Tips for parents as Kindergarten starts…

We thought, with school starting and all, that this was appropriate to pass along…enjoy! These are exciting times…

Tips for parents
DEBBIE CAFAZZO; The News Tribune

After more than two decades in the kindergarten classroom, teacher Kelly King of Point Defiance Elementary School in Tacoma knows what it takes to get kids off to a good start in school. Here’s her advice for parents:

• Get kids excited about learning. Talk to them about school and how much fun it’s going to be. Even if you had a hard time in school, be enthusiastic with your child.

• Develop your child’s language skills. Talk about what you see when you’re driving. Speak in complete sentences.

• Teach your child to learn to listen by reading stories, attending library story time or making up stories with your child.

• Help your child develop independence. A kindergarten student can open his own juice box, hang up her coat or put away toys. She might not be able to tie her own shoes yet. Don’t worry – buy shoes with Velcro ties.

• Foster the child’s ability to play with others. Get involved with a play group.

• Help encourage fine motor skills development by stringing Cheerios on a pipe cleaner, playing with clothespins or with Lego toys. Those skills will help your child hold a pencil when he goes to kindergarten.

• While a kindergarten child might not know the alphabet, it’s important to foster letter recognition and number sense. When you drive past a store, point to the first letter and say its name out loud. Help count things.

• On the first day of school, keep good-byes cheerful and quick. Don’t come back and peek in the window.

“I’ve never had a child cry for more than five minutes after Mommy and Daddy drove off,” says King.

News Tribune article highlights 25 years at Helping Hand House

Wanted to point you a great article in the Tacoma News Tribune highlighting the lessons learned in 25 years of working to end homelessness in Pierce County. Attached below, check it out at the TNT here.

For 25 years, these helping hands have worked to end homelessness, a family at a time

KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Last updated: June 3rd, 2009 12:15 AM (PDT)

In a perfect world, 4,618 families would show up for this month’s 25th anniversary of Helping Hand House.A total of 12,554 moms, dads and kids would be there to tell how the Puyallup nonprofit helped them rebuild their lives after homelessness.

When Margie Addington founded Helping Hand House to serve families in East Pierce County, in 1984, she worked on her own with the backing of service clubs and grants.

The original idea was basic: Get families into housing. Expect them to find a job.

When Addington retired in 1997, Helping Hand House operated 11 homes on an annual budget of $165,000.

The annual budget is $1.9 million now. They operate 60 units, and every family has a case manager.

“They were one of the first organizations to shift their mission from ‘serving’ to ending and preventing homelessness,” said Troy Christensen, chairman of The Road Home leadership team. “They were the first organization to provide Housing First to the families in Pierce County.”

Kathy Doubikin knows about it first-hand. After a move and a divorce, she and her three sons ended up without a home, friends or family. In early 2008, Helping Hands had an opening.

“Having a place to go was a blessing,” the Puyallup resident said. “Having someone to listen to, care for and encourage me to take the steps necessary to start saving and rebuilding was a blessing.”

She began taking classes on budgeting, home and car repairs, job searches, cooking, canning. She got her sons enrolled in school. She opened a savings account. She found three part-time jobs, one of which developed into a full-time managerial position.

“I’m at the point of graduating out this Christmas,” she said.

“They back you up,” Doubikin said. “They listen to you.”

Empathy for the homeless goes right to the top of the Helping Hands hierarchy – all the way to Nola Renz, the executive director who replaced Addington 12 years ago.

Renz grew up in a family that bounced in and out of housing from state to state in the Northern Plains.

“The earliest recollection I have of it was when I was about 4,” she said. “We were sleeping in our car. I didn’t know we were homeless. We were camping.”

There were no shelters then, no food banks. The family had burned through the kindness of relatives. Renz attended nearly two dozen schools, none of which had help for homeless students.

“The schools wouldn’t let you take books home,” she said. “You couldn’t check out library books.”

Renz once took 50 cents from the family’s money jar to buy school supplies. Her father met her at the door with a switch.

“That’s why it is so important to me that our children are fully equipped for school,” she said. “That is huge.”

“We see ourselves ending homelessness, not just for grown-ups, but for the next generation,” said Marion Hogan, Helping Hand House’s deputy development director.

Renz graduated from high school, married, had three children and fled a dangerous relationship. She struggled, found a decent job, then another, and put herself through college.

Today Renz tells her clients that if she could work and go to school at the same time, they can, too.

And they do.

“If our parents are in school, they have to work 20 hours a week, too.” Hogan said.

They know they are the lucky ones.

Last month, more than 300 families called for help that would keep them from losing their homes.

“We could serve 18,” Renz said.

Another 400 people called needing homes.

“That’s up from 50 a month” last year, she said. “We can serve four, or five, tops. Pretty depressing, huh?”

You bet it is, especially since Helping Hand House has shown us how to do better.

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com

What: 25th anniversary celebration for Helping Hand House

When: June 11, 3 to 7 p.m.

Where: Pioneer Park pavilion, downtown Puyallup

Originally published: June 3rd, 2009 12:15 AM (PDT)

“One child in 50 will be homeless…”

According to the Associated Press, as reported in the Tacoma News Tribune, “One U.S. child in 50 takes turn being homeless.” The article continues:

One of every 50 American children experiences homelessness, according to a new report that says most states have inadequate plans to address the worsening problem. The report being released today (3/10/09) by the National  Center on Family Homelessness gives Conneticut the best ranking. Texas is at the bottom. Washington is in the middle at 25th. The report’s overall state rankings reflect performance in four areas: child homelessness per capita, child well-being, risk for child homelessness, and state policy and planning. The report analyzes data from 2005-6. It estimates that 1.5 million children experienced homelessness at least once that year.

And if that was ’05-’06, who knows what that number is now…? These are heartbreaking numbers – but believable – and ones we are working hard to reverse. Take a look around the next time you pick your child up at school…how many of those children waiting for a parent don’t have a safe home to sleep in tonight? A car is a hard place for a first grader to grow up…