When Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance launched in April 2003, one of the four goals the organization targeted was the need for community support for public education. In January of this year the first volunteers trained through the Community Volunteers
When Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance launched in April 2003, one of the four goals the organization targeted was the need for community support for public education. In January of this year the first volunteers trained through the Community Volunteers in the Classroom program.
Tanya Chytka’s first exposure to KPAA was at a luncheon two years ago. When the program began she signed on to become a volunteer for kindergartners at Wilcox Elementary.
“It’s changed my life,” said Chytka, who works a full-time job, but squeezes in one day of volunteering a week. “It’s the highlight of my week,” she said. “You walk in and their little faces just light up.”
KPAA is a nonprofit membership organization that offers community groups, non-profits, government and businesses an opportunity to work together.
The program is an obvious advantage for the schools, but it is also gratifying for the helpers. “It gets me away from my everyday life,” said Chytka. “And it makes me really appreciate the work that teachers do in the classroom.”
The germ of the idea to start a program that utilizes the community was conceived of about three years ago, said Diane Zachary, president and CEO of KPAA.
The impetus for forming this group evolved from the 1998-2000 General Plan update process. During that time it became abundantly clear that the best way to approach issues facing our island is through unity.
There was agreement that a working partnership of government, business and community to jointly plan and implement projects would yield greater results than any one entity working on its own, states the KPAA Web site, kauainetwork.org.
The community volunteers in the classroom program began with KPAA, but was designed to transition into the Department of Education. “We just helped them get it started,” said Zachary.
“The DOE provides the training,” she said.
The training required for entering the classroom is a two-and-a-half hour class, plus a background check by the DOE and contact with one reference.
The kinds of assistance a volunteer is asked to do depends on the needs of the teacher. “Our education action team’s intent was to discover how we can assist teachers so there could be more individualized help for students.”
Lisa Llewellyn, Parent and Community Network Facilitator for Wilcox Elementary School, works closely with the volunteers. “The teachers love them,” said Llewellyn. “In fact, the teachers plan their schedule around the volunteers helping them. They’re critical to planning.”
Just like any job, the reliability of a volunteer makes life in the classroom run more smoothly for the teacher. On average most volunteers commit to one day a week, for three hours. “They’re not just retirees,” said Llewellyn. “We have volunteers who take time off from their jobs to come help.”
The classroom isn’t the only place where help is needed. “I have one volunteer who didn’t want to work with children so he helps me with clerical duties,” said Llewellyn.
Chytka helps on many levels in the kindergarten room. “Sometimes I am putting together art projects and others, I may be going over a spelling test.”
The program focuses entirely at the grade school level.
Zachary said, “We focus on elementary school because of research that said kids who have good literacy skills, tend to do better academically.”
Another volunteer at Wilcox Elementary, Diane Horita, has been helping out since last spring. “Last year I worked with fifth-graders in math and this year I’m with third-graders for reading,” she said.
Horita works with small groups and with individual children.
KPAA seeks to help in other areas within the schools as well. “Another thing we’re looking at is the classroom environment,” said Zachary.
Several of the schools were in need of ceiling fans in the classroom. “So far we’ve put fans in half of the rooms at King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School. It’s so sweet, we’ve received letters from the children thanking us.”
Community volunteers work together with the teacher on selected goals. It’s the intent of KPAA’s Public Education Action Team to support the DOE. For more information on becoming a public school volunteer contact KPAA at 632-2005.
To complete the volunteer application visit kauainetwork.org.
Volunteers will be matched with a teacher, task and time that will be most convenient and rewarding for them. KPAA is also seeking someone to fill the position of Program Coordinator for its school volunteers. For more information on the position, visit kauainetwork.org.
They are accepting resumes until Nov. 19.
• Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com.
