Promethean

Foundation

Prometheus, a character from mythology, gave fire to man enhancing man's 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, Tennessee. 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. The foundation serves children birth to five years of age.

Academic Domains

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

Character Virtues

• Caring
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Self-Discipline

Community Partners

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

How Are Scholarship Students Chosen?

Applicants come to Promethean Foundation by recommendation from one of the Community Partners or they apply after hearing about the program from friends and family. The Parent/Guardian completes the application at home and includes information about the child, parents, home and family situation, income, and health. After completing the application, the parent schedules a home visit with the foundation administrator. Not every applicant receives a scholarship, but every applicant is included in the research.

After the home visit is complete, an applicant profile report is developed. It includes information about the child and parents and a short narrative to explain extenuating circumstances that have placed the child at risk. The narrative reflects the conversation between the administrator and the applicant family. What the profile does not include is identifying information about the family. Each applicant is assigned a number for identification and confidentiality.

The next step in the application process is the vote by the board of directors. The board of directors receives each applicant profile by e-mail. They study the information and make independent decisions about the profile in question, voting yes or no to a scholarship. A majority vote decides the results for the applicant in question.

The last step in the process involves the parent of the scholarship recipient choosing a childcare setting for the child. The foundation contracts with high quality childcare agencies in Obion County. The options are varied: faith based, large centers, small centers, for profit, and non-profit. The common denominator for all the centers is their agreement with Promethean to teach our academic and character curriculum for optimum development. Promethean monitors the centers to ensure high quality. If the parent decides to use the scholarship, all expenses are paid to the childcare centers by the foundation until the child enters kindergarten unless the child leaves Obion County, leaves childcare early, or fails to maintain an average of 90% attendance.

Between October 2004 and July 2019, there were 1,966 applicants for Pro-Kid scholarships with 1,752 being approved. Of that number a total of 1,585 children have used their scholarship. The scholarship does not have to be renewed annually, but the Parent/Guardian provides an annual update of information and progress every April.

Progress Evaluation

Promethean evaluates the quality of childcare centers and the progress of children on a regular unannounced basis. Pro-Kids staff visit centers a minimum of four times per year to observe classrooms, scoring each classroom for quality and curriculum alignment. Children's progress is monitored by teachers who use Progress Notes (based on TN-ELDS), and children who are not progressing as expected are observed with recommendations for the child's individual education plans made when needed. In addition to the Promethean evaluation of childcare centers, the state of Tennessee uses the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised to evaluate each center annually during a scheduled visit. The Department of Human Services sends representatives unannounced for a minimum of six visits a year to conduct specific observations. This is a total of eleven scheduled and unscheduled visits in each center to provide oversight observations. Add to that number the unannounced visits our office staff conduct every week while delivering weekly reports, and the result is many opportunities to observe and evaluate the educational environment for children.

When students enter Obion County School System or Union City School System for kindergarten, the Brigance Early Childhood Screening III, K &1 is used to evaluate school readiness. The scores are a valuable benchmark for comparison purposes upon entering the school system.

Pro-Kids' progress is tracked during their school years by collecting state testing scores at periodic intervals during their public-school years. Teachers are surveyed periodically for their assessment of each child's academic progress and character development.

High school 10th grade student surveys and 12th graduation rates are collected annually. After graduation, Promethean hopes to continue to collect information about college and career accomplishments. There is a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Tennessee at Martin to continue the research and collect data at the end of the program in 2029.