The Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio met Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 6 PM in the Alumni Room of the Wittenberg Benham-Pence Student Center, with 12 members and one guest present.
Guest Speaker was Mr. Jack Legg of mental health provider WellSpring. Mr. Legg accepted a $ 1,000 donation from the Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio Foundation from Exchange Members Karen and Mark Lotz. Jack facilitates the PAX and the SPARK programs. He described the PAX program in this way. “The phrase “PAX Leader” refers to a student who exhibits “PAX” behaviors. Moving away from unhelpful terms like good or bad, PAX is shorthand for any behavior we want to see more of in a given context. Every kid is a PAX Leader, because every kid contributes positively to the world in some way. In this exercise, students were asked to think back on their day and identify one specific way they’ve been a “PAX Leader.”
The SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids) program provides a kindergarten readiness advantage for families with preschool-age children (three- and four-year-olds). Once or twice a month, the SPARK family meets with their assigned home visitor, called a parent partner. The parent partner helps the parent engage the child in a lesson that was developed around state standards and is designed to provide a school readiness advantage. At each visit, a book, an activity card, and supplies are given to the family, so the parent can continue the learning between visits. SPARK also conducts developmental screenings, provides referrals and linkages to community resources, and offers group-based learning opportunities. The SPARK team (which includes school-based personnel and professionals in early childhood education, mental health, and speech-language development) works to address barriers to school readiness, long before the child begins school.