Phoenix group supports education with young children and parents
A Stepping Stone Foundation works with underserved families and children by simultaneously providing preschool and education for parents. Their mission is to provide a strong family foundation for future learning.
Through the group’s LEAF, Literacy Elevates Arizona Families, program it is a one-stop shop for families that need literacy support.
These young children may face a higher risk of school failure and early education can be crucial to their success.
LEAF provides yearlong preschool and programs for parent education through collaboration with public schools. Parents attend adult general education classes in conjunction with parenting classes to learn how to support their children. Parents are offered classes in English if it’s not their primary language.
Families that participate in the program receive monthly home visits from staff for ongoing support. Daycare is also provided for other siblings while the parents attend classes.
The group provides scholarships and internships to parents. Former preschoolers from the program may also be provided college scholarships.
Stepping Stone received $15,000 from Season for Sharing last year. It was one of 176 Arizona nonprofits that shared $2.1 million in donations from readers of The Republic and others who supported the annual Arizona Republic-sponsored drive.
“Season for Sharing means ensuring local disadvantaged children can enter kindergarten with the same skills as their affluent peers. It means children have a better chance reading at grade level by third grade and graduating high school on time and seeking post-secondary education,” said director Cynthia Gattorna.
What needs and or basic services is your organization providing? We provide preschool, adult education for parents, parenting classes, home visiting and intergenerational learning activities. We also provide college scholarships and internships. Quarterly forums are held for like-minded practitioners, policy makers, funders and elected officials.
What populations do you serve and how many individuals do you help? We serve families who have young children at risk of school failure due to low levels of literacy in the home for one full school year. Our capacity in pre-pandemic times was assisting 40 families annually. We are at half capacity to allow for physical distancing in our in-person preschool rooms.
How was the Season for Sharing Grant spent? Twenty children entered kindergarten ready to learn along with 20 parents who were ready to support their children throughout their education journey. Each child received approximately 500 hours of high-quality early childhood education and at least one of their parents participated in approximately 240 hours of adult education such as English or GED preparation classes, parenting classes, home visiting and intergenerational learning activities.
How do you gauge your success? Three criteria guide us:
Children are ready to enter kindergarten as demonstrated by passing all major benchmarks on the Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment system by the time they leave our program.
Parents are able to communicate in English with their child’s teacher in basic concepts such as attendance and academic progress as measured by English class testing and teacher observation.
Parents understand their child’s developmental stages and can alter their behavior accordingly – parents are their child’s first best teacher as observed by the lead preschool teachers.
What are your organization’s greatest needs? Funding. It is vital for our parents to recognize the importance of getting vaccinated so they can return to our local campuses in person. We need the larger community to understand the importance quality early learning programs can have on a disadvantaged child’s life-long trajectory. It costs approximately $150,000 for A Stepping Stone Foundation to serve 20 families in partnership with a school district for one year.
Can you share a personal story that represents and aligns with your organization’s mission?A stay-at-home mom decided to join the program because she was concerned about her daughter’s lack of social interaction with other children. She had received her high school diploma in 1997 but never attended college. She decided to attend GED classes to sharpen up her learning skills. Through the support from teachers and staff she overcame her fears and decided to pursue a college education. Her career choice: early childhood teaching.