LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 280

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280 PARISH SERVICES

cate the addition of 80 new early childhood programs. Ninety-
five percent of these new schools serve three- and four-year-
olds. The continued growth of schools for preschoolers is good
news for everyone, as these programs are often the foundation
for our Lutheran elementary and secondary schools.

Additional printed resources have been prepared to meet
the continued growth of early childhood education. Cultural
Pluralism in Early Childhood Education was developed to aid
parents and teachers in living and ministering in the culturally
pluralistic society of the 80s. The Christian Parent Series,
published by Concordia Publishing House, is another tool to
help in the Christian parenting role. This series of booklets for
parents includes two selections for parents of preschoolers:
Home Enrichment and Child Development. That Very First
Dax offers suggestions on how parents can help their children
make the transition between home and school a pleasant
experience.

Special emphasis has been given to resources for kinder-
garten and day care since the last convention. This] Know...
is a tool to evaluate four- and five-year-olds. It serves as an
indicator of curricular areas in need of emphasis during the
kindergarten year. Planning for Lutheran Kindergartens pro-
vides the missing link in the “Planning for...” series. It is an
attempt to condense and outline the information needed by
congregations to open a Lutheran kindergarten. The Kinder-
garten Curriculum Guide is a practical piece that emphasizes
the integrated approach to kindergarten curriculum.

With 4.5 million children in need of day-care services.
statistics indicate that day-care ministry should be a high
priority item in our LCMS congregations. The film, Where Are
They Going? was designed to encourage congregations to
recognize the validity of the day-care ministry for parents,
children, and the church. A companion piece, Where Are Thev
Going?—Follow Through, is intended to help congregations
move into day-care ministry by offering step-by-step directions
on setting up a day-care center.

Monthly publications include Insights and Ideas, Preschool
Devotions, “The Heart of the Young Child” column for Inter-
action, and promotional and professional articles for the
Reporter, Inspirit, Lutheran Education, and other journals and
publications.

An ongoing network of District early childhood consultants
continues to aid District education executives and local con-
gregations in promoting, establishing, and maintaining early
childhood education at the local level. The consultants are
instrumental in helping congregations establish new pro-
grams, planning conferences and workshops and encouraging
summer seminars at the synodical colleges. Regular mailings
and yearly meetings keep consultants abreast of trends,
concerns, and needs in early childhood. Yearly emphasis, as
well as District needs, dictate the job description of each
consultant. Returns from a recent questionnaire to District
education executives indicated that the executives attributed
much of the growth and development of early childhood
education to the enthusiasm and dedication of the District
consultants.

Leadership services are provided by the School Department
staff to Districts in the form of seminars and workshops for
teachers, pastors, parents, boards, directors of Christian edu-
cation, and others.

In accordance with Res. 7-17 (St. Louis, 1979) the BPE has
continued to encourage students at the synodical colleges to
enter the early childhood field and has provided personnel for
early childhood seminars and workshops during summer
months at our synodical colleges (River Forst, Ill.; St. Paul,
Minn.; Austin, Tex).

Early childhood publications and programs are coordinated
with the Department of Early Childhood Education of the
Lutheran Education Association. Membership is also held in
several national organizations with regional involvement and
national program involvement.

C. Forward... for Children and Youth

The number of Lutheran schools open to children and youth
of our churches and communities is increasing. Following are
pertinent 1979—80 elementary and secondary school statistics
compared with 1978—79 statistics:

Elementary (includes early childhood programs):

Schools—1,327 reported (increase of 37): in addition
approximately 87 schools did not report

Sponsoring congregations—1,744 (increase of 76)

Pupils—160,020 (increase of 5,095); add about 5,300 in
nonreporting schools

Secondary (includes only community Lutheran high
schools, not synodical schools):

Schools—60 (increase of 5)
Pupils—15,663 (increase of 471)
Sponsoring congregations—1,006

The greatest growth has been at the early childhood level (9
percent). The increase in early childhood programs through
the beginning of new schools, as well as through the addition of
such programs to existing schools, has also led to an increase
in lower elementary-grade enrollments. Elementary and
secondary enrollments increased at a rate of 3 percent each.

Schools Added

New high schools, 1979—80: Springfield, Il.; Arlington,
Va.; Charlotte, N.C.

New high schools, 1980-81: Kansas City, Mo.; Houston,
Tex.; Las Vegas, Nev.

School closed: Louisville, Ky.

Lutheran high school feasibility study and planning com-
mittees currently meet in numerous areas of the country. At
least three new high schools are scheduled to open in September
1981. The desire of the members of these committees and other
parents is to extend programs of Christian education into the
teenage years of their children. Parents are exhibiting concern
for the development of their children’s life-styles, values.
character, and spiritual life. In response to filling the need for
increased synodical leadership for high schools, the Synod’s
Board of Directors has authorized the request of the Board of
Parish Education to add a staff member to serve as an
associate secretary of secondary schools.

The School Department staff continues to assist District
and local congregation personnel through the provision of
such leadership services as observation and evaluation of
school programs; presentations at teacher, principal, and
board workshops and conferences; guidance to feasibility
study committees; and aid in goal clarification and training of
District consultants. Other leadership services are included in
accompanying sections of this report.

In an effort to help equip the church’s educational leaders to
move forward effectively and for the correct purposes, materials
are developed and made available.

Some of the materials aimed at meeting a variety of school
needs and produced during the last two years include five
Innovations Notebook descriptions; four Performing Our
Patterns resource guides: monthly issues of “Share” (multi-
cultural newsletter), “Insights and Ideas” (early childhood
emphasis), ‘Alight” (all levels); the Lutheran Secondary
Schools Quarterly; five memoranda re IRS revenue procedures:
and acooperative production of “Tina,” achildren's episode of
“This Is the Life.” Booklets distributed include Development of
Play Equipment; Instructional Materials Guide: Chapel Talks;
Cultural Pluralism in the Elementary School Curriculum;
“Publishers’ Addresses”; “‘Lutheran School Fees”; and Small
Schools: Quality Schools with its accompanying slide tape
presentation, ‘Five Rooms or Less.”

D. Forward... Among All Cultures

Lutheran elementary and secondary schools are open to
23,000 students from Third World ethnic groups. These students
represent 15 percent of the national enrollment, and more than
30 percent of the enrollment in 165 schools in 20 Districts. More
than 130 nonwhite teachers are serving in Lutheran schools.
Bilingual instruction is provided in 10 preschool, 208 ele-
mentary, and 19 secondary classrooms by 140 teachers in 25
Districts. More than 1,100 students in 50 schools receive some
instruction in seven languages in addition to English.

The Multicultural Lutheran Education national organiza-
tion, developed in 1974 with funds from the Synod’s 125th
anniversary thankoffering, has become integrated with all
agencies of the Synod. Each District’s multicultural consultant