![]() ![]() “If they struggle with vocabulary words, they struggle with school in general,” says Ball. “So, it’s that whole gamut of literacy acquisition.”īall explains that research shows that if students have a vocabulary deficit that it will impact learning throughout school. ![]() “It does everything from putting words and sounds together, all the way up to giving you opportunities to create your own books,” says Ball. Biggs preschool they are ready to learn.īasically, says Ball, the program is an opportunity for students, on grade level, to have an interactive platform where they can see words and pictures and put them together, operating at their own pace.įive-year-old Lucas Meyer demonstrates Footsteps2Brilliance for grandfather Joe Meyer’s edification. The goal of Footsteps2Brilliance, says Ball, is to equalize early learning so that when children come to them in kindergarten and at James E. “When you see sort of the difference by the amount of time - and remember, that’s 42 minutes a week - so it’s not the reading program, it’s the enrichment program, and you see the dosage of that, that’s a very powerful message that says, ‘Hey, if I’m a teacher, if 42 minutes makes that much of a difference to my kids, I’m finding time for my kids,’” says Rick Hulefeld, founder and executive director of Children, Inc., a community partner for the program. “That means that they are ready to go, they are ready to learn,” says Ball.Īccording to the data analysis for Footsteps2Brilliance in Covington Schools, more time on Footsteps2Brilliance resulted in more students at or above the benchmark levels.ĭata shows that 42 minutes per week on Footsteps2Brilliance resulted in 78.4 percent of the students at or above the benchmark 20 minutes or more resulted in 63.2 percent 10 minutes per week 59.8 percent and three minutes per week at 54.3 percent. Of the 1165 students in kindergarten through second grade, Ball says 75 percent of those students are at or above benchmark. Our goal is for all Covington children to use this free app.’’ That’s another reason we are meeting – we would like to engage businesses, churches, and other organizations to help us spread the word to families about this wonderful program. “But we want to make sure that as many Covington children as possible are taking advantage of this program. “We are pleased with the numbers that we are seeing,’’ says Suzanne Thompson, elementary director of Covington Schools and coordinator of Footsteps2Brilliance for the district. The school district, along with private and parochial schools and daycare centers throughout Covington celebrated the children’s progress Thursday evening at the Life Learning Center in Covington. Since the program began, Covington children have read 139,190 books for a total of 37,739,348 words, and logged 9,836 hours on the community-wide initiative. Latonia Elementary kindergarten teacher, Katy Goodridge, with, from left to right, Lucas Meyer, Hassan Dukes, and Hezeikah Dukes on the Footsteps2Brilliance app being used in Covington Independent Schools. Two weeks later the kids had already met that goal so they aimed higher. Covington Independent Schools Assistant Superintendent Charlene Ball says that when they launched the program they set a goal for a million words to be read. The program’s impact was immediate and evident. Their work is uploaded so educators can track activities and progress. From there, they have access to the engaging programs and activities. The program, which is available to children in preschool through the third grade and can be accessed on cell phones, computers, iPads and other mobile devices, is free to families in Covington with children in preschool through third grade.Ĭhildren, as young as two-years-old, can log into Footsteps2Brilliance and create their own passwords from a series of pictures. In December 2015, Covington Independent Schools, along with help from generous members of the community, launched Footsteps2Brilliance, a free web-based literacy program app that is loaded with more than 1,000 children’s books, nursery rhymes, songs and educational games. While studies show that socioeconomic factors can have significant impact on a child’s vocabulary, and ultimately, their success in school, a whole new equalizer may well be found in the palm of a child’s hand.Ĭovington children are demonstrating that access to achievement can be found on a Smart phone and iPad.
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