Reading with GRACE

Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, believes there's a pivotal difference between knowing how to read, and knowing how to read well. Children learn how to read up through third grade, she says, but from fourth grade onward, they read to learn ‹ in social studies, in science, in literature, and more.

"If their reading level is not right on par, or where it should be, they'll always be behind, right away," says Jernigan. There's a small window of time to catch those children before they fall behind, and that's where the G.R.A.C.E.S. (Giving Responsibly, Advocating for the Community, Excelling in Service) Women's Council, a newly-formed group under the local United Way, has stepped in to offer a literacy program, the group's main focus. "Not all children learn the same way," says Jernigan. "What works for some children will not work for all. Some needed a little extra help but they didn't get it."

G.R.A.C.E.S. volunteers, high school students, community members and businesspeople collect and donate books to families, libraries and other organizations; read to children in local schools; and encourage parents to read with their children.

The reading curriculum, spearheaded by Jackson teacher Marsha Sander, lasts 30 to 45 minutes per session and spans four days a week for 50 days. The book series covers areas like phonics, pronunciation and compound words. Students and volunteers read one-on-one, and the child progresses to the

next, more difficult book, when he or she can read the book with few mistakes. According to Jernigan, the program began last spring, and 91 percent of students improved and reached their appropriate reading level after completing the curriculum.

G.R.A.C.E.S. volunteer and Cape Girardeau lawyer Bekki Cook describes the literacy program as a "boost forward" for all students to improve their reading skills. "Why wouldn't you help a child at the very beginning of his schooling to be successful so he can stay up to speed?" says Cook. "The

foundation is learning to read when they can learn to read easily, so that at fourth grade they will be more successful than if they hadn't had help."

Over the summer, G.R.A.C.E.S. promoted a "Reading to Succeed" program at the regional libraries in Jackson and Scott City, and the public libraries in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The goal, says Jernigan, was for parents to use

the reading materials provided by G.R.A.C.E.S. to help their children avoid the "summer slide," of forgetting what they learned during the school year.

Jernigan says about 80 families took advantage of the materials. Due to the popularity of computers and video games, says Jernigan, and steadily growing class sizes, says Cook, it's perhaps becoming more crucial for for students to have an extra reading boost. "The best dollar spent on education is spent at earliest point in life possible," says Cook.

More from G.R.A.C.E.S

G.R.A.C.E.S. is also active in the Weekend Backpacks program, which, in coordination with the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, sends Cape Girardeau children home with backpacks full of healthy food to share with their families. Dr. Georganne Syler, professor of human environmental studies and dietetics at Southeast Missouri State University, says the program started with 36 students at Jefferson Elementary last fall and had added another 30 by spring at Blanchard Elementary. Schools and participants are chosen based

on the number of children receiving free and reduced school lunches, says Syler.

Syler has used her dietetics background to design the contents of the backpacks to provide healthier, and more, food for children and their families. "If one child's hungry, what about little brother? What about big

sister? I thought, let's try and send enough food home for the family," says Syler. "I bet we can send inexpensive food in larger packages as cheaply as we can buy individual Jell-O cups and Corn Flakes."

Volunteers pack bags with items like peanut butter, crackers, bread, and canned fruits, vegetables and soup. The bags, weighing about 12 pounds each, are then distributed to the schools and given to children from kindergarten through fourth grade. "They now have food to serve the family that's nutritious. It's not enough to provide every meal for every person, but it certainly adds to it," says Syler. The final arm of the G.R.A.C.E.S. Women's Council, a teen mother

mentoring program, is still in the planning and exploration stages, says Jernigan. Members are currently speaking with school nurses and education

leaders about the possibility of providing a day care for high school students with children of their own.