Kindergarten Readiness
Jefferson County Community Partnership
Core Result: Young children ready to enter school
Benchmark: Kindergarten Readiness Test Scores
February 2002
Objective
To increase the percent of children at the Vineland Site in De Soto testing “ready” for kindergarten from 77% in 2001 to 82% by 2003. (5% increase)
Strategies
The Vineland community has implemented the following preschool information & resource programs that have contributed to increasing children’s readiness to enter school:
Day in the Life of a V.I.P. (implemented in 1999 at Vineland Site) – This Kdg. Readiness Program that provides preschool families with hands-on experience in the Kdg. setting, school supplies, information, resources & free books the year prior to their children entering school. Parent surveys conducted prior to kindergarten entry indicate that participating children and parents had an increased level of confidence about the child beginning school.
Parents As Teachers Early Screening for 3-4 yr. Olds (Implemented in 1999 in De Soto Community) – Caring Communities partnered with P.A.T. to increase the participation in this P.A.T. program that helps identify developmental delays early. De Soto Schools, P.A.T., DFS, and Caring Communities work together to increase advertisement of the program at other community events. Resources are also distributed to help prepare the children for school.
Educare – (Implemented in 1999) Educare offers training to childcare providers. The goal of the program is to increase children’s developmental skills by increasing the abilities of the providers. The success of this program in De Soto and the request for services by other Jefferson County providers has resulted in expansion to include five more school district communities. In FY2001, there was a 252% increase in the number of children who benefited from this service to their providers!
The Parenting Network – TPN acts as a resource for low-income stay-at-home parents. It offers trainings relevant to parenting and free educational materials and books. (Implemented in 1999)
Results
Vineland’s Kindergarten Readiness (KIDS) Test Scores have improved from 49% of children testing “ ready” in 1997 to 77% in 2001.
Funding/Return on Investment
Funding for these strategies has been provided by the De Soto School District, the Danforth Foundation, Parents As Teachers, DSS (Educare), HB 1519 (Parenting Network), Caring Communities and local in-kind contributions. Due to the success of the Day in the Life of a V.I.P. and P.A.T. screening, the community will fully support these programs in FY 2003. This demonstrates how Caring Communities start-up dollars leverages community support!
Noteworthy
Vineland’s “school readiness” team members attended a celebration in August 2001 held by the Danforth Foundation. Vineland was one of four communities nationwide chosen to share their success and experience.
Barriers / Road Blocks
It has been a challenge to examine the school readiness issue on a countywide basis as there is no consistent measure used county wide and data must be collected manually. This presents a great barrier as Jefferson County has 11 school districts and many sites within those districts. There is a need for a mandated school readiness test or measure in the state of Missouri and a way to collect that data.
