the spring break. Earlier the board heard Social Services

the spring break.

Earlier the board heard Social Services Director Beverly Bowen explain how her department provides services for abused and neglected children.

Mrs. Bowen said that most of the referrals her department receives come from the school and concern school-aged children. “It frightens me, to think that for the first five years the children are not out in the community,” she said.

She said the more incidents of abuse and neglect are being reported. “Whenever we get a report we are required to investigate,” she said. Many cases are determined to be “unfounded” because a “high level * of proof’ is required to remove a child from the home, she said. “There is so much emphasis on the disposition of the case, you sometimes lose track of the child,” she added. <•;

“You have a high rate of foster care here,” Mrs. Bowen said. She said one reason is that money is available for foster care but not for early intervention to prevent a case from becomming so severe that the children have to be removed from their homes. “It’s not something I’m happy with, ” she added.

Mrs. Bowen said that foster care is not intended to be a long term so-, lution. The Social Services Department tries to get the family back together within one or two years. If that doesn’t work then they go to court to get the right to place the children for adoption, she explained.

The board also heard a report from Elizabeth Smith on her “Reading Recovery” program. Ms. Smith teaches remedial reading to kindergarten and first grade children in small groups. She has also started a reading recovery program for some first graders. In that program she works one on one with a child 30 minutes a day for 16 to 20 weeks.

Dr. Gangel said that the main advantage of reading recovery is that 80 percent of the children who have this experience never need any more remedial help.