What programs have been most effective in reaching at-risk students?
JA: I don’t like to classify them as at-risk youth. I like to classify them as at-promise youth. We have a lot of one-on-one time with the kids. We ask them how their day was. A little thing like that helps with the transition because they know someone is consistently here for them. They can talk and vent before we get started. I have kids who come to me and say, Mrs. JoAnn we need to talk because I had a rough day. They just want me to listen. These are 8 to 14-year-old kids who may have had a rough day at home or at school and it was with them all day. What organizational structures are in place to smooth the transition from the program to adulthood? JA: We have two sections: Second through fourth grade and fifth through eighth grade. I set the groundwork, and then they move on to the fifth through eighth grade and build. It’s our hope that when they graduate from junior high they will be involved with so much during high school that they won’t have to come back here. We’re a prevent
