By Lori Ehde
Lisa Dinger is the new Guide at Luverne Elementary School. She is full-time, replacing two part-time guides who ran the program last year.
Child Guide is a program implemented last year in Luverne designed to connect students with positive things in their communities.
"All these assets are in your communities, but the problem is children aren't connected to all these good things," Marlyn Benson told Luverne School Board members when she introduced the program last year.
Benson works with the Southwest-West Central Service Cooperative to coordinate the program in area districts.
"We don't provide the assets," she said. "We connect kids to programs and programs to kids."
In school districts that use Child Guide, teachers and staff are asked to keep their eyes open for students who may be struggling - either from problems at home or with their peers.
Child Guide doesn't do the work of a school psychologist or counselor but works on referrals from them.
Help is often as simple as a cheery greeting to a student in the morning or offering special praise for a minor accomplishment.
In many cases, students' self-confidence can benefit from involvement in 4-H or Scouts, but parents don't have the time or funds to enroll the child - or don't see the need.
In that case, a Child Guide representative might make a friendly contact with the parents about the advantages of involving the child in a certain activity.
If costs or transportation are an issue, Child Guide might connect the family with local sources of revenue or with volunteers to drive or carpool.
Child Guide came about when the Legislature took aim at reducing juvenile corrections costs. It asked the Southwest-West Central Service Cooperative to design a program to help kids before they get into trouble.
The cooperative and Southwest Minnesota Foundation developed Child Guide as a result.
After piloting the program for six years in the Willmar School District, Kandiyohi County Family Services reported a noticeable decrease in juvenile-related caseloads.
Dinger, who has already started in the halls of Luverne Elementary School, said sheÕs excited about the program and is eager to meet the students.
"The Child Guide program is an excellent program to be utilized by the school and community for all children in meeting their needs," she said, "and not any one specific group."
Dinger said the existing Child Guide activities, such as Kids in Commons and the elementary newspaper will continue, and she'll start a new one if interest is there.
She and her husband, Don, live in Luverne and have children in Luverne Public Schools.
Child Guide in Luverne is funded through the Rock County Collaborative, Blandin Foundation, SW/WC Service Cooperatives, Southwest Minnesota Foundation, Minnwest Corporation and The Sheltering Arms Foundation.
No district funds are spent on the project. Child Guide representatives will be employees of the Service Cooperative. All the district is asked to do is provide desk space.