Students from needy families place burden on schools, By Frank Schultz, April 28, 2013, Janesville Gazette: “Mud, slips, rips and other accidents often mean a trip to the aides’ room at Adams Elementary School. That’s where Jackie Wastak and the other aides store most of their replacement clothing. They have everything from shoes and boots, underwear, socks, pants and tops sorted by size in cardboard boxes. Often, it’s not an accident. Sometimes it’s a boy who comes to school with no heels left in his shoes. ‘They walk everywhere,’ Wastak said of some families. ‘They don’t have cars. They literally walk the soles off their shoes.’ Wastak started at Adams in 2000. Then, there was a box of one-size-fits-all clothing under the cot in the nurse’s office. Needs have grown…”
Month: April 2013
Pre-Kindergarten Programs
State spending per preschooler hits lowest level in decade, programs face questions on quality, Associated Press, April 28, 2013, Washington Post: “State funding for pre-kindergarten programs had its largest drop ever last year and states are now spending less per child than they did a decade ago, according to a report released Monday. The researchers also found that more than a half million of those preschool students are in programs that don’t even meet standards suggested by industry experts that would qualify for federal dollars. And 10 states don’t offer any dollars to pay for prekindergarten classrooms…”
Foster Care Program – Wisconsin
The foster care gap: More parents retiring; fewer signing up to shelter children, By Patrick B. Anderson, April 28, 2013, La Crosse Tribune: “Carol Callaway opens her home to children most people deem untamable. The 66-year-old Galesville woman offers treatment foster care, which means she usually takes the hard-luck cases. Her children come from juvenile detention centers and mental hospitals, and carry backgrounds Callaway describes as ‘horrendous.’ More than have 40 crossed her doorstep in nearly 20 years as a foster parent. Callaway plans to retire this summer so she can spend time with her biological family. More and more foster parents like Callaway are leaving the system, even as demand for foster care is rising. And there aren’t many new families stepping up to fill the gap…”