What is life like for families with low incomes who must survive from month to month? Paycheck to paycheck? Nearly 80 teachers and community members explored the lives of many families in the region at a Poverty Simulation conducted by Francis Marion University’s Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty (COE). The simulation is a training tool that helps participants view poverty from different angles in an experiential setting.
Florence, SC
Left to Right: Mark Anthony Holden, Esther Brown, Brenda Hill, Markey Bee, Tammy Pawloski
A kit from Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation (about $2,000) guided five simulations that were conducted at FMU and across the state. First, 18 volunteers were recruited and trained to take specific professional and community roles in the lives of families in poverty. They were prepared to act as banker, mortgage/rent collector, pawnbroker, social service worker, police officer, and other service providers. The participants in each session also were assigned specific roles as 26 different families with low incomes. Some families were newly unemployed, some had recently lost a breadwinner, and some consisted of grandparents raising grandchildren. Each family’s goal was to acquire food, shelter, and other basic supplies and services during the course of four 15-minute “weeks” in the simulation.
The poverty index in South Carolina’s public schools is about 70%, so it is extremely important for educators and school community leaders to understand the experiences of their students and families. Future simulations are planned with local school districts.
Poverty Simulation is featured in Promising Partnership Practices 2014.
Scaling Up Partnership Program Development
COE’s Outreach Project, started in 2011, continues to provide mini-grants to schools for creative activities to improve their partnership programs and engage more families. (See, for example, Delmae Elementary School’s projects in the Partnership School Award section, above). This year, COE also offered funding to school districts to prepare facilitators to conduct workshops for parents.
In November, a two-day Parenting Partners Leadership Facilitator workshop was conducted at Francis Marion University. The program prepared teams of leaders from various districts to conduct an 8-week workshop series for parents on parenting and leadership skills. Parents who participate should increase their confidence about guiding their children’s education and academic success in school. The training prepared Facilitators with an implementation plan, gave them practice in presenting the content of the workshops, and provided a Team Kit of materials for their workshops with parents.
