Do you know all of the educational options available for your student? National School Choice Week, which runs January 20-26, is dedicated to giving parents access to the best K-12 education options for their children. These options include traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling. In conjunction with this national week, Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund (NOSF) will be hosting a school fair at the Franciscan Center on Saturday, January 26, to give parents more information on these different schooling options. Parents can also learn about the funding available through NOSF and the Ohio Department of Education. At the end of 2018, the Ohio Department of Education released its list of 2019-2020 Designated Public Schools for the EdChoice Scholarship Program. Some local schools made this list, meaning students in these districts could receive a voucher to attend a provider chartered private school. You can find the complete list of designated schools online at education.ohio.gov.
New Providers Expand Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Team
Mercy Health announced the expansion of its Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine team with the addition of Dr. Kirk Davis, an Orthopaedic Surgeon, and Jenna Yeager, PA-C, ATC, an Orthopaedic Physician Assistant. Dr. Davis has been treating patients and athletes in the Toledo area for the past 20 years, teaming with Jenna for the past five years. “The opportunity to partner with Mercy Health – Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine will allow us to further develop our practice, while opening up medical advances to our patients with new technologies and a state-of-the-art medical records system,” Dr. Davis said. They are currently accepting new patients at their office in Sylvania.
Mercy Health – Sylvania Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine,
7640 W. Sylvania Ave., Suite B, Sylvania
419-442-0222 | mercy.com.
Inspire2Be
One of the greatest responsibilities of parenting is to instill a sense of confidence and self-worth in children. In our current culture, it’s especially important to help daughters feel empowered to make positive choices in a world that can often be cruel to girls. Inspire2Be, a faith-based community mentoring program focuses on supporting Toledo area girls ages 7-17 to become all they are meant to be. Through group activities, individual sessions, and life skill courses, Inspire2Be’s mission is to encourage girls and young women to know that they have an important role in society.
Creating the Vision
Inspire2Be was founded by Brittany Bates, a local RN, who describes herself as a woman of God, life coach, and mentor for youth. “Inspire2Be was truly a gift from God,” Brittany says. “It all started with a Facebook post: Do you know of any girls who could use a mentoring program? One of my friends from high school responded that she had a class full of young ladies that would benefit.” Brittany visited the class twice a week during the school year, then created a summer mentoring program which was very successful.
Now Inspire2Be meets once a month to discuss self esteem, current events, and to plan activities. Every other month, the group hosts community service events such as Career Day and the Breast Cancer Expo. “I know what it’s like to need a mentor,” Brittany says. “I suffered from low self esteem and poor self worth. I believe that if I had a program like Inspire2Be, I would have had a better childhood.”
The Power of Choice
Brittany’s vision is to teach young girls that they have a voice in our community and beyond. “In today’s society, there is a struggle to achieve the Girl Power we deserve,” Brittany recognizes. “Inspire2Be helps young ladies know that they are more than what society says they are and that God says they are beautifully and wonderfully made.”
The Inspire2Be program emphasizes the right for each girl to make their own choices, and then puts them to the test. Through group mentoring, the girls are guided in evaluating their decisions to determine if they are healthy or not. Brittany acknowledges that she made poor decisions when she was younger which ultimately lead to difficult consequences. “In a sense, I am helping the younger Brittany,” she says.
A New Confidence
Inspire2Be provides a host of activities and educational opportunities. Self esteem enhancement is one of the most vital aspects of the program. They offer an encouraging activity in which one girl sits in front of the group and all of the other girls say something positive about her. “It’s so amazing to see how the young lady responds to see that the others think she is smart, beautiful, etc.,” Brittany beams. “They go home with a new confidence.”
Brittany feels rewarded every time someone returns for another meeting. She has personally mentored a few girls, who have slowly grown in self-assurance, and takes pride in knowing that in this way, Inspire2Be is a huge success. “To see them blossom is amazing. Seeing the girls’ smiles and watching them work together brings me joy.”
To get involved with Inspire 2 Be, visit their website, 2inspire2be.com.
Email Brittany at [email protected],to volunteer as a chaperone, community service coordinator, mentor and more.
Way Public Library Offers Beyond Books
The Way Public Library in Perrysburg offers a great Beyond Books collection that allows you to check out a variety of fun and useful items with your library card. Electronics like metal detectors and karaoke machines, science equipment like telescopes and human heart models, home tools like sewing machines and air quality monitors, and instruments like ukuleles and acoustic guitars are just a few of the items you can borrow for free for up to one week. There’s even a fun Party Express collection (available to borrow for up to four days) that includes large party games like Mega Checkers, Giant Connect 4, Giant Jenga and more. All items must be picked up at the Way Library and returned during library hours. You cannot return items from Beyond Books collection in the book drops.
For more details or to reserve an item, call 419-874-3135.
Way Public Library, 101 E. Indiana Ave, Perrysburg.
Join the Mini Explorers Club
Imagination Station is looking for curious youngsters to join their Mini Explorers Club. This new, free program, for families of children ages 3-5, will meet once a month to create, explore and learn about the wonderful world all around us. Mini Explorers Club includes fun, hands-on activities, and a snack with free play kicking off every session.
This month the Mini Explorers Club will look into dinosaurs, uncovering fossils, exploring dinosaur footprints and examining dinosaur teeth.
Sessions are on January 15 and 29. Mini Explorers Club is open to the public from 2-3:30pm in the KIDSPACE Science Studio. For Partner Schools, the program runs 4-5:30pm in the KIDSPACE
Science Studio. Read more about the new theater in our February issue.
December 2018 Giveaway—A Year Subscription to ‘Child Journals’!
We’re making it easy to preserve everything from everyday routines to key milestones and precious moments…this month we’re giving one lucky reader a year-long subscription to Child Journals, a brand new add-on to the LifeTales story-sharing app. With Child Journals, memories are safely stored and easily accessed at any time. Register today for your chance to win!