Directors hope enrichment program reduces high-school dropout rate

A new after-school enrichment program starting Monday at Sandpoint’s Washington Elementary School aims to teach children to explore and use their natural abilities and has the potential to reduce the high-school dropout rate. The privately funded program is the realization of a longtime goal for directors Donna Glenn, Donna Lang and Laurie Hillenbrand.

The program is ambitious. Beginning directly after the end of the regular school day, kids will receive a snack and then participate in 30 minutes of directed physical activity. After light refreshment, 30 to 45 minutes will be spent on homework with a certified teacher acting as a tutor. Then for 75 to 90 minutes, children will be engaged in hands-on enrichment activities. The type of activity will vary from day to day. Mondays and Wednesdays are currently slotted for language and literacy or arts and crafts. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be math and science projects. Fridays will be used to handle the overflow from activities conducted earlier in the week.

“We want a program where children want to come and participate,” said Lang, a retired elementary school teacher with 29 years of experience and a degree in elementary education from the University of Idaho.

Glenn first became focused on after-school enrichment programs after winning a competition sponsored in part by The National Inventors Hall of Fame. While at the Orlando, Fla., event, she learned the importance after-school programs had played in the lives of each of the inventors. In early 2005, she assisted in bringing an eight-week after-school program called Club Invention to Washington Elementary. The program was sponsored by Panhandle State Bank and The National Inventors Hall of Fame.

When that project ended, parents like Hillenbrand were eager for another program to continue the good work. Having served before on the board of an enrichment program while living in Portland, Hillenbrand knew the advantages available to kids who could partake of an after-school program. She contacted Glenn, and from there they asked Lang to join them in developing the Washington Elementary pilot program.

“We are looking for volunteers,” said Lang. “We need people from the community who are willing to provide the children with dance, music, art, engineering, architecture, mechanics and a variety of other enriching opportunities.”

Instructors and volunteers will undergo fingerprinting and background checks to help ensure safety. Parents will be required to come inside to collect their children, which will also present an opportunity to discover what their kids are learning.

The enrichment program will also assist children with learning disabilities, and the directors are intent upon securing the services of a speech pathologist and screening children who enter the program.

“Early intervention is the key to helping children overcome,” said Glenn. While in the womb, Glenn’s daughter suffered a stroke that affected her speech and motor skills. “I know the hardships parents face in getting the assistance they need. The costs and time involved are overwhelming for lower- and middle-income families who require two paychecks just to make ends meet.

“We want to help families cope with daily stress and provide a nurturing environment for the development of natural gifts,” added Lang. “With early intervention, we believe we can help reduce the dropout rate at the high school level.”

According to the School Report Card issued by Sandpoint High School, the school’s dropout rate for the 2005-06 school year was more than 11 percent. The dropout rate was higher than 18 percent for the Lake Pend Oreille School District as a whole. Lang and Glenn believe that if they can increase a child’s desire to learn and provide a safe environment for developing skills, they will help empower kids to see their education to completion.

Funding for the enrichment program is coming from a variety of sources, including donations, grants, registration fees and tuition. To make the program available to as many children as possible, Glenn has certified it with the state as a licensed day-care facility. This designation makes it possible for low-income families to apply for assistance through the Idaho Child Care Program.

Enrollment will be capped at 85 students. However, Lang and Glenn want to see the program spread to every school in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

“We’ll need people who are willing to help take this program and start it at their own children’s schools,” Glenn said.