HAMILTON - Just inside the main entryway to Washington Elementary School, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee wafts through the lobby and a tempting tray of baked goods lures visitors to a small table and chairs nearby.
This space, recently christened "The Family Zone," belongs to parents - especially those trying to become more involved in their child's school and education.
At the table, Susanne L. Meikle, mother and coordinator of the new Family Resource Center, awaits the arrival of moms and dads. She greets them as a fellow parent and introduces them to the new center and the ways it will work to reinforce parent-child relationships.
"I don't have walls and a desk, but I've got contact with parents," Meikle said. "My ultimate goal is meeting whatever the needs are of the parent."
Several years ago, Washington Elementary eyed creating a family center using Title I dollars - federal money allocated to school districts to serve low-income families and at-risk kids.
When funding got cut, the plans evaporated.
Now, Principal Duby Santee is happy for a second chance at bolstering parent involvement at his school.
"It's absolutely critical," Santee said. "If we are serious about this national goal to have all kids reading proficiently by third grade, we're going to need some help."
Schools are looking to parents for that help.
This fall, full-time family resource centers opened for the first time across the Bitterroot Valley at six of Ravalli County's seven school districts.
Squeezed into a closet or arranged in a lobby or small upstairs workroom, the centers aren't elaborate, but organizers say the program has little to do with physical space or location.
"It doesn't take a room to make a center," said Pat Murphy, AmeriCorps team leader in the Bitterroot Valley. "It's not so much a place as the relationship-building."
A state AmeriCorps grant of $240,000 is paying to put 25 AmeriCorps members in interested schools from Darby to Lakeside, including 10 Missoula schools and DeSmet and Bonner schools.
The Missoula-based Family BASICS, a project of WORD Inc., applied for the three-year grant and crafted the proposal to serve schools within a 60-mile radius of Missoula. The organization, a longtime partner with Missoula County Public Schools on parent involvement and family support programs, teamed up with Kids First in Hamilton to launch centers in the Bitterroot Valley.
Family resource centers have successfully operated in Missoula for the past decade, although this is the first time they'll have AmeriCorps staff. AmeriCorps participants - many professionals, well-educated with bachelor's and master's degrees and fluent in foreign languages - earn a living stipend of $9,600 for a year of full-time work.
Besides building long-term parent involvement, the AmeriCorps members also aim to enhance family literacy efforts. At each center site, they coordinate day-to-day operations which include providing parents support and education.
They'll also recruit parent volunteers to tutor, mentor and do literacy-related projects in classrooms to bring more one-on-one learning opportunities to students struggling to read.
With a focus on positive interactions between families and school, Murphy said a volunteer or AmeriCorps member might call a parent to tell them when their child does something remarkable in class.
Parent Dee Maclean, whose 5-year-old son attends preschool classes at Washington School, visited "The Family Zone" this week, and mother and son did some one-on-one reading.
Alton Maclean giggled and hugged his mother before turning the page. His mom beamed.
"The relationship you build with your child is lifelong," Maclean said. "This just enhances it."
"Just knowing there is a place I can come that has information, one place that tells me all the resources related to kids and family, has helped a lot," she said.
She also benefits from networking with other parents with children the same age as her own. As a parent-involvement coordinator at Washington and PTA member, Maclean said some parents are uncomfortable with coming to their child's school.
"What's good about this is it's all non-administrative," she said. "Susanne's a child advocate, a parent and a literacy advocate."
Educators and AmeriCorps team leaders like Murphy point to various studies that show the value of family support and parent involvement in classrooms.
In a 17-year study of students at Chicago public elementary schools and their child-parent centers, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers concluded such centers help reduce crime and delinquency and promote school success.
Children whose parents were involved in their school and education had:
29 percent more high school graduates
40 percent fewer held back a grade
40 percent fewer in need of special education
33 percent lower arrest rate
41 percent lower violent arrest rate
Other studies point to three key factors families have control over that make a difference in student achievement: school attendance, reading in the home and amount of time spent watching television.
"Family-school partnership is the one best long-term investment we can make in the education of our children," Murphy said.
At Quentin Brown Primary School in Corvallis, resource center coordinator Laura Grenfell has a long list of family-oriented activities she'll launch in coming weeks.
The school will host a Family Fun Night monthly, she said, so parents who work during the day can still make a positive connection with their child's school.
She is scheduling "Literacy Lunches," where parents come to school to eat lunch and do literacy-related activities with their children.
"Seeing their parent at school for even just an hour makes a difference in a child's attitude toward education," Murphy noted.
Beginning Sept. 30, Monday mornings will become tot time at the Corvallis center, and pre-school kids and parents will do literacy-related activities.
And for parents who want to volunteer in their child's classroom but can't because they have a younger tike who needs supervision, Grenfell is organizing a parent child care co-op to share baby-sitting duties at the family center.
"Through these activities, the comfort level of family members in school settings grows," Grenfell said. A wide variety of activities attracts people who might not otherwise participate in the school community.
During lunch this week, Todd Banner arrived at the Corvallis center to share lunch with his two daughters - a third-grader and second-grader.
"I think it's great," he said. "In the winter, I try to come once a week to eat lunch with them and do whatever they are doing in class that day."
Until recently, Banner didn't realize he could just come to the school and participate in his daughters' education.
"I think a lot of people aren't informed," he said. "People should ask more questions."
He's hopeful his interest in their education will prevent future problems.
"I think your kids have a lot more connection with you when you are involved in their school," he said. "I really think it's a good thing."
If you're interested
The Bitterroot Valley family resource centers need help with furnishings. Here's their wish list: lamps, computers, TV/VCR, CD player, board games, puppets, coffee, coffee mugs, napkins, arts and crafts supplies, loveseats, easy chairs, rocking chairs, bookshelves, baby changing tables and toddler toys. To help, call AmeriCorps team leader Pat Murphy at 375-9588.
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