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Children First 2005 Conference Summary
Educators Assets for Youth ▪ Incorporate education on 'life-skills', including training in seeking and finding employment, in the curriculum. ▪ Provide some incentive for youth to participate in positive after-school activities. ▪ Establish more resources for pregnant teens and teen moms. Establish ways of making education more accessible to them. ▪ Create a community service/work experience program that enables students to receive school credits for work or community service. ▪ Provide late buses or some form of transportation home from after-school activities. Child Welfare ▪ Improve the nurse to student ratio in Buncombe County Schools. Currently Buncombe Counties nurse to student ratio is 1:8,000 which the 4th is worst in the state. ▪ Educate children about danger signs and harmful situations that they might be presented with. For instance, raise children's awareness of what behaviors by adults are not acceptable and what they should do if a dangerous situation were to arise. ▪ Implement parent education programs that hold relevance to issues that families commonly face or might face in the future. ▪ Ensure appropriate referrals for families in crises and impart sufficient training for employees to enable them to provide adequate assistance. ▪ Encourage parent involvement in their children's education by keeping open lines of communication with families in a non-threatening manner. Early Childhood Development ▪ UNCA & AB Tech could offer more classes in the evening and weekends to make education more accessible to child care providers. ▪ UNCA & AB Tech could develop a reciprocal relationship so that student's working on degrees in Early Childhood Development can transfer credits between schools. ▪ Educators should be constantly learning. Attain the highest level of education possible and stay updated on recent information and studies dealing with early childhood development. ▪ Band together and lobby politically for a greater share of public money to address financial problems surrounding Early Childhood Development. ▪ Address the needs of Non-English speaking families. Physical Health ▪ Integrate health and fitness into the curriculum by making physical activity part of daily teaching or tie in a daily health component. ▪ Role model healthy habits by drinking water instead of soda or juice, eating healthy snacks/meals and expressing care and concern for personal and community health. ▪ Make healthy food and drink available to students. If snacks are available in the classroom make them healthy, make fresh fruit accessible, encourage kids to try "new" foods and get rid unhealthy vending machines. ▪ Provide education to parents on how to promote healthy eating and physical activity with children. ▪Offer intramural sports events that are not focused on competition. School Success ▪ Foster more parent involvement in children's education. Make it easier and more appealing to parents to get involved through parent education, support and out reach services. Mutual support can be built between home and school. ▪ Keep in touch with the community. This can be done through networking and informing the community of needs and concerns. ▪ Advocate and fight for funding. ▪ Continue to expand programs and opportunities for students. Remain aware of innovative techniques and ideas that could be beneficial to staff and students. ▪ Focus on what the students need and go from there. ▪ Keep learning!
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