Cuyahoga County Universal Pre- Kindergarten NNPS Family Engagement June 24, 2010 Westerville, Ohio

AGENDA Overview and History of Invest in Children Office of Early Childhood Starting Point Overview of Roll Out Family Engagement Family Resource Coordination Parma Preschool

Invest in Children OVERVIEW Invest in Children, administered by the Board of County Commissioners, is a community- wide public/private partnership working to increase the development, funding, visibility, and impact of early childhood services in Cuyahoga County.

Invest in Children cont. HISTORY In private foundations and corporations joined with County government to redesign the face of human services for young children and their families throughout Cuyahoga County. Working together, the founders of the Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) launched a plan to make sure that all children in the County received the best possible start in life.

Invest in Children cont. GOALS –Effective Parents and Families –Safe and Healthy Children –Children Prepared for School –Community Committed to Children

Office of Early Childhood Staff Rebekah Dorman, Director Magda Gomez, Communications Manager Helen McCoy, Fiscal Manager Nakiaa Robinson, Program Manager Bob Staib, Evaluation Manager

Starting Point Staff Constance Walker, Special Needs Child Care Catherine Thomas, Family Engagement Coordinator Abbie Klein, Family Regional Resource Coordinator Cindy Fareed, Professional Development Bill Goodrich, Family Child Care Homes

Overview of UPK Roll-Out 24 Early Childhood Education sites were selected to participate in the first UPK program for Cuyahoga County and in the State of Ohio Implementing Phase 1, The Pilot(2006) - The focus was on selecting programs, enrolling families, further improving quality, and measuring results

Family Enrollment Eligibility –Children 3 – 5 years, not in kindergarten –Cuyahoga County residents Family Subsidy –Families up to 400% FPL Forms –Family Enrollment/Eligibility Form

MIS COPA- Child Outcome Planning and Assessment –Web-based data system used by UPK

Evaluation To be conducted by Case Western Reserve University Evaluation Questions –How well-prepared for kindergarten are the children who participate in the UPK pilot? –Does that preparation give children an advantage through the 3 rd grade? –What do parents think of the UPK program? Are they satisfied with their child’s experience?

Evaluation Cont. Methods –Data Collection –Parent Interviews –Administration of Standardized Child Assessment Forms –Parent Consent Form

Monitoring Program Monitoring –Site Visits –Review of licensing/certification inspection reports –Review of program files –Environment Rating Scales Fiscal Monitoring –Review of invoices and supporting documentation –Review of enrollment records –Review of eligibility documentation

Communications Campaign BIG things are happening! Communications Materials Use of the Invest in Children Logo UPK Referrals

Additional Components of UPK Professional Development Family Engagement Resource Coordination

Professional Development Technical Assistance –Specialists provide on-site support for all areas of program improvement Accreditation Support –Training Modules on criteria –Network meetings –On-site consultation

Family Engagement Overview of Family Engagement (The Joyce Epstein Model) Six Types of Involvement Parenting Communication Volunteering Learning at Home Decision Making Collaborating with the Community

Family Engagement Family Engagement Coordinator Ensure membership in NNPS for each UPK site Provide training and technical assistance to UPK site staff Act as liaison between NNPS and UPK Attend at least one action team meeting per site per year Host Family Engagement Events

Family Engagement Family Engagement Coordinator continued: Seek additional grant funding for Family Engagement Assist with development and implementation of action plans Collect attendance sheets from monthly action team meetings Choose yearly themes (Involving Fathers, Family Literacy)

Family Resource Coordination Meet Needs of Child and Family Linkage -Match Needs to Services -“No Wrong Door Policy” Educate, Empower and Prevent -Resource Information Sessions -Dissemination of Materials

Resource Coordination Cont. Support and Collaborate –Respond to family initiated requests –Screen for needs and respond accordingly –Provide education about resources –Develop referral protocols UPK Sites = Portals to County Resources

UPK Calendar

Parma Preschool Family owned and operated Part-time preschool ages 3-5 Border of Cleveland and Parma NAEYC Accredited SUTQ pilot school- 3 star ratings since Reggio-inspired curriculum –High family involvement expectations

How Many Families? –Grasshopper ClassTh-Fri9-11:00 12 –Dragon Fly ClassTh-Fri9-11:00 12 –Salamander ClassM-T-W9-11:00 18 –Squirrel ClassM-T-W9-11:00 18 –Cardinal ClassMTWTh12: –Blue Heron ClassMTWTh12: –Total Number of Families……………………..100

Family Engagement Evolution Parma Preschool always had great family involvement Created Board of Parents (BOP) Our BOP became our Action Team

Parenting Classes Family Activities Discussion Groups/ Opportunities Resource Cart Advice and Ideas in Newsletters Positive Education Program Conferences Parent Helpers

Communication Making time for communicating with families in person! Classroom Displays Rotating class-made books Individual Portfolios Monthly Newsletters s Websites Facebook

Volunteering Classroom Helpers Parent “experts”/ Sharing Talents BOP Group (and committees) Work at home Book Orders Making Signs Sorting Weekly Readers

Learning at Home In/Out Kits Ideas in Newsletter and Websites Daily Reflections “Homework” Letters

Decision Making BOP Surveys Parent Helpers Website Collaboration Parent Interviews Open Door Policy

Collaborating with the Community Pass Outs/ On-line Posts UPK PEP Nurse Visits First Call For Help Collaborating with Kindergarten Teachers Teachers Participation in Professional Organizations (shared with parents and families) NAEYC OVL NAREA GroundWork Ohio Alliance for Childhood

Discussion Questions/Concerns

THANK YOU!