Parenting

Do you know more than a kindergartener is supposed to know?

January 8, 2015 Kristen Harper Educational, Parenting

Written by: Holly Haggerty, Executive Director

Which one of these would you expect a kindergartener to do on their first day of school?

A. Write a Story
B. Learn the names of the letters
C. Write a sentence

If you chose B (learn the names of the letters) you would be wrong. On my daughter Dagny’s first day of kindergarten, she was asked to do C–write a sentence.

When I enrolled Dagny in kindergarten this year, it was not without some amount of trepidation. My older three children had attended private school throughout their elementary years and came out with their basics fully in.

But my husband and I decided to enroll our fourth child in a public charter school which emphasizes the arts. The school is also one of the top schools in the county for students performing at grade level.

We felt that if any child could succeed in public school it was Dagny. After all, I had practically been preparing her for school since she was born.

I was not prepared, however, for the curriculum changes prompted by Florida’s new standards.

Resolve to help even more in 2015!

January 2, 2015 Kristen Harper Educational, Parenting

I am really proud of everything the Community Learning Center has accomplished over the past 16 years—first and foremost, the educational help we have provided to thousands of struggling kids across Florida.

In 2015 however, we want to take our help to the next level. For years, we have been helping parents by providing them with tips and tools they can use to help their own kids. This year we plan to make these tips and tools more easily available by publishing on our blog. Additionally, we will discuss what we observe is being done well in schools along with what is not. Because we help kids from all over the county, we have a pretty good perspective on what is happening or isn’t.

The fact of the matter is this: in spite of the huge number of wonderful teachers, administrators, caring parents, active community groups and smart kids we have in Pinellas and Florida, something is wrong—very wrong. Nearly 30% of Florida students drop out of school ¹ and here in Pinellas 45% third graders read below grade level.²

Parent Success Story

August 6, 2013 Kristen Harper Parenting

Morning Tutoring Program Success

“I’m so very pleased with Tori’s success at the Community Learning Center. She has come up two whole grades in English and math! Thank you for pushing her so far forward with her studies. She always looked great when I picked her up from your Center.”

E.O. (mother)

Parent Tip – Parent-Teacher Conferences

April 22, 2013 Kristen Harper Parenting

Be prepared for your Parent-Teacher Conference

Parent-teacher conferences are a common part of a family’s educational experience. They give parents an opportunity to increase communication between school and home and to develop a plan for your student’s future. Get the most out of these conferences by planning ahead and following these easy steps.

Parent Tip – FCAT Test Preparation

March 20, 2013 Kristen Harper Parenting No comments

FCAT Vocabulary Help

Toward the end of every school year, students in 3rd grade through 10th grade are required to take the FCAT test. FCAT stands for Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. An easy way to help your student improve his performance on the FCAT is to make sure all of the FCAT vocabulary is well understood.

The following list of words was taken from an FCAT preparation book. Start by defining the word strategy as a skillful plan to understand what is read. Each week, have your child learn some of these words by defining the word in a way they understand and using it in sentences until they really get it. Work on a part of the list each week until you finish the whole list.

Parent Success

February 18, 2013 Kristen Harper Parenting No comments

Clearwater Tutoring Services Success

“Before tutoring services, Brandon would cry when it was time to do his homework. He used to feel completely lost and would become very upset. He had an F on his report card in math and a D in reading and writing.”

“Shortly after he started his tutoring services, Brandon’s attitude started changing for the better. His teacher noticed that his self-esteem had greatly improved. Now, he does his homework without being asked and I don’t have any problems to handle. He pulled his math grade up to an A and his reading and writing grade up to a B! He is so much happier and feels smarter now.” – N.F. (mother)

Parent Tip – Money

January 9, 2013 Kristen Harper Parenting No comments

Parents and “The Economy”

During this country’s troubling economic times, your family’s finances may often be a topic of dinnertime conversation. Parents, you can use these discussions to help your kids understand money and budgets. You can also help them take steps to prepare for their financial future.

The media frequently reports that the economy is in rough shape and many of us are impacted in some way. Find out what your children are hearing in school, on the news and from friends and answer any questions they may have. Use this opportunity to explain what your family may be doing to cut back on spending and find ways to involve your kids in this process, e.g. Mom explains that when she and Dad take the two kids to the movie theater it costs $34.00 for the tickets, but the kids can choose a movie from the DVD rental box for $1.00. Let the kids do the math and discover that this is a savings of $33.00 for the family. You can take this one step further by using the $33.00 you saved on movies to shop for groceries. When the children see that the “movie money” will buy milk, juice, eggs, yogurt, bread and meat for the family, they really get the idea that smart spending is key to future prosperity.

Parent Tip – Pre-school

November 20, 2012 Kristen Harper Parenting No comments

Beginning Reading Help

There are several great ways to begin teaching your child his alphabet long before he starts school. Playing with the sounds of letters and words and having fun with language will help your child begin learning to read before he ever steps foot into a classroom!

A few of these activities are as follows:
Letter practice: Have your child use his finger to trace each letter of the alphabet while saying the name of the letter and the sound the letter makes. You can do this by using alphabet flashcards, pieces of paper with letters written on them or a sandbox. The combination of sight, touch and speech used in this activity can have a powerful effect on your child’s ability to understand.