CARING COMMUNITY PROJECT IS UNDER WAY LOCALLY

In an upstairs classroom at May Greene Elementary School, representatives of three community agencies are working together to help children stay in school and out of trouble.

Cape Girardeau's Caring Communities Project, funded by a state grant, is one of just five sites in Missouri experimenting with this type of cooperation.

Nearly a year of planning has gone into the project. The school district has been working closely with Cape Girardeau's Community Caring Council, an interagency team with similar goals for the entire community.

Last year, the school district received a $40,000 grant, hired Jo Boyer to coordinate the project and set about looking at ways to bring together information about what services are available in Cape Girardeau.

This year the project has been put to work at May Greene. "The project offers school-based or home-based wrap-around services for at-risk students and their families," said Boyer.

Working with Boyer are Marie Walker, a social service worker with the Division of Family Services, and Michael Harris, a case manager with Community Counseling Center.

In addition to the agencies working directly from the school, other agencies and organizations are working with the school, Boyer said.

Programs with the Retired Senior Volunteers Program (RSVP), the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the juvenile office's new Minority Youth Services Project are all in the works.

"We want to involve the community as much as possible," said Boyer.

May Greene was selected as the pilot site for a number of reasons, Boyer said. "This community is smaller than some other elementary school communities and there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed here," she said.

Working from a school-based office, Walker said much of her work involves intervention. When teachers notice what could be a problem, they can notify her.

"I will go out and make contact with the family, discuss what seems to be the problem and see what we can do to resolve the problem.

"It could be truancy, or a child that can't get to school on time, a child that comes inadequately clothed or without adequate food," Walker said.

The goal is to correct the situation before the child is in danger of neglect or abuse. She currently works with six families, but could have a caseload of 20-25 families.

"Parents have been receptive so far," Walker said. "They have told me it's good to know somebody is here specifically to help them with their issues."

As a case manager, Harris helps assess the needs of children and seeks out programs to help the youngster. "It might be getting the child involved in social or recreational activities or getting the child medical attention," Harris explained.

The Community Counseling Center plans to hire a therapist to work at the school soon, he added.

Although the agency representatives are classified as school-based, Harris said he believes they are more aptly described as home-based. "Instead of working across a desk here, we will be working over the kitchen table or in the living room of the parents," he said.

The next step, Boyer said, is to go out into the community to find out what services parents and families need and want.

Team members said they also hope to let more parents know the service is available. "We want to encourage parents to become more involved in the lives of their children and the school," said Walker.