1. Welcome! 2016 Early Learning Public Library Partnership Symposium
WiFi name: hhonors
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2. Today’s Agenda Our early learning system
Kindergarten readiness goals
Characteristics of entering kindergartners
Highlights from libraries’ work
What libraries have to offer in kindergarten transitions
How All Aboard for Kindergarten builds on this work
Lunchtime panel
Different perspectives on kindergarten transitions
Diving in: All Aboard for Kindergarten
Brainstorming, prioritizing and planning

3. Pre-Think: Lunchtime Panel
What questions do you have for …
A fellow librarian?
A family support expert?
A kindergarten teacher?
A candidate for statewide K-12 superintendent?
Write your questions on the cards provided, and leave them on the front table.

4. The Importance of Partnership
“To meet the needs of individuals, the community and the nation in the knowledge society, public libraries must be re-invented for a networked world, in which the value of networks grows as more connections are made.
Innovations built on the old distributed model of the lending library will not suffice. What is needed is a new level of interdependence that communities and libraries must embrace together.”
Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries
{From the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries}

5. Early Learning in Washington
Mixed delivery system
Libraries
Home visiting
Head Start and Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP)
Private child care
Family, friends and neighbors
Preschool

6. About 80,000 children are born in WA each year
Kids who will be in kindergarten in 2020 are already born (September August 2015)
About 45% of entering kindergartners are assessed as “ready” in all domains
About 2,000 families are enrolled in state-funded home visiting
About 11,000 kids are enrolled in ECEAP
About 75% of kids under age 5 are in the care of family, friends and neighbors

7. Early Learning Plan
Our state’s roadmap for building an early learning system, created with the input of hundreds of Washington residents who told us what was needed to help make sure all children in our state have what they need to succeed in school and life.

8. Washington Early Learning Partnership
Work together to make the state’s 10-year Early Learning Plan a reality

9. State-to-Local Coordination

10. Our State’s Goal
90 percent of children assessed as “ready” by 2020
Race is eliminated as a predictor of success

11. Characteristics of Entering Kindergartners
Social-emotional
Physical
Language
Cognitive
Literacy
Mathematics

12. Disproportionate outcomes by race
State WaKIDS Data Percentage of Students Entering Kindergarten Demonstrating Skills Typical of 5-6 Year Olds

13. Opportunity Gap Race is a predictor of success
Children of color are furthest from opportunity
Kindergarten entry assessments show that children of color are less likely to have the characteristics of entering kindergartners

14. EQUITY doesn’t mean EQUALITY
Image by Craig Froehle,

15. 90% Goal and Cluster Analysis
Cluster D:
Average scores are consistently lower across all domains.
Cluster B:
Average scores, except 50% below cut scores in Math.
Cluster C:
Average scores are at/below in all domains.
Cluster A:
Average scores are consistently high across domains.
90% of children are Kindergarten ready by 2020, as measured by WaKIDS

16. Getting to 90% Ready: Strategies
2015: 48% of all kindergarteners are ready in 6/6 WaKIDS domains

17. Getting to 90% Ready: Strategies
Fix Dropoff: 53% of all kindergarteners are ready in 6/6 WaKIDS domains
Math: 60% of all kindergarteners are ready in 6/6 WaKIDS domains
Expand ECEAP: 63% of all kindergarteners are ready in 6/6 WaKIDS domains

18. Our State’s Goal
90 percent of children assessed as “ready” by 2020
Race is eliminated as a predictor of success

19. Kindergarten readiness
90%
GAP
45%
2016
2020

20. Thrive Washington
Create opportunities for all children in Washington to succeed in school and in life, through partnership, grant-making and advocacy
In Washington state, we have a cabinet level Department of Early Learning, and Thrive was created at the same time to be the private nonprofit partner for state and community work.
We serve a key role in system-building and state-to-local coordination, which in our state means working with regional and local providers and experts, and making sure what they know and what they learn is heard among state agencies and policymakers. We also partner with state agencies, and help them understand the work happening with families. We blend federal, state and private funding to give out grants for a variety of work in early learning, from intensive home visiting programs to coalition-building, infrastructure work, to special STEM displays at children’s libraries. We also do legislative advocacy.
At Thrive, we believe that communities have the solutions to their own problems, and that by building the capacity of people to come together and share learning about the issues to matter to them, and making sure that they are heard by policymakers and funders, we can create high-quality early learning opportunities for every child.
One of the parts of Thrive’s work that I’m excited to talk about today is our work with libraries, specifically the Early Learning Public Library Partnership, and I will be talking more about that later on.

