MMmmmmm V0L.34, N 0.50 » \ v[m* Jk I STfll Itea fa> r Photograph by Craig - Professional Photography, Spruce Pine A float bearing Santa Claus highlighted the annual Yancey County Christmas Parade last Saturday. Many Yancey Countians came out to see the Parade and enjoy the Christ mas festivities. The South Toe Elementary * Kindergarten Classes In Yancey County Schools Are Valuable Aid To Children From Low Income Families By Bob Helmle An important advance made by the Yancey County schools this year has been the addition of a kindergarten class in each of the county's seven elemen tary schools. An attractive aspect of this program for starting formal ed ucation with children five years of age is that it costs the coun ty nothing. All costs are paid for by one of the Federal pro grams for aiding education .particularly for aiding children from low income families. The program was started ex JB§ ■. T IHi k j — - . ;>4 | *, ? * mfe <-4£ • Hr* r 4 :WW * Jl *3^^f ■flft _# * >l3SBfrL ’ HaßrP* Children Engrossed At Story-Telling Timet School float, picturing 'The Old Woman Who Lived In AShoef, won the First Prism of »ioo Yancey County Girl Scouts won the Second Prize of *SO with their Nativity Float, and flhMt Yancey High’s Health Float won Third. perimentally last year, when small kindergarten classes were held at Micaville and Bee Log. The value of these classes was so clearly apparent that the school authorities decided to extend the program this year to all seven schools. This was possible only because all the county's elementary schools were found to have sufflc i e nt children from low-income fa milies to qualify for grant aid under the program. Unhappily the kindergarten program is not large enough to provide for all five-year -old THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10,1970 children. Under the provisions of the Federal financial aid, only a single kindergarten class can be provided in each school, and each class is limi ted to 18 pupils, believed to be the maximum number a teacher can effectivelyhandle. Admission to the classes has been limited to children from low-income families,who it is believed can benefit most from kindergarten training. It is unfortunate that, with en rollment limited to eighteen ii each school, all the children horn low income families can not be included. All the kindergarten teach ers must meet the requirements of the regular teaches in the county schools, and all have A certificates. Their pay scale is the same as that far other teaches. In addition to pro viding the teaches' salari e % die Federal funds provide for all class room equipment and supplies, free lunches aid snacks for the children, bus transpot- Notice The Yancey County Board of Education will meet in re gular session December 11, at 7i30 in the Superintendent's of fice. Better Business Bureau Warns Os Tost Office Box Schools’ If the number of complaints being made to the Better Busi ness Bureau is any indication, more and more people are be ing "taken" by question a b 1 e civil service correspond e n c e schools whose only address is a post office box number. One school representative obtained a signed contract for one school and then turned around and sold the contract to an entire ly different school in another state whose materials were,to say the least, cheap and of no value to the "student." Stu dents, in many cases, are real ly adults seeking employment with the Federal Government and after responding to a phoiy "Help Wanted" advertisement find themselves dealing with an unknown - sensing an unknown "school" and signing a contract, some times involving over S3OO for mimeographed information tation and medical and dental care. All the children are gi ven a medical examination by the school nurse. Kindergarten is now recog - nized by education authorities as desirable for all children,and the N. C. Department of Public Instruction appears confident that within a very few years, kindergarten will be offered in all schools and available to all children. At the present time North Carolina is one of only half dosen states which does not have kindergarten as a regular part of the school pro gram. Kindergarten Class At Play During Recess that would normally be found in any public library. In too many cases reported to 888, the "student" is asked and does pay the total amount in ad - vance. Then when he doesrft receive anything for his money the "post office box school" just disappears and he has no recourse or means of getting his money back. The school later re- appears under a dif ferent name and different P. O. Box number. The Better Business Bureau reminds our readers that these "civil ser vice schools" do not offer any employement and con sequently are intending to mislead potential students by running advertisements in the "Help Wanted" colum~* *= —«uuis nave no connection with the U. S. Government & cannot guarantee a job,of any kind, to their students A num ber of contracts that have 30 me to the attention of the 888 used by some of these schools are in violation of file (Coat'd on page 3) Bsaadjkb Uinta | net the Mrs , W ????? Mrs. W vants to meet W a preschool- « is to visit the wjf ity Public Li- flv ren's Hou r St rty on Mon- St jer 14th at S 10 a.m. 3L 3f Plan to attend this X Sf Christmas Party, talk with 2* 9f Mrs. Santa Claus and eat Sf Jf some of the "goodie^ 1 she 9f Iff has baked just for little Iff jf boys and girls to enjoy. 9f 10<

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