We strongly support the value of Preschool as a worthy progression to a lasting, strong educational experience for children. This issue will focus on what the researchers have to tell us about Early Learning Preschool programs and will share some interesting facts about families with children in the US.

March is roaring in like a "lion," true to its reputation. Speaking of lions, Glenn, Karen, my Karyn and I have just returned from East Africa. What a wonder we experienced with nature, wildlife, and the loving, kind and warm hearts of the people we met. Our trip revealed many new ideas, hopes, dreams and challenges with the most amazing revelation consisting of our world's common agreement on the importance of education and the opportunities it brings for growth and fulfillment. We humans have common dreams about wanting the best for our children and our people. We at the ARKGroup always have you in our thoughts and prayers. We appreciate from the many notes you send each month that the wonder, excitement, joy, happiness, trepidation, worry, and uncertainty of the world are matters of common experience to all of us. In these challenging times, we can help each other, and we do that in simple ways when we meet in small groups to explore ways of being the best neighbors and parents we can become. Together with you in this wonderful time of serving and caring for our children, we are building a better world. THANK YOU to all of you who are intentional each day for the betterment of our family of children in schools, churches, homes and neighborhoods.

A famous American, who grew up in hard times and faced many challenges as the "favorite son" of Illinois over 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln, said that "If given the truth, the American people can be depended upon to meet any national crisis". We should remember Lincoln's words and example as we confront today's challenges in our homes, schools, churches and communities.

We encourage you to share our website (www.thearkgroup.org) with your friends and colleagues. The ARKGroup's website can assist you in obtaining any information you need (both faith-based and secular) about the Adults Relating to Kids' programs and processes for teachers and schools, parents and others, who would be intentional in enhancing the lives of children. Visit our site today!
Bill
William R. Duffy
National Executive Director
281- 537- 1301

President Wilson once said: "One cool judgement is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat to the challenges".

We encourage you to commit to renewal and growth with education and networking facilitated by the ARKProgram DVDs: ARK for Teachers, ARK for Parents (faith-based and secular), ARK Facilitator Training, The ARK Group Process and an Introduction to ARK hosted by Pat Summerall. Order today at www.thearkgroup.org. The ARK Program has excellent lessons, DVD's, manuals, workbooks, texts and advertising materials. They will equip you to provide life-changing ARK programs including breakthrough parenting and teaching "skills courses." With your help, we can make ARKRelationships the norm for the 21st century family, church, school and community.

UPDATE ON OUR FAITH-BASED PROGRAMS

For our friends and followers, we have had outstanding, record-breaking participation through March 2009 with hundreds of churches in the Dallas and Houston areas participating in our ARK for Parents faith-based church programs. The Facilitator training, (which prepares churches to provide this outstanding program either to the entire congregation or to smaller groups, such as Sunday School classes) can be scheduled to fit the schedule of those who commit to serve as facilitators. Thanks to wonderful gifts by kind benefactors, we are able to provide ARK for Parents Programs to many churches who require scholarship assistance. The program includes facilitator training, lessons on DVDs, books, and a host of supporting materials and services. We invite you to make sure that your church takes advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Contact us today by e-mail, letter or by telephone in Dallas at 817-268-2100 or Houston at 281- 537-1301 to reserve these programs for your church and to enable your church family to become parents and intentional adults who enrich the lives of the children under your care..

"The philosopher Hugo Grotius wrote: "A person cannot govern a nation if he cannot govern a city; he cannot govern a city if he cannot govern a family; he cannot govern a family if he cannot govern himself; and he cannot govern himself unless his passions are subject to reason." We would add - a person's reason cannot serve himself or anyone else until it it is rooted in moral and ethical integrity--especially in our dealings with our children.

The good news documented by Ms. Shellenbarger is that all kinds of kids reap some academic benefit from attending preschool. Among 22 scholarly studies reviewed by Ms. Shellenbarger, the five that encompass children from middle and high-income families, show preschool grads enter kindergarten with better pre- reading and math skills than those in other kinds of care or who only experience care at home with their parents. The benefits for mainstream kids are smaller than for children from poor and disadvantaged homes, but the results of the studies are nontheless significant.

A study of 14,162 kindergarten children links attending preschool or child-care centers (which usually included academic curriculum) with higher pre- reading and math scores, says researchers Susan Loeb, an associate professor of education at Stanford University; Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and others. Additionally, a federally Funded study of 1,364 children shows preschool time improves language and memory.

