“We’re missing a demographic.”
That was Margo Shipp’s pitch to Dr. Scott Mann, Riverside Local Schools superintendent, when she first addressed her idea to start Bridge to Learning: Birth to 5, an initiative focused on families with young children. Mann agreed, and they kicked things off Tuesday night, April 25, with a community event in the school’s auditeria.
“The idea was to bring resources to people in the area who might not know they’re available,” said Shipp, a literacy specialist for the district. “It’s geared toward parents and caregivers of children not in school yet.”
Though turnout for this inaugural event was low, Shipp still hopes to do this on a yearly basis. It helps that she had support from numerous area partners. On Tuesday, representatives from organizations like Mary Rutan Hospital, the United Way of Logan County, New Path Pregnancy Resource Center and Logan County Job and Family Services set up booths around the room.
“We had a great response from our community partners and would like to work with them again,” Shipp said.
Besides finding out more about these companies, attendees were invited to enjoy hot dogs and chips, plus there was a play area for the children. They also hosted a raffle.
According to Shipp, “This initiative is about the whole child, meaning when students are healthy, feel safe, have strong supportive relationships, are challenged and experience success, and are engaged in learning that is relevant and meaningful, they are more likely to enjoy learning, develop positive social skills and achieve greater academic success.”
Shipp concluded, “We want Riverside to be a welcoming place for children, not just in school but all the time.”
For more information, contact the literacy specialist at (937) 585-5981, ext. 3030.
