A few months ago I came across this poem, written by Ann Weems, which so aptly describes why The Craddock Center has the Children’s Enrichment Program. For this “Greenless Child” in the poem could be any child coming from dire home conditions to one of the Head Start/Pre-K programs where we offer the CEP. Through music, movement, and storytelling our aim is to lift their spirits, to add some joy, and awaken their imaginations so that the gap in language and other skills can be closed before kindergarten.

YES, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY

That our Children’s Enrichment Program adds luxury to the otherwise rather sparse lives of many of the children we serve. This is not to say that we regard as of less value the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, needs that occupy parents of the children. Of course not. We watch and listen and often stretch our funds to help address those needs. But the point is, we do not regard all luxuries as luxuries. A story, a song, a book, a toy, a funny hat, a silly game: these, too, are necessities, not luxuries. It is not the case that bread on the table is the only necessity; so is the candle, the violin, the colorful napkin, and the laughter of those who love the child.

These, too, are essential because the children are human beings, created in God’s image, with hearts, minds, feelings, and imagination.

Once Jesus and his friends were guests at a dinner party at which a woman anointed Jesus with an expensive ointment. Some of Jesus’ friends objected, calling her act “wasteful”. Jesus heard their complaining and responded sharply, “Leave her alone; she has done a beautiful thing for me.”
I’m sure you already know, but let me again assure all you who give to the Children’s Enrichment Program:

Not one penny of your gift is wasted. Every penny goes toward those things every child really needs.
Thank you for your generosity. — FBC  

CEP RECOGNITION

At the end of July Kim Cheves, Coordinator of The Children’s Enrichment Program, and Connie Chancey, Arts Specialist, will travel to Gwinnett County for the In-service Training of all Georgia Head Start teachers to present at a workshop on how storytelling can reach and involve students while helping them develop their literacy skills. Since the Children’s Enrichment Program does not separate music, movement, drama, and storytelling, Kim and Connie will be using all these arts disciplines to demonstrate how involving young children in the arts during their most formative years will encourage creative thinking and level the playing field for low-income children, while enriching their lives through the arts!--TLS

HOT OFF THE PRESS

We want you to be aware of a new book hot off the press entitled, Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom. We are proud that two of the articles published in this book were written by Kim Cheves, the Coordinator of the Children’s Enrichment Program and by Tracy Walker, one of the CEP Storyteller Arts Specialists. Another article in the book was written by Pam Lindsey, who brought her HeARTSongs program to The Craddock Center in 2001 and ultimately became the Director of the Children’s Enrichment Program until moving to Kentucky in 2007. Congratulations to all three of these multi-talented musicians, storytellers, and movement specialists, who are also published authors! — TLS

From Kim Cheves, CEP Coordinator: As a child, I struggled with all aspects of learning. Various health issues and vision problems contributed greatly to my slow progress. Although my family was filled with love, they did not have the tools to help me break through this trying time. Needless to say, I developed a great dislike for school, especially reading. It seemed to me that nothing about school was fun, but I pressed on and eventually everything clicked. All the countless hours my parents, teachers, and tutors invested in my education is greatly appreciated.

The experiences and difficulties I had as a child have become a spring board for my passion to work with children. My educational philosophy is simple: learning should be fun. The arts have a unique way of enhancing education across the curriculum in an exciting fashion which children love. Thus, storytelling is a natural way to bridge the literacy gap with preschool and elementary children. In a study on language development in preschool children conducted by Betty Hart and Todd Risley, they found that. “a child’s exposure to language at a very early age had a profound affect on whether or not they became lifelong learners. Children who came from homes where the parents did not use complex language and expected simple answers to their questions heard, on average, 30 million fewer uses of language than their peers by the age of three.” (Washington, 33) This is called the “30 million word gap”. Hart and Risley’s study went on to show that, “by the time these children entered kindergarten their deficit was even more extreme. The gap profoundly affected their abilities in every subject in school.” (Washington, 33) Storytelling helps bridge this gap by exposing young children to more vocabulary, expressions, creativity, imagination, story structure, and self confidence. “Hearing, listening, and visualizing are pre-literacy skills learned without knowing we are learning and are vital to emergent literacy in years to come.” (Lindsey, 51)

The Children’s Enrichment Program plays a vital part in the young child’s life. I count it a blessing to be able to touch the lives of so many young children each year.

All quotes from: Sherry Norfolk, Jane Stenson, and Diane Williams. Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom. Libraries Unlimited ABC-CLIO, LLC. Santa Barbara, CA 2009.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD

To October 5. As you know, that is the day when we gather for the Fall Preaching Workshop. I always anticipate these workshops: the conversations, seeing old friends, and new, thinking and talking preaching, the relaxed “Preachers Day Out” atmosphere. But this Fall my anticipation is keener, and I’m not sure why. This will be the twenty-fifth workshop, but that hardly accounts for the edge to my expectation. Meeting twenty-five times could just as easily dull one’s appetite as sharpen it.

I am, of course, drawing nearer the close of my work as teacher and preacher, but the approach of the end of activities filled with pleasure and gratitude hardly quickens one’s spirit.  The closing out of other activities probably leaves me with more energy for this which remains may be a factor in my accelerated anticipation. Maybe.

But my guess is that the subject, the theme for this workshop accounts for my quickening pulse. I have offered as a title “Once More With Feeling”. A sub-title might be “Emotion in Preaching: Genuine or Manufactured?” A brief summary of our discussion would include several important matters: Are we talking about manipulation of feelings in ourselves and in listeners? Can we, or should we, trust feelings? Doesn’t emotion involve more than feeling? Is not “knowing” better than “feeling”? Should we not trust the message to do its own work apart from our feelings or those of our listeners? If there is, as often reported, a decline of passion in preaching, how can one account for it? Has the busyness, the haste, the shallowness of life in our culture robbed preachers of the time and even the motivation to think and to feel?

But wait; I get ahead of myself. I told you my expectation is high, my anticipation keen.

I hope you will join me October 5. — FBC