8/3/2019 November 23,2011 Kaleidescope -- Heart of a Community

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By JANET COOKNews staff writer

Former Pine Grove Elementarystudents now go to school else-where, but the beloved old schoolis still alive in the heart of PineGrove, and is still focused on chil-dren.

The school districts Early Inter-vention/Early Childhood SpecialEducation program is housed atPine Grove Elementary School,

and is now settled in its new digsafter moving from its former homeat the Frankton School.

Its been such a transition forthe community, said Cassie Whit-mire, program coordinator forEI/ECSE. We want it to be a com-munity site, for the families, forthe history of Pine Grove.

Due to budget cuts, the schoolboard decided last year to close thehistoric school beginning this yearand move the EI/ECSE program tothe building. The school districtplans to sell the Frankton Schoolbuilding.

The Pine Grove School is a wor-thy site for the school districtsEI/ECSE program, which standsout among other similar programsin the region for many reasons,ranging from its staff to its com-prehensive programs serving kids

from birth to age 5 to its strongconnections with multiple commu-nity partners.

Last year, EI/ECSE served morethan 120 children. Of those, about50 transitioned to kindergartenthis year. Whitmire expects to haveabout the same number of kids inthe program again this year.

Children who qualify for freeservices under EI/ECSE are thosewho have a developmental delay inany number of areas, from speechand socialization to cognition tomotor/orthopedic impairments.Behavioral and emotional impair-ments and autism also fall underthe EI/ECSE umbrella.

When a child is referred toEI/ECSE usually either by aparent, doctor, teacher or daycareprovider he or she is screenedby staff at EI/ECSE.

If, through thescreening, it lookslike a child is show-ing delays, then we doa formal evaluation,Whitmire said. Thatinvolves a speechpathologist, an earlyintervention special-ist, possibly an occu-

pational or physicaltherapist and a casemanager.

If a child doesnt qualify for theprogram, Whitmire and her staffprovide information and referralsto other community agencieswhich might be able to help withspecific issues including NewParent Services, Head Start andOregon Child Development Coali-tion.

If a child does qualify for theprogram after the formal evalua-tion, the staff develops an individ-ualized family services plangeared toward the child and his or

her specific needs.Children from birth up to age 3

fall under the Early Interventionpart of the program; from age 3-5,they are in Early Childhood Spe-cial Education.

For kids in Early Intervention,

the emphasis is on serving them intheir home environment.

We build relationships with thefamilies, Whitmire said. Its thekids were working with, but thefamily involvement is so impor-tant. For example, a family re-ceiving services might have week-ly visits rotating between a speechpathologist and a physical thera-pist.

When a child transitions fromEarly Intervention to Early Child-hood Special Education, the focus

shifts.When they turn 3, were look-

ing more to giving them opportu-nities with typical peers, Whit-mire said. They need time to bearound other children. The pro-gram works to facilitate playgroups open to all kids, which chil-dren in EI/ECSE can participatein.

The old classrooms at the PineGrove School have been revampedfor various uses in the EI/ECSEprogram. With more space thanwas available at Frankton, the pro-gram is able to have dedicatedareas for various evaluations andtherapy: a speech room, a motorskills room, a play therapy room.There are a couple of play grouprooms which have also beenequipped with one-way mirrorswhere parents can observe with

staff to better under-stand whats going onwith their child.

The former cafete-ria is being trans-formed into a roomthat will soon house apreschool. Enroll-ment for Little Pan-das (named after the

Pine Grove Schoolmascot) is throughCommunity Educa-

tion and the program will start inJanuary.

The former library now servesas a meeting room that can bebooked through Community Edu-cation (541-386-2055).

One of the outbuildings at theschool houses Hood River Kinder-haus, a Waldorf-based preschoolthat also was formerly at Frank-ton. And the gym is available to bebooked for birthday parties andother events. Community Educa-tion classes currently including

a karate class also are heldthere.

The space is all being well-uti-lized, Whitmire said. The schooldistrict also has added some newplayground equipment, as well asfencing around part of the play-ground. Whitmire wants the com-munity to know that its open toeveryone.

We get lots of families thatcome especially after school,she said. Its a nice opportunity

for the kids.Whitmire said she welcomes for-

mer students and their familieswho are curious about the schoolsnew use. In the front hall, theyllfind that the cases of old PineGrove memorabilia dating backdecades still remain, along with abeautiful exhibit of bowls createdby students a few years ago duringan artist-in-residence program atthe school.

We want the Pine Grove com-munity to feel like its still theirschool, Whitmire said.I The Early Intervention/Early

Childhood Special Education pro-gram is hosting a drop-in commu-nity playgroup at the Pine GroveSchool. Its for children age birth-

to-5 and is held on Friday morn-ings from 10-11:30. For more infor-mation, call 541-386-4919.

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Heartof a Communitytheof a CommunitytheHeart

Pine Grove school continues to serve as a gathering placeand is home to Hood River Countys early intervention program

Open to everyone:

From Early Intervention pro-grams and open playgroups forkids and parents, to communitymeeting rooms and a rentablegymnasium for events and parties,the former Pine Grove Elementaryschool is still very much open tothe public.

For more information about pro-grams and about how to use thefacilities, call 541-386-4919.

It s been such a transi-

tion for the community.

We want it to be a com-

munity site, for the fam-

ilies, for the history of

Pine Grove.

Photos by ADAM LAPIERRE

PINE GROVE SCHOOL(top of page) saw its last

elementary school classesin June of 2011, but de-

spite the change, thebuilding is still actively

being used.Above, MariaLedesma teacehs kids

how to make playdoughin a Friday morning open

community playgroup.

EARLY INTERVENTIONinstructor Cindy Mura-hashi (left) works with astudent in a one-on-onesession. Above are MollyMcKee-Nickson and herbaby, Leon, at Fridaysplaygroup (above, cen-ter) that saw about 20students and parents.