Sep 18, 2005 2 min read

Another school year has come with all of the expectations that accompany its return. As we, the Uniontown community, begin the process of educating our children and preparing this year’s seniors for the transition from high school to college or the workplace, we have to remember that education is a community responsibility. With all of the attention that the “No Child Left Behind Act” has received, it is not a magic wand.

A good education requires hard work from students and teachers, needs the involvement of parents, and needs to provide assistance to those who need additional help to keep up.

We in the Uniontown community have an organization that provides help with all three.

Young Inspiration, (www.younginspiration.org), is an after-school program that provides tutoring, homework assistance, mentoring, educational fieldtrips, parental workshops, and many more services to the children grades 6 through 12 at LaFayette Junior High, Ben Franklin Junior High, and Uniontown High School.

It is funded through the 21st Community Learning Centers program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and has been very effective in helping children succeed in school.

But they can only help those who actively participate in the program. Ninety-five percent of all their members who have graduated high school have gone on to a university, college, or trade school.

That’s a statistic that should inspire parents take advantage of the services that are available through this program.

It operates right in the host school from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, with a staff that includes teachers from the surrounding school districts, and gives children who otherwise would be home alone waiting on their parents to return home from work a safe place to be where they can learn and play with other children. And on top of all that is completely free.

As we struggle to prepare our children for the challenges sure to confront them as they take their places in our society, education has shown itself to be the deciding factor when it comes to who is hired and who isn’t.

We have to take advantage of all the resources available to us and Young Inspiration is a program worthy of a look.

Rusty Covington, elder, Church of God in Christ, CEO Covington Consulting, and Advisory Board Member of Young Inspiration