SPARKING HOPE FOR AT-RISK KIDS

Hub program helps children catch up

About four dozen youngsters crossed the stage yesterday at the SPARK Center to celebrate a year of growth — tackling developmental, physical and mental challenges head-on as they prepare for kindergarten in Boston Public Schools.

The students, ranging from infants to 5-year-olds, all have some level of medical or behavioral need from autism, cerebral palsy, to Down syndrome, or have suffered from abuse and neglect or are involved with the Department of Children and Families.

But at SPARK — Supporting Parents and Resilient Kids — a program of Boston Medical Center that began nearly 25 years ago, teachers, nurses and therapists help the children catch up to their peers and prepare for kindergarten.

Three of the 40 kids donned bright yellow caps and gowns yesterday in front of friends and family to walk across the stage in the backyard of the Mattapan day care, on their way to kindergarten.

“We prepare those kids so they have a better chance when they enter Boston Public Schools,” said Barbara Hughes, program coordinator. “We find these kids are so advanced compared to where they would be.”

“Without SPARK, these kids would be lost. It is that home for them,” said Dr. Bob Vinci, chairman of pediatrics at BMC.

“I’m a single mother. I was planning to bring him to a day care I didn’t think could meet his needs. Finding this place was a godsend,” said Kristine Dyment of Roslindale, whose 15-month-old son, Bennett, was born with a brain injury that makes it difficult for him to eat independently. “I felt immediately this was the place for me.”

The early intervention program serves some of Boston’s highest-risk kids — a service Mayor Martin J. Walsh said the city needs more of to help the many kids suffering from trauma, abuse, physical and mental disabilities. Roughly 72.4 percent of Boston students are classified as high need, compared with 43.5 percent statewide, state education data shows.

Meanwhile, 19.6 percent of kids are students with disabilities.

“It has a huge impact on the city. SPARK and Boston Medical Center are helping these young kids and getting them back on track. There is a lot of kids in need of this service,” Walsh told the Herald.

“There is a need for more,” he said.

STAFF PHOTOS BY ANGELA ROWLINGS ‘A GODSEND’: Kristine Dyment, left, of Roslindale holds her 15-month-old son, Bennett, as they interact with lead infant teacher Sharrone Marcano at SPARK in Mattapan. Above, Mayor Martin J. Walsh speaks during the SPARK preschool graduation yesterday.