What happens in Preschool? Beyond their letters and numbers, preschoolers learn to:

• Engage in classroom activities.
• Follow and give directions.
• Play and work in groups.
• Relate to nonfamily adults.
• Organize toys and materials.

High quality preschool programs provide some compelling reasons to take advantage of preschool programs for your children. What you should look for to obtain a higher quality preschool experience includes:

• Low child to adult ratios.
• Small classes.
• Trained teachers who interact often in a positive, sensitive and stimulating way with children.

The academic edge delivered by preschool programs with these characteristics is being shown to have significant impact through the fifth grade. For disadvantaged children in particular, several studies have shown high-quality preschools confer profound benefits into adulthood, including higher college attendance and income.
Increasingly, parents are opting for preschool programs as a means of helping them to become better parents. Two-thirds of U.S. four- year- olds are attending preschools.

We at the ARKGroup are always exploring new ways and research projects that will help people find new and alternative approaches to being the best parents they can become. We recognize that networks of caring parents, teachers and volunteers are important in creating opportunities for our children to experience the education, the nurture and the care that is essential to their well-being. Good preschools can be venues where that interction takes place.

We invite you to join with the hundreds of others in your towns to organize ARKGroups of parental care and support today. Call us, we will be thrilled to help.

Let us have your suggestions of hope and encouragement, and we will share them.

In a survey of households:

A few Examples of the shifts:

• Summer 1900, London reigned as the capital of the free world. Peaceful, prosperous England ruled.
• Summer 1920, Europe was torn by WWI, Austro-Hungarian, German and Ottoman Empires were gone, and millions had died.
• Summer 1940, Germany reemerges as world power and has conquered France and dominates Europe.
• Summer 1960, Germany defeated with Japan in WW2, USA and USSR competing for world positions.
• Summer 1980, USA defeated in Vietnam, and meeting in Beijing to form alliance with China to confront USSR.
• Summer 2000, USSR collapsed and China has become a capitalistic industrial power.

At certain levels, when it comes to the future, the only thing one can be sure of is that common sense will be wrong. What will be the pivotal shift for the 21st century? What will be the future? "How will I identify the key events and respond appropriately for my family, my profession, and my grandchildren?" These are big questions--driven by solid data--that present the facts that changes are coming, and we do not have the ability to know in advance the impact of those changes on world economies, politics, education, industry and ideologies.

One "common sense" view of the future is that the actions of our human race will be rational. We at the ARKGroup suspect this "common sense" will not play out as well as we would hope, and that in fact it will take our faith in "expecting the impossible " to provide us a path into tomorrow. And, if we truly care about the future of our world. we will be on constant vigil, monitoring that path, and making the corrections that will be needed, in order to ensure the emotional and physical health of our children.

ARKParenting and ARK for Teachers programs help small-group networks of support to practice loving toolsets for problem-identification and resolution and to provide intentional, loving care in our parenting and teaching . They enable us adults to participate in significant moments of care-giving and allow us to focus on the lives of our children and students. ARK programs help teachers,mothers, and fathers to establish firm and consistent expectations about the things we know to be important while anchoring our children and students in love, warmth, support, and encouragement.

The ARKGroup challenges you to become the best parent, teacher, grandparent, neighbor, caring adult in the lives of our nation's children that you can become. It is in the little acts of caring between intentional adults and children that the world's possibilities become realities.

To find out about facilitating an ARK Program in your area, give us a CALL!
We can make a difference in our schools, neighborhoods and families. We can be a convergent force for the good, the beautiful and the true that resides in each of us.

Check out our Dr. Brooks Website for an excellent thoughts on "natural and logical" consequesnces that can be used in your discipline,

ARK is always aware of organizations which want to incorporate the ARK experience in their programs but who need financial assistance to do so. Even public schools frequently don't have the resources that will allow them to offer their students the life- changing benefits of ARK. DID YOU KNOW THAT ...your gift of $100. will introduce ARK to a school, United Way supported agency, neighborhood center or church?... that your donation of $1,000. will provide ARK programming for an entire school?...that your contribution of $10,000. will allow the ARKgroup to equip 10 schools within a school district to begin the ARK for Teachers and ARK for Parents programs?

GoodSearch - a way to support ARK while using the Internet. You can contribute to the ARKGroup so that we in turn might invest in your favorite community- service organization, church, juvenile justice program, or school--just by searching the Internet or shopping online with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!

Read on at the ARK website...