CSA Finalist: Nancy Miller
By: Dave Woodman, KARK 4 CSA Producer
Updated: July 5, 2012
Easter Seals provides life-long service. Nancy facilitates those services just by her activity. She's been kind of the front person for a lot of our events this past year," explains Sandi Billingsley, Assistant Education Director of "A Child's Place."
"Well, Nancy really stepped up as a parent and took over PTA, and PTA went from being a small group of a couple of parents to really being a school-wide organization when Nancy took over," says Meagan Booe, a teacher with "A Child's Place."
Nancy Miller's commitment to "A Child's Place" pre-school at Easter Seals Arkansas began when her daughter Shelby enrolled.
"This is an inclusive pre-school, which means that roughly 50-percent of the students that are in each classroom do not have any disabilities and they are learning alongside students who have disabilities, and i do believe that they learn from one another," Miller says.
During her PTA presidency, Nancy set up email accounts so parents could communicate more easily, and she coordinated several successful fundraising events.
"Y'know, with the economy the way it is now, it's harder to raise money and so I think that if we could make the fundraising events very meaningful for our families and also maybe expand on those things that have been popular favorites," she says.
Those funds have been used to purchase educational aids, like the boardmaker, and the listening center.
"It allows kids to be independent in reading books, and it tells them when to turn the page and things like that, and the great thing about the listening center is it's used schoolwide, Booe explains.
"Our daughter is a blessing, and the people here recognize that," Nancy says. "I'd like to think also that in these classrooms, that there's a future pediatric therapist or a future special educator among the group. That would be wonderful!
Shelby Miller graduated from "A Child's Place" into kindergarten and a bright future, and though Nancy's year as PTA president is over, she's still involved with preparing other kids for the world that awaits them.
"Well, Nancy really stepped up as a parent and took over PTA, and PTA went from being a small group of a couple of parents to really being a school-wide organization when Nancy took over," says Meagan Booe, a teacher with "A Child's Place."
Nancy Miller's commitment to "A Child's Place" pre-school at Easter Seals Arkansas began when her daughter Shelby enrolled.
"This is an inclusive pre-school, which means that roughly 50-percent of the students that are in each classroom do not have any disabilities and they are learning alongside students who have disabilities, and i do believe that they learn from one another," Miller says.
During her PTA presidency, Nancy set up email accounts so parents could communicate more easily, and she coordinated several successful fundraising events.
"Y'know, with the economy the way it is now, it's harder to raise money and so I think that if we could make the fundraising events very meaningful for our families and also maybe expand on those things that have been popular favorites," she says.
Those funds have been used to purchase educational aids, like the boardmaker, and the listening center.
"It allows kids to be independent in reading books, and it tells them when to turn the page and things like that, and the great thing about the listening center is it's used schoolwide, Booe explains.
"Our daughter is a blessing, and the people here recognize that," Nancy says. "I'd like to think also that in these classrooms, that there's a future pediatric therapist or a future special educator among the group. That would be wonderful!
Shelby Miller graduated from "A Child's Place" into kindergarten and a bright future, and though Nancy's year as PTA president is over, she's still involved with preparing other kids for the world that awaits them.
