An organizational meeting was held last week to discuss a new program being considered for Simpson County. The program, Excel By Five, was started through a grant from Chevron and has continued to expand from the first five counties to the existing 38 communities it now serves. The goal is simple: to have children ready to start the formal learning process by the age of five.
According to Cathy Wilson, staffer with Excel By Five, 90 percent of a child’s brain is developed by age five. But the program is much more than just seeing that a child is at a certain level academically. The program works to see that parents are properly trained and that the community is involved in setting the proper environment for the child as they are in their family unit.
The process goes a bit further by making sure that best practices from Excel By Five are in place when the child is ready to start school by age five.
There is a strong presence of Excel By Five communities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where the program first launched, as well as in northern Mississippi and the Desoto School area. Laurel, Hattiesburg, Meridian and Brandon areas also participate in the program. This is more than just focusing on the child; it includes the family and community as well.
It typically takes two years in the process to be certified as an Excel By Five community. Nominal costs are associated with the program and in some cases can be in-kind costs.
The program requires a lead support partner whose main function is to provide guidance to the community about the Excel By Five Coalition.
A required community coalition ranging in size from 10 to 15 members should represent all different segments of the community.
This is more than a one step approach to providing for a successful education of a child. It involves everything from pre-natal care to early healthcare initiatives for children to identify any potential healthcare issues. It provides resources for families and the role they should be playing in order to make sure their children have the opportunity to have a successful education process.
In trying to improve education in the county, we always encounter reasons that the process isn’t working. Excel By Five may be the way in which we start addressing issues at home like single parent families or early identification of children who live at or below poverty level and begin establishing ways to get them to a level playing field.
What we are doing does not seem to be working as well as it should so it is time to try a different approach.
If you are interested in becoming involved with Excel By Five in Simpson County, contact Deidre Clark Allen at the Simpson County School District office and see how you can participate in this worthwhile program. You may call 601-847-8000.
