Kindergarten Readiness

Knox & Schuyler Counties
Northeast Missouri Caring Communities

Core Result: Young children ready to enter school
Benchmark: Ready to Enter School by School Assessment

February 2002

Objective
To increase readiness of school assessment scores for children in Knox and Schuyler Counties from “average” (range of 4.0-6.9) actual average score of 6.74 in 2000 to “high” (range of 7.0 to 9.0) by 2003.

Target
Childcare providers in Knox and Schuyler Counties (licensed & non-licensed)

Strategies
Children that have the opportunity to experience a variety of activities and environments will show an increase in scores of Kindergarten Readiness screenings. When a child has different kinds of experiences, and these experiences are repeated over and over again, the connections in the brain become stronger. These connections shape the way a child thinks, feels, behaves, and learns. It is essential to support child care providers, parents, and families as they establish positive environments for lifelong learners for our future generations.

• Support for Child Care Providers, using Project REACH curriculum. We utilize the format of home visits, on site trainings; grant opportunities, and outside training.
• Circulation of 14 different Kindergarten Readiness Activity Boxes. Each focuses on different skills needed by children entering Kindergarten. These boxes come to the family daycare home, Center or Preschool approximately every two weeks throughout the year and are available to parents.
• Collaboration with agencies to provide Child Care Training for providers that will include CDA Training.
• Support for the Stay At Home Parent in the form of Baby Bright. The Early Childhood Coalitions offer additional visits by Health Dept., PAT, and Early Head Start visitors. Infant activity bags are loaned to the family until the next visit.
• Headstart & Early Headstart (Note: Headstart’s curriculum provides more emphasis on Kindergarten readiness through their creative curriculum by using an outcomes tracking system)

Results
Preliminary data of KIDS test scores indicates that those children in homes and centers that have been a part of our community strategies score the highest, followed by the children who did not have any contact with preschool programs scoring in the next highest range. Headstart participants entering first grade scored the lowest on the KIDS test. However, it should be noted that this year’s entering Kindergarten class of Headstart participants scored higher than non-program participants and we expect that trend to continue.

Funding/Return on Investment
These strategies provide direct services to 13 programs with 21 providers that serve 208 children in Knox and Schuyler Counties. Currently, through Baby Bright 47 infants are served, with an additional 50 anticipated. The cost per child is approximately $165.90.

Noteworthy
All strategies have been rewarding as we work to support childcare providers. The key to helping professionals achieve higher expectations in their program is encouragement. All childcare providers are at risk of isolation and feeling that they do not make a difference. It has been important for all childcare professionals to understand how critical their work is.

When they see themselves as professionals their job performance increases.

Barriers / Road Blocks

• Childcare providers in this northeast region have been eliminated from attendance at state and regional training programs. The current training and state of the art programs offered by state training dollars are located 60 to 90 miles away from our providers, in the middle of the week, near the end of the day and before children leave care.
• Changes in fire and safety codes have created huge expense for some homes and cause new programs from wanting to license in their homes.
• Providers become discouraged a in trying to determine what is expected of them as licensing rules change and licensing representatives have been limited in their travel
• Compensation for childcare providers is limited.