Every Child Deserves a Chance to Thrive
We met Rosalie at our very first Story Garden at the Gallup flea market in 2012. She was 7 years old and passionate about drawing. She was also behind in English language skills, and it was difficult for the facilitators to understand her speech. She seemed to make connections between images in the books and stories from her life, but we struggled to understand the connections she was making.
Rosalie’s mother told us, years later, that her daughter hadn’t been learning well in school at that time: "My daughter had low grades when she started at Story Garden. She had a hard time reading too. I tried to teach her how to do her math but she’d just get mad at me or she didn’t want to do it like that.”The flea market staff knew Rosalie well too. According to Andy, a vendor who’s been part of the flea market community for 35 years: “She was always getting into trouble.”Rosalie quickly became an active participant in Story Garden, developing her artistic talent, building friendships, and gaining skills in verbal communication. But what about Rosalie’s struggles at school? Did Story Garden have an impact on her academic performance? Street Library programs give children access to opportunities for engaged learning. But do these benefits carry over into the school environment?
According to many families and children, yes. They credit Story Garden with nurturing aspects of the child's cognitive and intellectual growth. Many find that children gain the confidence to approach reading with less fear and frustration. Parents note well-developed fine motor skills among their preschool age children. They note the role of reading in supporting their child to overcome stuttering and of puzzles in helping a child overcome a short-term memory issue. They have seen a jump in performance in math or reading as measured through standardized tests. Others note an overall improvement in school performance and, notably, an increased sense of engagement and personal agency in their own learning. But what about Rosalie?Rosalie’s mom tells us: “After she started going to Story Garden, she’s picking up all those things: doing her math good, a lot of drawings and she reads a lot now. She does her homework all the time and she does it herself. She was in special ed through last year. She’s not anymore. I think it’s because she’s doing better with you guys. To me, she’s learning a little bit more. That's what I like about Story Garden."Andy adds: “I have seen a lot of changes in her attitude. She has more confidence in herself. She stands taller. You see one child who comes every Saturday [to Story Garden], and you know what they were like, and to see them change right in front of your eyes to what they are now, that’s a heck of a difference. She’s changing every Saturday. It’s a great thing to see that. I used to think, ‘Well, it’s another lost child, gonna be getting into trouble, not getting anywhere.’ But now she has a chance.”Every child deserves this chance to thrive in their learning and grow into well-rounded members of the community. A District Court in Santa Fe recently came to the same conclusion, when they ruled that the State of New Mexico is violating the rights of children by not providing them with a sufficient education. (see below)
In a landmark decision, the District Court has ruled that the State of New Mexico is violating the constitutional rights of New Mexico’s children by not providing them a sufficient education. The court has given the state until April of 2019 to provide children the resources, services, and programs they need in order to be college and career ready.The court’s decision provides a strong foundation for transforming New Mexico’s education system, focusing on the lack of resources for low-income, Native American, and English language learner students. The evidence at trial showed that pre-K, extended learning opportunities, social services, culturally and linguistically relevant instruction and materials, and adequate resources for teacher recruitment and retention all improve academic outcomes. Now it is time for the state to fulfill its constitutional mandate and make these programs and services available to all students, not just a few of them.
Source: The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
Rosalie is from a bilingual and bi-cultural household, in a rural, under-resourced area. The kinds of programs and services that are proven to support children’s learning are largely unavailable there or inaccessible to her family. However, through Story Garden, she has had weekly experiences for the past six years of varied learning opportunities, culturally and linguistically relevant materials, and committed, trained and consistent facilitators engaging with her and her family.
As the state works to fulfill its legal responsibility to our most vulnerable children, ATD Fourth World will continue its Story Garden program. Children like Rosalie are ready to learn. Parents like her mom are ready to support her.