Families Before Finances

The people of the Children’s Consortium concentrate on the gratification found in helping disadvantaged families, but are also facing economic challenges themselves.

The Syracuse Children’s Consortium provides an Even Start Family Literacy program teaching parents adult literacy and the skills needed to raise a child.

“It’s such a rewarding job,” Program Director Christine Mott said.

“Most parents we start working with, say if they have a child around 3, don’t know they’re supposed to have books in the home…. We teach the parent how to be the child’s first teacher,” Mott said.

Under the 2007-2008 Federal Poverty Guideline, a family of four is qualified to join the program if they earn a maximum salary of $20,000.

“…Most of the families make between $6,000 and $9,000 a year,” Mott said.

Like those families experiencing financial hard times, the Children’s Consortium is also facing cutbacks.

Federal and State grant cuts forced the program to eliminate half of its families along with two staff members.

“We use to serve close to 60 families,” Mott said.

The program also faces a $50,000-$100,000 deficit since the last budget.

“There’s a big gap needing to be filled,” Mott said.

OCM BOCES, an establishment boosting academic performances in school districts and adult education, funds the Children’s Consortium.

When the grant was written last year it was reduced by a “fairly significant” amount, Assistant Director of Adult Education Linda Horton-Cook said.

Horton-Cook says BOCES is watching a downward spiral of state and federal funding across the board.

The outlook of the future budget is still unclear.

“Let’s knock on wood,” Horton-Cook said.