An interview with my Dad

Crossroads Youth & Family Services is exited to announce our podcast, Crossroads Connect- where all roads lead to home. This podcast is intended to provide useful information for youth and families.

When I first became a part of the Crossroads' team, I knew I wanted to create some sort of podcast to help families in Oklahoma and beyond. I DO NOT HAVE A SULTRY PODCAST VOICE, but the information we plan to share should be beneficial to families. This first episode is so close to my heart because it is with my father, Calvin Prince. He is a principal at one of our feeder schools and has a wealth of knowledge. We talked about an issue that comes up quite a bit lately-how to re-engage students back into learning and better prepare younger students for a learning environment post-pandemic. Some of the key tips are oldies, but they still resonate today. Even if students are at home, creating a schedule and working on their ability to sit and listen is key to success. Working with kids on their socializing will be key post virtual learning and reading to kids on a regular basis promotes a love of learning and reading.

Here are some of the things you can do to help prepare your children for school or returning back to a learning environment.

1. If you are not enrolled, look into a Head Start/ Early Head Start Center near you. Here is a list of our centers to help you navigate enrollment in Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Comanche and Seminole Counties in Oklahoma.

2. Put your kids on a light schedule. Don't overwhelm yourself, but try to keep bed times, reading times, no-technology times in place. This doesn’t mean that every minute of every day has to be planned, but having designated times to have kids sit and be focused on activities or tasks helps them be more attentive and organized.

3. If your child hasn’t been engaged during this virtual learning experiment, do not fret! School systems have plans in place and programs to help them catch up. Stay tuned for special summer programs in your local areas. Also, our Head Start/ Early Head Start Centers will offer special help to transition families into pre-K and kindergarten.

4. The main thing for all adults to do for children and youth is to remain optimistic about the future.

5. For teens feeling they are behind, let them know that there is no race for knowledge. They should keep positive and seek out opportunities to fill in any gaps they feel they may have incurred due to the pandemic. Not all YouTube content is helpful, but there are many channels that simplify concepts into digestible pieces.

Feel free to comment below questions, concerns, or ideas. We plan to have health care professionals, teachers, counselors, and many other people on the podcast to provide key information to help families.