Improving Literacy Among Child Care Providers
By Doug Nadvornick
The WSU Extension office in Pasco has worked to improve the quality of child care facilities operated by Latinos.
Some providers are very undereducated or even preliterate. Franklin County Extension director Lauri Sherfey says the Washington Department of Early Learning, which licenses child care operations, theorizes that the quality of care is lower at facilities operated by people with little formal education.
In 2008, Sherfey landed a Gates Foundation grant of almost a million dollars to test that hypothesis. For the last three years, WSU Extension tutors have been instructing area child care operators how to read and write.
"The goal is to raise the literacy level of the caregivers and therefore improve safety and learning environments for children in their care," says Sherfey.
She says Extension has worked with more than 100 people, including Hortencia Ferrusca.
"As a young girl I never had the privilege of going to school because I always had to work," Ferrusca said. "It is sad to grow up and not have an education, but it is never too late to learn."
In three years, she advanced from grade school level study to earning a Child Development Associate credential from Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
"The dedication of these people has kept us going," said Lauri Sherfey. "They work full days at their jobs and have families to take care of, as well as studying with us." There's more involved than just the classroom work. Sherfey says trained observers performed pre and post tests to measure increases of quality in the licensed home facilities where her students work. She says the observers have documented that child care environments become better, safer places for children as the operators advance in their education.
The Pathways program in Franklin County is now moving through a transition. It is beginning to recruit adults in fields other than child care. Sherfey has hired an Americorps volunteer to continue operating the program through mid-2012.
At the same time, Pathways will have to become self-sufficient. The Gates Foundation money is nearly gone and Sherfey is beginning the search for private funding.
She has reduced operations for now, but she has dreams of expanding the program to include regular English classes for Spanish speakers and occasional workshops on health and personal finance topics.
By Doug Nadvornick
The WSU Extension office in Pasco has worked to improve the quality of child care facilities operated by Latinos.
Some providers are very undereducated or even preliterate. Franklin County Extension director Lauri Sherfey says the Washington Department of Early Learning, which licenses child care operations, theorizes that the quality of care is lower at facilities operated by people with little formal education.
In 2008, Sherfey landed a Gates Foundation grant of almost a million dollars to test that hypothesis. For the last three years, WSU Extension tutors have been instructing area child care operators how to read and write.
"The goal is to raise the literacy level of the caregivers and therefore improve safety and learning environments for children in their care," says Sherfey.
She says Extension has worked with more than 100 people, including Hortencia Ferrusca.
"As a young girl I never had the privilege of going to school because I always had to work," Ferrusca said. "It is sad to grow up and not have an education, but it is never too late to learn."
In three years, she advanced from grade school level study to earning a Child Development Associate credential from Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
"The dedication of these people has kept us going," said Lauri Sherfey. "They work full days at their jobs and have families to take care of, as well as studying with us." There's more involved than just the classroom work. Sherfey says trained observers performed pre and post tests to measure increases of quality in the licensed home facilities where her students work. She says the observers have documented that child care environments become better, safer places for children as the operators advance in their education.
The Pathways program in Franklin County is now moving through a transition. It is beginning to recruit adults in fields other than child care. Sherfey has hired an Americorps volunteer to continue operating the program through mid-2012.
At the same time, Pathways will have to become self-sufficient. The Gates Foundation money is nearly gone and Sherfey is beginning the search for private funding.
She has reduced operations for now, but she has dreams of expanding the program to include regular English classes for Spanish speakers and occasional workshops on health and personal finance topics.
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Child care provider Hortencia Ferrusca (foreground) during a literacy class in Pasco. (Photo courtesy of Lauri Sherfey)