Learning coach to help in county
WAYNESBURG – The Pittsburgh Foundation recently awarded a grant of $5,513 to the Greene County United Way to fund a project relating to early childhood education.
Barbara Wise, executive director of the Greene County United Way, reached out to Community Action Southwest to put the funds to good use in the community.
CAS recently initiated an enhancement to its Washington County Head Start classrooms in which they added an early learning coach to provide extra support in classrooms where behavioral concerns are a significant issue. This funding will allow the program to expand into CAS’ Greene County classrooms.
“We were pleased to receive the attention from such a prominent organization like The Pittsburgh Foundation, and I can always count on Community Action to make things happen here in Greene County,” Wise said. “I know the challenging behaviors of a few children can affect the whole classroom. Extra support will ensure higher rates of successful kindergarten transition for all our kids.”
Jeffrey Fondelier, vice president of operations for Community Action, said the additional money will supplement the salary of the early learning coach in Washington, who now will be able to expand visits to Greene County to provide training on social and emotional development, model effective teaching strategies, assist staff in applying new techniques and create materials that promote pro-social behavior in the classroom.
CAS is confident that referrals for behavioral concerns will decrease significantly as a result of the interventions, and successful kindergarten transition will continue at a rate of 90 to 100 percent.