The Promethean Foundation

INTRODUCTION TO PROMETHEAN

Prometheus, a character from mythology, gave fire to man enhancing mans intellectual awareness. It was the name chosen for this foundation because it describes the intent to bring intellectual awareness to very young children of Obion County. The Promethean Foundation was created in 2004 as a result of the generosity of the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation. This non-profit foundation is under the direction of The Union City Rotary Club, who is charged with the responsibility of creating a Promethean Board of Directors to govern the mission of the foundation.

PROMETHEAN FOUNDATION MISSION STATEMENT

It is the mission of the foundation to help "at risk" pre-school children needing an opportunity to reach their learning potential to attend high quality daycare centers in Obion County that teach with the common theme of educational excellence and character development.

PROMETHEAN FOUNDATION OBJECTIVES

• To provide daycare scholarships for qualified "at risk" pre-school children
• To increase the quality of education and care at all participating daycares in Obion County
• To insure an environment in the daycares that teaches using a wide variety of developmentally appropriate curriculum activities for academic and character development
• To insure an environment in the daycares that models responsibility, courage, empathy, kindness, and respect
• To continually measure and evaluate the progress of the scholarship recipients and the participating daycares
  

We acknowledge with grateful appreciation Ms. Jennifer Aquino, Head of the Lower School, Cincinnati Country Day School (CCDS) in Cincinnati, Ohio, for providing advice and encouragement to the foundation and for giving us permission to use this information.

PROMETHEAN FOUNDATION GOALS FOR PRO-KIDS

• To provide daycare scholarships for qualified "at risk" pre-school children we set as our goal
  
  • To serve up to 300 scholarship children per year from "at risk" homes in Obion County.
  • To serve scholarship children in center based daycares serving the general population of the community.

• To increase the quality of education and care at all participating daycares in Obion County we set as our goal
  • To see every participating daycare in Obion County achieve a 3 Star rating from the Tennessee Stars Program or an equivalent standard.
    
  • To see every participating daycare in Obion County have highly qualified directors.

• To insure an environment in the daycares that teaches using a wide variety of developmentally appropriate curriculum activities for academic and character development we set as our goal
  • To encourage every teacher in participating daycares to be highly qualified, receiving training in developmentally appropriate methods for teaching young children.
    
  • To provide the foundation of concepts and skills on which to build future learning by using the Pro-Kids Curriculum.
    
  • To provide resources to the participating daycares to use to accomplish the task of a rigorous and appropriate curriculum.

• To insure an environment in the daycares that models responsibility, courage, empathy, kindness, and respect we set as our goal
  
  • To provide directors and teachers with appropriate materials and training to guide them in teaching good character development.
    
  • To encourage participating daycares to recruit teachers that reflect good character.

• To continually measure and evaluate the progress of the scholarship recipients and the participating daycares we set as our goal
  • To provide an initial developmental screening of each child as they enter the daycare setting.
    
  • To provide periodic progress evaluation to establish each child's developmental, academic, and character development.
    
  • To evaluate the daycares to establish their progress in meeting the expectations of the Promethean Foundation.

CONCEPTS AND CURRICULUM

Academic Curriculum

The Pro-Kids Academic Curriculum has been designed and developed within a framework of seven disciplines. These represent curriculum areas for age six weeks until entering kindergarten. The curriculum represents the standards for what students should know and be able to do throughout their preschool years in order to properly prepare them for kindergarten. The curriculum framework establishes benchmarks for achieving preschool goals. Progress notes, developmental screenings, and parent conferences help assess and document each child’s developmental progress per discipline. The academic curriculum encompasses:

Speech, Language, and Foreign Language; Early Literacy; Math, Science, and Technology;
Social Studies; Creative Arts; Social and Emotional Development; Physical and Health Education

Character Curriculum

Pro-Kids developed a curriculum to teach six character virtues. These represent character values that allow the child to successfully relate to self, others, and the environment. The curriculum framework establishes benchmarks for determining evidence of the child successfully understanding acceptable responses to self, others, and the environment.

Character Virtues

• Caring
  Being kind to myself, others, and the environment; Helping others in need, practicing empathy; Being forgiving
  
  
• Honesty
  No cheating, lying, or stealing; Telling the truth; Being trustworthy
  
  
• Integrity
  Being reliable; doing what I say I will do; Having the courage to do the right thing; Not giving in to peer pressure
  
  
• Respect
  Using good manners, not bad language; Honoring the feelings of others; being a good listener; Being fair; good citizenship
  
  
• Responsibility
  Being accountable for my choices; Doing my best; Accepting attendance, punctuality as a responsible choice
  
  
• Self-Discipline
  Practicing self-control and impulse control; Dealing peacefully with insults and disagreements; Solving my problems

COMMUNITY CONSULTANTS

The Promethean Foundation works with other organizations and individuals to serve the needs of children.

Daycares:

• Children’s Corner
• First Friends
• Kare Bear
• Little Lambs
• Mother Goose Academy
• Mrs. Lynn’s Childcare
• Pumpkin Patch
• Small World
• Tater Tots & Small Fries

School Systems:

• Union City School System
• Obion County School System
• Obion County School System Adult Education

Child and Family Resource Grant Programs from the University of Tennessee at Martin

• TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Service)
• CCR & R (Child Care Resource & Referral)
• Healthy Start
• Infant Stimulation

Community Advisors

• Boys and Girls Club
• Obion County Public Library
• Obion County Health Department
• Obion County Vocational Rehab
• Tenn. Council on Children & Youth
• Tenn. Workforce Board
• Department of Human Services & Department Children Services
• UT Extension
• Dyersburg State Community College
• Habitat for Humanity
• Community Leaders
• Junior Auxiliary
• Tennessee Association for Education of Young Children (TAEYC)