Members of the ServeMinnesota program met with 森. Tom Saxhaug Friday morning at Murphy Elementary School to discuss the success of the AmeriCorps programs and called for legislative investment into the program.
The short meeting featured a welcome from Murphy Elementary’s principal, 肖恩·马丁森, and presentations from the ServeMinnesota Director of Strategic Implementation Erin Haley-Strub, 阅读队, Pre-K Lead Master Coach Allison Breininger, and ServeMinnesota Vice President of External Relations Lisa Winkler.
ServeMinnesota requested an increase of $5.8 million for the 2017 fiscal year and $6.3 million in 2018 and beyond. This is more than a 90 percent increase in funding for 阅读队, to reach more children in early learning centers and schools throughout the state, targeting resources where there is lowest proficiency. Nearly 90 percent of current funding for ServeMinnesota comes from state and federal aid.
阅读队, will also place new tutors and expand to 160 licensed family child care settings and 100 head start classrooms with a goal of serving more than 35,000个孩子.
“I think this program really demonstrates that… investing in a program that is proven to work is a good decision,温克勒说.
去年, the ServeMinnesota AmeriCorps 阅读队 Program has helped more than 30,000 students become successful readers in Minnesota with more than 1,400 tutors and nearly 1,000个地点. The Minnesota 阅读队 also operates in 77 of 87 counties and 279 school districts.
“If students are not [proficient] by eighth grade, that’s an indication that future school is going to be a struggle,” said Haley-Strub.
Saxhaug had the opportunity to see the program in action during the meeting by watching some 阅读队 students and their tutors at work.
“We have found that when the state legislature actually sees a program in action it has profound effect on their support,” said ServeMinnesota Lobbyist Josh Downham.
A recent study in Chicago shows elementary schools and preschool programs that implement 阅读队 have significantly greater outcomes from their students than programs that do not have access to 阅读队. Preschool participants surpassed their peers on all five early literacy measures: picture name fluency, 押韵流利, alliteration fluency, letter sound fluency, and letter name fluency.
“You can see that by the end that all of our kids met or exceeded the target,” said Breininger.
ServeMinnesota was created in 1994 to administer and coordinate a variety of community service and volunteer programs Their mission is to serve as a catalyst for addressing critical needs in Minnesota by working with AmeriCorps and community partners.
“[ServeMinnesota] fills in parts where rural Minnesota does not necessarily have the resources to do as much early childhood as needed,” said Saxhaug about the importance of the 阅读队 program.
When asked if he would give ServeMinnesota support Saxhaug replied, “我们将, if I have anything to do with it.”
For additional information about ServeMinnesota and AmeriCorps programs visit escortankara-tr.com.
