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Three- year grant allows center to continue work with elementary pupils
BY TOYA LYNN STEWART /Garland Morning News
Thursday, August 9, 2001
A truancy prevention program that targets elementary students int he Garland district is getting state financial aid.
The galaxy Counseling Center received a three-year state grant that will "help offset the funding shortage for the Truancy Intervention and Prevention Program," said Shelley Franklin, development director for the center.
The center will receive $11,555 the first year, $9244 the second year, and $6,933 the third year for Criminal Justice Division of the governor's office.
To help prevent truancy among elementary students, the nonprofitt agency offers a five-week curriculum that reaches parents how to get a child to school and help the children at school, counseling center staff said.
The program addresses the district's truancy laws, stress management, responsibility, time management and the consequences of truancy. It also focuses on teaching children how to enjoy school
"There are a lot of programs for middle - and high-school kids who are truant, but not for elementary kids," Ms. Franklin said. "There wasn't a formal curriculum we could borrow from, so we ha to create our own."
The program, which began in March, also stresses the importance of attendance and how it relates to a child's education. The program costs $100 to the families.
"Whether it's five families or 20 families, it costs us the same to provide the services," Ms. Franklin said. "It costs the center about $280 per family and that included the staff time and the cost of supplies,"
The counseling center "wen into this knowing we needed outside funding," Ms Franklin said. " We would have still offered the program without the grant, but we would have had to have gotten funding .... our budget alone wouldn't allow us to fund it,"
The truancy program is a collaborative effort between the counseling center and Precint 4 Justice of the Peace John Sholden.
The partnership began after Judge Sholden expressed a need for a truancy that targeted elementary students. The counseling center heeded the call and developed the program specifically to meet the need. The center's fourth cycle of the program begins Aug. 16.
"From the court standpoint, it's wonderful to have Galaxy doing this type of program," Judge Sholden said. "What feedback I do get is that school attendance seems to be very, very good after they go through the program."
The program helps students and their parents understand the importance of timeliness, Judge Sholden.
"Parents think, 'What's the beg deal? their child is just a little late," Judge Sholden said. "Well, it is a big deal. And then they're mad that they're order to go get professional assistance, and that's what Galaxy is, it's professional assistance."
During the 1999-2000 school year, about 375 truancy cases were filed against children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Garland school district, according to the Galaxy Counseling Center. The number rose to 447 in 2000-001.
Charges can be filed against parents if a child has missed school, whole or parts of days. The charges are punishable by a fine of up to $500, and sanctions can be issued against the parents.
"I can fine them, but the ultimate goal is that their child gets an education," Judge Sholden said. If he requires the program, the judge will deduct the cost of the program form the fine. "If the fine is 250, I deduct $100, so the fine is $150.
"It is costing them time, but it' s time with their child, and that isn't a bad thing," Judge Sholden said.
Since its inception, the center has received 71 referrals, 20 of them in July, from Judge Sholden's courtroom. Not counting the July referrals, Ms. Franklin said, about half of the families had completed half the program.
According to the center's records, the most common reasons for tardiness or truancy are not getting up or getter ready on time, illness, car trouble or inadequate transportation, change in the parent's work schedules, and inaccurate or inconsistent reporting of tardiness or absences by the school.
During the program, participants meet with two therapists for a 90-minute session each week. The child and the parents meet with the therapists as a family and individually, said Scott Luff, a therapist at the counseling center.
"The final session is a family session, and we put together a truancy prevention plan to help them have the tools in place to keep truancy from continuing to be a problem," Mr. Luff said.
The therapists sit in the courtroom, and if counseling is ordered by the judge, they explain the process to the families, Mr. Luff said.
"Initially, right after court, they're angry, embarrassed and frustrated with the fine," Mr. Luff said. "We see that continue in the first group session, but by the end, just about everybody feels like it's been worthwhile or it will help them get back on track."
Advocates say that by reaching the children at a young age, preventing truancy might be easier in the future.
"The greater goal from our point of view is the address the issues that are causing the problem," Ms. Franklin said. "Truancy at this age is usually a symptom of something else that is going on with the family."
For more information about Galaxy and its service, call 972-272-4429.
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