1. Mobilizing Communities to Nurture NextGen Leaders – Right from the Start Presenters Brigitte Blom Ramsey, United Way of Greater Cincinnati/N KY Terry Tolan, KY Governor’s Office of Early Childhood With Joe Roberts, KY Head Start Collaboration Office and Kevin Nix, Director for Early Childhood, JCPS

2. Agenda Why invest in early childhood? Where we are today: Screener results 2013-2014 What is happening at the state level Local Strategies Local Best Practices Three things you can do to support kindergarten readiness in your community

3. Why Invest In Early Childhood

5. Brain growth versus public expenditures on children ages 0-18 90 percent of public expenditures occur after age five, after 90% of brain development has occurred. Source: Rand Corporation

6. Importance to Children Gaps Start Early Cumulative Vocabulary (Words) 1200 600 200 16mo24mo36mo Age (months) College Educated Parents Working Class Parents Source: Hart & Risley (1995) Welfare Parents

7. State Alignment All Sectors Moving in the Same Direction School Ready Head Start Early Head Start State Funded Pre- Kindergarten Community Based Child Care & Home Care College and Career Ready

8. Why are the early years so important? The transition from primary grades to intermediate grades Learn to Read Read to Learn Pre-K to third grade 4 th grade and up “ Learning to read by the end of third grade is the most important predictor of success for children. If children have not learned to read by that time, they will be unable to read to learn in the upper elementary and secondary grades.” Terry Holliday, KY Education Commissioner

9. Kentucky’s Business Model Children Enter Kindergarten Ready High Quality Early Learning Environments Supportive Families Access to Data for Community Planning Participation in STARS A great early childhood workforce Families understand child health and developmental needs Common Kindergarten Entry Screener Scholarships & PD Plans Families are engaged Children have access to appropriate services Data is shared by early childhood programs

10. Why is Kentucky Screening Kindergarteners? Inform decision-making about early childhood systems Identify our statewide and local challenges Mobilize communities Allow us to communicate results of our work To demonstrate “return on investment” To encourage continuous improvement

11. Aligns with readiness definition BRIGANCE® Kindergarten Screener was used by all Kindergarten programs in 2013 Does not determine eligibility Identifies kids who need help or enrichment early Use to work with parents, public preschool and private providers, community leaders Prior settings data will be treated as confidential Common Kindergarten Entry Screener

12. But how are the children doing? 2014Screener results - Children Screened: 50,532 - Children Ready: 49 percent - Children Not Ready: 51 percent The kindergarten readiness screener data is available in the supplemental data section of KDE’s Open House and will be added to the school report card in the fall.

13. State-Level Strategies Community Early Childhood Councils (CECC) Early Childhood Profiles Toyota bornlearning® Academies Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC)

14. … a vehicle for bringing together many community members to support issues of importance to children and families. … addresses the unique needs and strengths of local communities related to early childhood. Community Early Childhood Councils (CECCs)

15. Community Early Childhood Councils (CECCs) make it happen at the local level! School District Head Start/ Early Head Start Child Care Family Resource Centers Resource & Referral Agency Early Intervention Cooperative Extension United Way/Success by 6 Public Library Regional Training Centers Community Action Agency Health care professionals/ health department College or tech schools Parents/Foster parents Government Early childhood advocates Business Community

16. CECC Activities Over Time Activity Summary 2010-11 to Current FY 2010-11 FY 2012-13 FY 2011-12

17. Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Using Screener Data to Support School Readiness Combine Screener results with additional EC related data Displays data on a County level with a State Summary Provide a easy-to-use tool with actionable data elements Informs Councils and Communities on their efforts to improve School Readiness Created in partnership with Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Kentucky Department of Education Early Childhood Advisory Council Kentucky Center for Employment Workforce Statistics Cabinet for Health and Family Services http://kentuckyp20.ky.gov/Reports/ EarlyChildhoodProfile/default.aspx

18. Adding an additional 150 through competitive process Managed through FRYSCs

19. Expanded Rating System to include preschool and Head Start Expansion of Toyota bornlearning® Academies Integration of Strengthening Families Enhanced Professional Development Integration of PD Registry Expansion of the Longitudinal Data System (RTT-ELC) KY All STARS: Our Proposal

20. Greater recognition for high quality programs More access to technical assistance Greater access to appropriate professional learning opportunities for EC staff A unified professional workforce registry More opportunities to have Toyota bornlearning® Academies (RTT-ELC) KY All STARS: What it means for districts

21. Local Strategies Hazard/Perry County Collaboration Madison County Partnership OVEC – CECC Partnership Jefferson County EC Task Force Head Start District Partnerships

22. Hazard, Perry County Partnership at New Beginnings Learning Center 3 STAR-Rated Center Full-Day, Full-Week, Year-Round New Collaborations: New Beginnings Head Start Public Preschool Funded by: Child Care Assistance Program Private fees USDA Food Program 21 st Century Learning Center Kindergarten Readiness in Perry County 2012 – 14% Ready 2013 – 40% Ready Child Care – 61% Ready

23. Local Strategies Madison County Partnership with Child Care OVEC – CECC Partnership leveraging RTT

24. JCPS Early Childhood Task Force School Readiness in Kentucky School readiness means that each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child’s success and ability to be Ready to Grow, Ready to Learn & Ready to Succeed.  Child is curious  Has the ability to focus and listen  Continues in tasks that are challenging  Child plays in groups or pairs based on interest  Child initiates learning experiences  Sorts and classifies objects  Is learning to identify basic colors  Is learning to recognize name and general shapes  Counts up to 30  Counts sets of objects up to 10  Eats a balanced diet  Gets plenty of rest  Receives immunizations  Receives regular medical and dental care  Runs, jumps and does other activities  Is learning to play and share with others  Follows simple rules and routines  Shows curiosity  Is learning to explore new things  Is learning to work alone  Knows full name  Is learning to write own name  Uses pictures to tell stories  Is learning home address  Speaks in five or six word sentences What does School Readiness mean?

25. Local Collaborations Head Start and School Districts Value of developing collaborations Benefits for children – collaborations increase resources for families Maximizes federal and state funds to reach the highest number of eligible families Shared learning opportunities Cost shifting or cost sharing Engaging families and communities Leveraging other organizations (ex. Businesses, CECCs, etc.) Exchange of value between both parties The result: More children enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life

26. Local Collaborations Elements of Success What characteristics are present in effective Collaborations? Chemistry Right people at the table Strong leadership Effective implementation Dedication Frequency of meetings Strength of messaging Innovation Looking beyond barriers Solution/Strength oriented Seeks assistance Preparing children for kindergarten is a COMMUNITY issue

27. Things Districts Can Do 1. Change the community conversation COMMON VISION Kindergarten Ready Graduation from High School College and Career Ready

28. Things Districts Can Do 2. Work with community partners CECCs Private Providers Head Start

29. Things Districts Can Do 3. Communicate with parents Distribute parent guides Share Brigance Results Born Learning Academies

30. Kentucky’s premier professional learning opportunity for early childhood professionals & advocates June16-18, 2014 Galt House Hotel - Louisville, Ky. Follow us on Twitter @Ready_kids Kentucky’s premier professional learning opportunity for early childhood professionals & advocates June16-18, 2014 Galt House Hotel - Louisville, Ky. Follow us on Twitter @Ready_kids SAVE THE DATE

31. Thank You! http://kidsnow.ky.gov http://facebook.com/GOEC http://twitter.com/GOEC Web and Social Media Governor’s Office of Early Childhood 125 Holmes St. Frankfort, KY (502)782-0200 Contact Information