21. Early Learning Regional Coalitions
Strengthen partnerships, build capacity, broaden reach, and focus local early learning mobilization efforts

22. Statewide Library Network
Ensure that public libraries are full, essential partners in the early learning movement in Washington state
Initially, the ELPLP was established to ensure that
The public libraries are recognized by early learning professionals, decision makers, and the public for their work in early learning.
Public libraries are members of local and statewide early learning coalitions throughout Washington State.
Public Libraries will continue to grow for early learning services resources and influence in Washington State Early Learning Community.
Now, the ELPLP goals are:
Public Libraries influence early learning policy
Strengthen the Early Learning Public Library Partnership
Establish the Public Library as the go-to place for literacy resources and family and community engagement early learning supports

23. Early Learning Public Library Partnership
Influence policy
Strengthen network and connections
Raise visibility

24. Libraries and kindergarten transitions

25. Kindergarten readiness
90%
GAP
45%
2016
2020

26. Small-Group Discussions
Please record your notes on sticky notes. These will be helpful in the afternoon session.
What are ways that you already see libraries playing the role of supporting families in kindergarten transitions?
What are some of the best resources and programs that help support kindergarten readiness?
What are barriers for libraries to play this role?

27. Concept: All Aboard for K
What does it mean to be ready for kindergarten? Explain what kindergarten readiness means and what it looks like every day.
It’s information that parents need to know that they're not going to get anywhere else or find on their own.
Don’t reinvent the wheel.
There are major implications for our society if kids are not ready for kindergarten, including lower academic achievement and increased need for social services, impacting the economy, the jobs market, the health care system, and other key components of our country’s infrastructure.
-parents don’t understand what's required
-don’t know the domains
-explain what this means and what it looks like every day
-what will help them have a great kindergarten year
-here's what you can work on
-if they're really behind, here's how to involve the parents
Why it's important for us to be doing this
Things that parents need to know that they're not going to get anywhere else or find on their own
--what's literacy vs. language
--what's cognitive abilities
Don't reinvent the wheel
Want librarians and parents to really understand what it means to be ready for kindergarten
Pierce County block program
Mary Ellen's website
Manipulatives
Set up a series of programs for different domains?
Guiding Principles:
Keep it simple;
Less is more;
Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Collaboration is key;
One language, one message:
Jargon-free;
Non-judgmental;
Flexible (can flow and change to better help partnerships);
Consistent;
Communication, communication, communication!
Who, What, How, When – and Did it Make a Difference?:
Who:
Know your audience;
Identify information gatekeepers;
Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships!
What:
Create a consistent, joint language for messaging – keep it simple – and short!
Use existing programs/initiatives for message content – There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
How:
Deliver the message in language that is friendly and supportive;
Deliver the message in language that is easily understood by its intended audience; consider:
Reading levels of parents/FFN;
Language used by parents/FFN.
Deliver the message in a format that is easily accessed by its intended audience; consider:
Digital literacy skills (or lack thereof);
Access to technology (or lack thereof);
Visual and physical impairments:
Braille/Talking Book;
Daisy file format;
Large print;
Other considerations?
When:
Scheduled release:
Monthly?
Quarterly?
Coordinated among early learning partners.
Did it make a difference? Assess effectiveness of program:
Keep it short;
Keep it positive – don’t stigmatize.

28. All Aboard, Partners! Libraries
Key source of early learning information and resources
Statewide, in almost every community
Accessible to families furthest from opportunity and available to all families, including those who don’t use other services, such as child care, preschool or home visiting
Can help close the opportunity gap with an intentional effort on kindergarten readiness
What are the implications for not being school-ready?
-Business
-Military
-James Heckman/ROI
-Casey series on cost of early learning vs. later on expenses
Amount of time children spend in formal learning environments

29. All Aboard, Partners! Washington State Library
Brings vast knowledge of public libraries
Brings a strong communication network
Early Learning Public Library Partnership
Brings librarians and library staff committed to enhancing early learning
Brings resources and tools that libraries already use to support early learning
Thrive Washington
Brings connection to early learning system
Brings experience providing training and technical assistance on family engagement

30. Libraries: Right People, Right Place, Right Time
Most of us are more likely to absorb information or adopt behavior when we experience it (“show, don’t tell”)
Libraries have the respected staff and high-quality resources that could generate those experiences
We know that what builds resilience in families and communities is shared knowledge and trusted networks
Libraries are in every community and have the trusted messengers to share valued information about early learning and kindergarten readiness
that could generate those experiences
Librarians throughout the state have already developed family engagement tools and programming that families love
The ELPLP is positioned to spread that knowledge and offer free, accessible learning opportunities throughout the state
More families need to be acquainted with the importance of early learning and kindergarten readiness, and what it looks like
Thrive and the Washington State Library have the partnerships and tools to increase public awareness and offer free, accessible learning opportunities throughout the state

31. In Practice: All Aboard for K
Name what works
Share learning
Build awareness

32. Group Discussion How does this concept land with you?
What are important considerations for All Aboard?
Where do you see this going with the support of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership?
How do you think All Aboard for Kindergarten will affect your library system? Or how do you think this will fit into to your library system’s future plans?