The Community Education Advisory Board met last week in the Crookston High School Conference Room and discussed winter program updates for the E.C.F.E. (Early Childhood Family Education) and early screening dates for Crookston students.
E.C.F.E. Parent Educator Gina Gunderson said the E.C.F.E. winter newsletter has been released and includes a new class addition to the program. The “New Born Baby Talk” class is intended for young families with infants. “There are other communities in the state that offer this class,” said Gunderson, “It’s very successful. It’s an opportunity for young, new families to come and get to know each other. We are partnering with Polk County Public Health, and they will have a nurse there every week.”
The nurses who attend these classes will be able to weigh the infants and answer questions from parents regarding the child’s health. E.C.F.E. staff will also pick a parenting topic for every class that parents and staff can discuss. “New Born Baby Talk” takes place every Tuesday morning, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., in the Crookston Public Library, and it is free to attend.
ECFE is getting ready for the annual “Build a Wood” project. “This year will be a little different than our typical build-a-wood project,” said Gunderson, “Every third year, we use up all our wood and materials, one year we do a stool, one year we do a shelf, and the other year we do a treasure box.” This year the participants can pick any of the three options listed. This project is intended for ages birth to five; it will occur on Monday, January 29, in the Washington School gymnasium.
Minnesota has participated in the E.C.F.E. program for 50 years, and Gunderson is looking to host a Crookston E.C.F.E. reunion this summer. The program has built life-long friendships, and reuniting families who may not have seen each other in many years would be beneficial. There is no date set, but the board’s preliminary discussion indicated that a possible reunion date could occur during Ox Cart Days.
Director of the Community Education Advisory Board and principal of Washington Elementary School, Denice Oliver, informed the board that early childhood screening will occur on March 6 and 7 at Washington Elementary School. “Every year, we are required by the state to do these,” said Oliver, “We talk about what options are available for early childhood programming because if a child is developmentally delayed or we see social issues, then we can try and get them into programming to help them.”
The students will be able to partake in vision/hearing, developmental, social, and emotional screening.
Oliver also informed the board that Washington School has applied for funding from the V.P.K. (Voluntary Prekindergarten) and Pathway Grant program. “These are grants that any school district can apply for,” said Oliver, “If you qualify, then they will send you funding to defray some of the cost of early childhood programming for parents in the community.”
The amount of money disbursed from the program is decided by Kindergarten enrollment from the previous year. Washington could apply for 39 seats due to enrollment in 2022-23.
The Community Education Advisory Board will meet at noon next Tuesday, March 19, in the Crookston High School conference room.
To view the E.C.F.E. Winter Newsletter, click here.
