroom and all working toward the common goal that children are ready for kindergarten for best success in education.”
Networking daycares to meet this need has proven a welcome opportunity for Boutte Christian Academy.
With an estimated 52 percent of children unprepared for kindergarten in Louisiana, Administrator Kimberly Babineaux said networking early childhood care is a need.
“Change is always challenging, but personally I’ve found we’ve worked really well together,” said Babineaux. “One of the great benefits has been to get to know our counterparts who offer childcare on the East and West banks.”
They have started coordinated enrollment for the first time this year, which means a parent living in the parish can apply for early childhood care (up to pre-kindergarten) at any of the centers in the network, she said.
“For parents, it’s one-stop [shop],” Babineaux said of a network that shares information toward getting childcare. “If they can’t get their first choice, we route the application to the second choice.”
Another daycare in the network is Children’s Book of Knowledge in St. Rose, and parent Alisha Patterson welcomed the opportunity to send her daughter, Kamryn, to a place she knew well.
“I went to Children’s Book of Knowledge when I was young,” Patterson said. “It’s been around a long time with owner Ethel Marbley.”
Having attended the daycare since 1-1/2 years old, Kamryn is fast approaching her fourth birthday and starting pre-kindergarten in August.
“You want your child to be in good hands so I immediately thought about Book of Knowledge,” Patterson said. “It’s family oriented. She has learned very well, picking up on a lot of things … her ABCs, colors and numbers.”
And Patterson understood her role in her daughter’s education.
“As parents, we do have to work with our children,” she said. “We can’t just put education on her teachers.”When Kamryn started counting at home, Patterson saw firsthand what learning at her daycare meant was they had not taught them to her at home yet. It has made her advocate for preparing children for kindergarten. While her daughter doesn’t have homework, she did have a weekly calendar of activities that Patterson said she reinforced such as “word of the week” or activities at home.
“This is where you can prepare your child for the next stage in life,” she said. “It’s a great foundation.”
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