Dear Ashland Source friends,
Appleseed Community Mental Health Center, in partnership with Ashland City Schools, Loudonville-Perrysville Schools, Ashland County Job and Family Services, United Way of Ashland County, and the Early Childhood Resource Center and the Ohio Department of Education, are privileged to bring the Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) program to Ashland County.
The program began in Ashland in 2016. The SPARK model focuses on home-based services that help strengthen the parent’s role in facilitating their child(ren)’s development skills needed to thrive socially and academically. The program centers on 4-year-olds preparing to go to kindergarten.
The program is led by SPARK Director, Jennifer Marrah, MS in Educational Leadership and Literacy Consultant at the Tri-County Educational Service Center. SPARK strengthens and empowers parents as the primary educators of their child to help them learn skills to prepare for kindergarten.
SPARK Parent Partners provide lessons and activities for parents to complete with their child based on the Ohio Early Learning and Development Standards. Supplemental resources are left in the home to support the ongoing learning goals developed by the parent and SPARK Parent Partner. The SPARK program is offered at no cost to families.
Oral language is the conduit for all early learning. Parent Partners educate parents on how to provide the basic building blocks necessary to develop their child’s social and emotional well-being, oral language and phonological skills, and fine and gross motor development to prepare them for new learning and enhance their ability to function in a school setting with their peers.
Parents learn how to engage their child in conversations that awaken natural curiosity about the world, and inspire their children with the desire to learn about topics found in books and other materials. Children learn to develop the ability to recognize emotions, healthy emotional expression, and the ability to recognize the emotions of others. Motor development is also incorporated into the lessons.
A recent participant of the Ashland SPARK program expressed, “Both my daughter and this momma looked forward to the SPARK sessions every month, both for Ms. Rachel’s company and to see firsthand a growth in knowledge. Every session was either a great review for my child, or it gave us an insight on what we should work on at home to continue her kindergarten readiness. Thanks, SPARK program.”– Becky Harrison
SPARK outcomes are measured using the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to measure each child’s readiness for kindergarten and the Parents Interactions with Children Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO) tool to assess how the parent engages with their children in communication, teaching, and play. These factors have been linked to growth in children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and early literacy skill development.
Ashland County continues to see positive outcomes and success with this program. In 2021, Ashland SPARK served 60 pre-kindergarten age youth and 115 of their parents. Of these youth, 89% demonstrated on track scores on the KRA and 92% of parents showed an improved score on the PICCOLO assessment.
Ashland SPARK is an affiliate program of United Way of Ashland County. Appleseed CMHC is a partner agency of the Ashland County Mental Health and Recovery Board.
Jerry Strausbaugh EdD LPCCS, Executive Director Appleseed Community Mental Health Center
Jennifer Marrah MS Educational Leadership, Director of the Ashland SPARK Program
