Deveeta Stanford, graduate of the YWCA's Lifestrides program is diligently at work at Star Bank's check-encoding facility. It is an international program founded in Israel with over 120 sites in the United States. Deborah Kennedy reads regularly with her daughter, Briana, and son, Ian, who are now delighted by the magic of books. Each week of activities contains lessons for five days. The lessons take no longer than 15-20 minutes a day to complete.
Parents follow the lesson and guide the child through the activity.
May. Books, lessons, crayons, scissors, glue, plastic shapes and most other materials needed are provided free of charge. Paraprofessionals are utilized to deliver materials, guide parents through the program, and provide information and emotional support for the parents. Each paraprofessional receives 100 hours of training throughout the year. It provides an avenue of reentering the job market for those who desire to do so. Group meetings are held twice a month for parents to meet each other and gather information to help them with their children.