Educational Service Center year marked with accolades

MOUNT VERNON — The Knox Educational Service Center is one of 56 Educational Service Centers that form a base of support for Ohio’s schools and school districts. In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio’s educational service centers train school personnel and coordinate school improvement initiatives. The Knox County ESC provides educational resources and guidance for the Centerburg, Clear Fork Valley, Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown, and Mount Vernon City school districts.

Preschool programs operated by the Knox ESC are located throughout Knox County, and programs for both preschool and school-age students with special needs are coordinated and staffed by Knox ESC personnel. Recently, the Knox ESC organized and sponsored a Play to Talk conference attended by over 150 education professionals, therapists and family members. The two day conference, held at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center, was supported by Knox County Head Start, the Board of Developmental Disabilities and Bryce Coffing of Edward Jones Financial. The conference provided important information about how to develop communication skills with late-talking children.

Family Fun Learning Nights are a popular ESC initiative for preschool and elementary students and their parents. At these grant-funded evening events, parents are taught how to engage their children in math, reading and science activities. Materials taken home allow parents to continue their children’s learning at home.

Many Knox ESC preschool students take advantage of the Early Learners Scholarship Fund, an established endowment for preschool scholarships. A piano concert by Kenyon professor John Reitz will be held on April 9, 2011. Reitz will be donating the proceeds to the scholarship fund.

The Knox ESC facilitates school district collaboration through frequent meetings of superintendents, principals, teachers and support personnel. ESC consultants often function as the voice of the Ohio Department of Education at training meetings, and offer the latest educational research and theory for use in the classroom. Revised State Standards, a new Model Curriculum and redesigned state assessments are examples of Department of Education programs being explained and described by ESC personnel. ESC consultants have provided training to Knox County elementary teachers in “Improving Mathematical Practices and Classroom Teaching” and “Write for Real” language programs.

The Knox ESC provides hundreds of online classes for students from eight different school districts during the school year and during the summer months. The Knox ESC organizes training in the use of technology, conducts book studies and offers other workshops for several hundred teachers each year. The Knox ESC conducts workshops and trains dozens of educators to be substitute teachers, provides Crisis Intervention and CPR/First Aid training for classroom paraprofessionals.

The Knox County Alternative Center provides online and direct instruction to students from eight Knox area school districts. Operation of in-school and after school programs at the Alternative Center is secured through nearly $350,000 in grant funding.

In 2010, 23 Kenyon college students mentored 37 students in grades one through five through the Knox ESC mentoring program. This program is a collaborative effort with the Off Campus Activities in Psychology Program at Kenyon College. Kenyon provides the mentors with transportation and reimbursement for the materials used in creating each elementary student’s project.

Funding provided by the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County and by the Community Concert Association of Knox County helps the Knox ESC present a Youth Enrichment Series program for the fine arts. The performances are given for students in grades one through seven in Mount Vernon’s Memorial Theater. Last year, a total of 4,000 students attended the seven performances.