Bright future ahead for Cloverdale youth

CLOVERDALE -- Dedicated to a study performed by the University of Kansas, instructors at Cloverdale Elementary School have set their sites on the future readiness of children preparing to enter kindergarten.

Two new programs, called Future Clovers and K-Readiness Preschool, will soon be offered not only to students, but to parents of those very children in an effort to spread awareness that it is indeed "never too early" to begin one's education.

Spearheaded by Principal Brad Sandy and teachers Angie Ranard and Kelly Monnett, the trio will be holding a Future Clovers program at the school on Jan. 22 to initiate such efforts.

Invitations will be sent through various media, especially through flyers and pamphlets that will be sent home with children who have younger siblings.

Although the programs are intended for the student's overall preparation and success, there are some key focuses on which Ranard and Monnett expounded during an interview with the Banner Graphic.

"We saw a study that children who live in high-income families hear up to 30 million more words by the time they're four (years-old)," Ranard said. "We thought, 'what can we do about that?'

"Our idea is just to bring kids in with their parents and not only share that information but to model it to parents."

The study indicated that, while children in lower-income families aren't necessarily mistreated, the manner of which they are raised can dictate a child's vocabulary and overall competence throughout life.

In fact, a child's future acadamia can be influenced much sooner than some expect, Monnett said.

"Part of the study showed that a child's academic ability at age three, which is really before preschool even starts, will determine their achievement in vocabulary at age nine," Monnett said, adding that only parents can affect a child at such a young age. "There's another study that shows that your reading level at (age nine) determines your academic success throughout high school.

"The younger they are, the better it will be ... there will be so much more of an impact."

January's inaugural session will be followed with similar sessions each month through May with further invitations being sent at the appropriate times. Activities will be held in a friendly environment with a predominate focus on the parents.

Donations for the programs, which will further prepare the future students with items to take home, have also been received by various members of the community.

Howard and Christine Berliner, two former educators at Monrovia, donated $1,000 to help get the program started.

For more information concerning the Future Clovers program, visit http://ces.cloverdale.k12.in.us or the school's Facebook page.