Glade nets "education station"

A new family resource center is in the works in Glade Creek to replace the mobile unit at the Glade Creek Elementary School after an agreement to renovate the old firehouse near the school was approved by the Alleghany County Board of Education at a meeting on Aug. 16.

The center, which has been given the name "Education Station," will mainly be the project of the Alleghany Partnership for Children. Director Bob Bamberg of the Partnership presented plans to the board for the proposed renovations at the meeting.

He stated, "We've still got a lot of families where the kids either stay with mother in the home or are staying with grandparents and I think they're eager to have some activity during the day for those kids." Education Station will not be a child care center, but will instead mirror the Sparta FRC. It will work very closely with the existing preschool programs at Sparta and Glade Creek elementary schools even though it will be a program unto itself.

Parents and grandparents will have the opportunity to bring their children or grandchildren to the center three or four times a week to allow them to get extra help with the skills they need for kindergarten, including social skills.

Children who are in need of extra help will be a part of the program at no cost to their families. Families with children who may not need the extra help will be paying clients. The policy of the center is inclusion, which means that all children regardless of skill level will be allowed to attend.

Renovations must be done to the old firehouse before the partnership can use it for the family resource center. Two garage bays will be removed and replaced with windows and walls, tile flooring will be added and the ceiling and walls will be redone. The work should be completed by mid-winter.

The preschool program at Glade Creek came before the program at Piney Creek for three reasons: the need was greater in Glade Creek, no extra space at Piney Creek and the lack of money to fund the project. However, a preschool for Piney Creek Elementary School is planned for the future. Until then, students in need of pre-school will be bused to Sparta School.

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