The T-REx (The Ridge Exploration) Kids after school and summer program is available to youth ages 6-15. This program provides reading and math tutoring as part of our enrichment programming. NWCH collectively collaborates with other agencies and programs bringing opportunities for personal growth, additional education, and exposure to a variety of future career options and volunteer opportunities. The youth learn other important skills such as communication, employment preparation, self-respect and self-esteem building, safety and emergency preparedness, awareness of drug and alcohol abuse, positive decision making, nutrition, diet and exercise, cooking and other educational components. The Resident Services Coordinator (RSC) works with several agencies throughout the year to provide these various programs to the youth.
Goal: To expand and continue to provide free after school and summer programming to youth ages 6-15 years and implement additional curriculum (ESOL and STEM).Our program consists of high levels of impoverished youth and a large minority of Hispanic/Latino youth (whose English language deficiencies increase the barriers to literacy success in school and education). The T-REx After school and Summer Kids
Program is literacy-focused; assisting children succeed in the new school district mandated education requirements and have incorporated it into the existing Ridge program. This past year, NWCH again partnered with Youth Development Coalition of Lincoln County and received a final Collective Impact Grant from the Youth Development Council of Oregon addressing literacy with the children of Lincoln County.
This is the second year of operation supporting reading literacy for youth from 1st grade to 15 years of age, also known as “Priority Youth”.
The T-REx (The Ridge Exploration) Kids After school Program engages the youth in what is known as the 20-20-20 rule: 20 minutes of reading to youth, 20 minutes of individual reading, and 20 minutes of group associated word activities. Tutors meet individually with the children in 10-minute intervals providing one-on-one tutoring with curriculum activities made for their reading level and need, i.e. dyslexia. The youth are all pre and post tested quarterly through a science based testing tool with the associated curriculum. The results are shared with the children and the parents. Once the youth reach grade level, they can move on to math literacy in the same manner which we are excited to begin implementing this quarter. This literacy program has been serving the 1st grade to 5th grade youth more recently and the program will continued to be offered for youth residing outside the Ridge.
During at least one to two days a month, the T-REx Program provides a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) day where kindergarten and preschool age ranges may also attend. The Tween Math Club program will be in its’ 1st year for grades 5th to ages 15. This program uses iPads for the online math program. They continue to learn how to budget through “Hands On Banking” with Wells Fargo Bank and their education consultant. (Donated by Wells Fargo Bank) The Tween Math Club definitely takes a more hands on approach to learning numbers such as the X,Y Factors through games, similar to Battleship. Since the Ridge population consists of 47% Hispanic families, the language barrier creates yet another obstacle for youth and parents to overcome. NWCH will again be partnering with the Oceana Literacy Center(OLC), with ESOL Classes on-site at the Ridge.
Objective: The T-REx literacy program goal is to assist youth to graduate from high school and move on to a higher level education or career readiness. Studies show after school programs assist children with academic success. Data collected from 2015 – 2016 Oregon Department of Education (ODE) district report card shows only 62.6% of Lincoln County students graduated as compared to the state rate of 68.7% with 4.3% dropping out. The 2015 – 2016 LCSD state tests reflect poor performance by students in grades 3-5 with 36.7% in reading and 50.3% in math not meeting state performance. Math skills of many teen youth are very low, hindering graduation. The 2012-2013 LCSD 11th grade math state exams indicated 41.3% did not meet state standards. Two-thirds (2/3) of LCSD students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in the 2012-2013 school year. Students of lowest performance are under served due to race, ethnicity, English language proficiency, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, differently abled, or geographical barriers. In March 2014, the USDA published “Poverty and Deep Poverty Increasing in Rural America” indicating total number of people living in poverty and deep poverty is growing. Deep poverty among children is more acute in rural areas (12.2%) than in urban areas (9.2%). A chilling statistic from Children First of Oregon reports in 2013 Lincoln County child poverty rate at 33% with 2249 children under 18 years of age in poverty; only two other counties in the state rank worse. In Lincoln County, American Indian, Asian and Latino residents earn incomes that are almost half that of the White population and 24% of individuals, who have not completed high school or attained a GED; earn wages below the poverty level.
Outputs: The Ridge T-REx tutor and RSC provide programming implementing three reading improvement elements at a minimum of three days a week. These include large group Read Aloud (20 minutes daily), individual student free-choice reading (20 minutes daily), and one-on-one or small group reading intervention using specific research-based curriculum (20 minutes daily). The program provides pre and post assessments to monitor individual student progress and has shown vast literacy improvements.
As enrichment to the program, partners are the OSU Extension Office Nutritionist providing Family Literacy Night events quarterly and monthly nutrition education programming. Other partners include the Master Gardener’s providing important planting and harvesting techniques.
