by Jennifer Kowalewski
Children who are healthy do
better in school and better enjoy their educational experience.
That’s why the Community Service Programs (CSP) reaches out to
Ohio’s youngest children, through local schools, with
pre-kindergarten screening.
For three days in August, CSP
staff members made the rounds to area schools. Melanie
Moynan-Smith, certified nurse practitioner, says the
screening program checks the health status of children before
they begin their school years. Its aim is to help children be in
learning-ready shape when they begin their school years.
“Pre-kindergarten screenings
are ways to check for eye, dental, hearing and other physical
problems, and provide immunization updates,” Moynan-Smith says.
“Also, the screenings are for developmental and behavioral
problems. We provide preventive education and referrals as
needed.”
For example, if a child fails
the eye exam, he or she will get a referral for a more
comprehensive vision test, she says.
“We can help kids who qualify
get health insurance to cover the costs of needed tests,” she
says.
The staff at CSP has helped the
community in this fashion since 2001, first in Vinton County.
“In the beginning, we were
asked to help Mount Caramel Hospital (Columbus) with sports
physicals in Vinton County high schools,” Moynan-Smith says.
“That’s how it started, and after the sports physicals, they
asked us to do the pre-kindergarten physicals.”
Moynan-Smith says this summer,
CSP staff headed to other area schools, expanding the
pre-kindergarten testing. Children in Athens County could see
CSP personnel, including those beginning school in Trimble,
Chauncey, Alexander and Morrison. Also, CSP provided screenings
for Head Start programs in Athens, Perry and Hocking counties.
It’s not just children and
schools who benefit from this program. CSP staff talks to
parents about safety issues involving their children.
“We have seen cases where
parents smoke in the home,” she says. “I let parents know that
research shows that second-hand smoke is as harmful as smoking.
Through the years, I’ve found more parents are not smoking in
the home, but grandpa and grandma can be problems.”
CSP still offers sports
physicals in Vinton County, as well as physicals for bus drivers
to help ensure that students are driven to school safely. Anyone
interested in these programs should talk school officials to see
if a program is available or if they are eligible.
For CSP, pre-kindergarten
screening is another way to help the community by advancing the
health of its youngest residents as they start one of the most
crucial stages of their lives.
- 30 -
News for
the week of Oct
10 –
Oct 15
