650 West North Street | PO Box 111 | Auburn, Indiana 46706 | 260.925.0311
10-24-2011 - United Way Donates to Learning Link
The Star
Learning Link, an initiative of the DeKalb County Community Foundation, receives a grant from United Way of DeKalb County in support of bringing the community together around raising the level of educational attainment. From left are Dave Bunn, United Way board president; Julie Hill-Lauer, United Way executive director; Judy Sorg, Learning Link director; and Erik Weber, Learning Link Steering Committee chair.
AUBURN — Learning Link, an education initiative of the DeKalb County Community Foundation, shared its progress and invited input at its semi-annual community meeting Oct. 10 at the First United Methodist Church in Auburn.
“The United Way of DeKalb County is committed to supporting education,” United Way executive director Julie Hill-Lauer said at the event. “Our board of directors is happy to support Learning Link’s efforts in bringing the community together around lifelong learning with a grant of over $28,000.”
“This is a wonderful example of countywide collaboration,” Learning Link committee chair Erik Weber said.
In progress reports, early childhood team member Tonya Weaver reported that of 426 incoming kindergarten students countywide in 2011, 38 percent were screened as “ready” in the three domains measured: academic, social and language skill development. The team’s goal is for 50 percent of entering kindergarten students in 2012 to screen as “ready.”
Weaver added, “Now that our targets and domains are clearly identified, we believe the community can collectively make an impact on school readiness for all children.”
The early childhood team then shared a video titled “Early Learning Matters,” which emphasized the importance of early childhood education (see the video at ECAlliance.org). Team members Carrie Holbert, representing Garrett-Keyser-Butler Head Start, and Sherry Hanchar, Butler Early Education, shared examples from their own programs that illustrated what quality early childhood education could look like. Well-trained staff, continually assessing children’s progress, and taking advantage of teachable moments were three quality indicators mentioned by Holbert and Hanchar.
The kindergarten to 12th grade education team also reported recent actions, including KiPS, a summer program that prepares children for success in kindergarten in the DeKalb Eastern district, and DeKalb Reads, a workshop series for parents of kindergarten students striving to reach grade level in the DeKalb Central and Garrett-Keyser-Butler school districts. A team focused on promoting school-business partnerships reported on the multitude of ways businesses can become involved in shaping the future workforce. Roadmaps describing each team’s accomplishments can be found at DeKalbLearningLink.org. Click on “news,” then“semi-annual overviews.”
At the close of the evening, meeting participants were asked to identify the most important next steps to moving the initiative forward. Participants favored going to parents and building trusting relationships to enhance parents’ skills, along with making quality early childhood care and education more accessible for families. Another high priority was creating community awareness around the need for higher levels of adult learning in DeKalb County.
Learning Link, an initiative of the DeKalb County Community Foundation, provides a platform upon which community members can work together to improve the quality of life for all in DeKalb County through continuous learning.
“Imagine if DeKalb County could say 90 percent of our kids are entering kindergarten ready to learn. Learning Link efforts benefit the DeKalb County community’s quality of life, income levels and personal satisfaction,” Weber said.