Expanding Early School Readiness Opportunities: Whats right for kids whats good for Kansas

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Expanding Early School Readiness
OpportunitiesWhats right for kids whats good
for Kansas

• Kansas Association of
• School Boards
• In conjunction with
• The Center for Public Education

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Why?

• As in other past periods of rapid and societal
  change, broadening the definition of public
  education is a legitimate and necessary response.
• Economic competitiveness
• Sufficient evidence that earlier interventions
  are more efficient, effective interventions
• Greater need a changing societal structure
  places more children outside of the care of a
  family able to attend to their social, health,
  emotional and intellectual needs.

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An equation that frames the challenge

• Perceived threat to existing
• values and norms
• uncertainty about the
• provision of resources

A political response that has been slow, uneven
and generally insufficient.
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Steps you can take to help

• 1. Know the research
• 2. Build public awareness
• 3. Explore your states funding mechanisms
• 4. Work closely with providers of Pre-K
• 5. Form effective coalitions
• 6. Complement high-quality Pre-K with
  high-quality elementary and secondary education

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1. Know the Research

• A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood
  Policy
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard
  University
• In conjunction with the National Conference of
  State Legislatures
• Has the attention of Kansas Speaker of the House
  Melvin Neufeld
• www.developingchild.net

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Six Core Concepts

• Child development is a foundation for community
  development and economic development, as capable
  children become the foundation of a prosperous
  and sustainable society.

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Six Core Concepts

• Brains are built over time.

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Six Core Concepts

• The interactive influences of genes and
  experience literally shape the architecture of
  the developing brain, and the active ingredient
  is the serve and return nature of childrens
  engagement in relationships with their parents
  and other caregivers in their family or community.

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Six Core Concepts

• Both brain achievement and developing abilities
  are built from the bottom up, with simple
  circuits and skills providing the scaffolding for
  more advanced circuits and skills over time.

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Six Core Concepts

• Toxic stress in early childhood is associated
  with persistent effects on the nervous system and
  stress hormone regulatory systems that can damage
  developing brain architecture and lead to
  lifelong problems in learning, behavior, and both
  physical and mental health.

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Six Core Concepts

• Creating the right conditions for early childhood
  development is likely to be more effective and
  less costly than addressing problems at a later
  age.

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2. Build public awareness

• Share the information
• Use board meetings to give early childhood
  initiatives visibility through reports/discussion.
  
• Use district publications to promote programs and
  activities.
• Talk about pre-K programs as a stepping stone
  complementary to your K-12 work, not as something
  distinct and different.

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3. Explore your states funding mechanisms

• Funding of programs tied to governance of
  programs
• House Bill 2310 directs the Legislative
  Educational Planning Committee to collaborate
  with the 2010 Commission to study various issues
  and prepare a report for the Governor and
  Legislature by Dec. 31, 2007, and include a plan
  for the establishment of an Office of Early
  Childhood Education, how the office should be
  structured and the necessary changes in law
  needed to accomplish the new structure.

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State and federal programs that pass funding to
local providers

• Kansas State Department of Education
• Special Education state and federal moneys
• 4-year-old at-risk all state money
• Parents as Teachers all state money
• Child and Adult Care Food Programs all federal
  money

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State and federal programs that pass funding to
local providers

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Women, Infants and Children all federal money
• Immunizations almost all federal money
• Infant-Toddler (Tiny K ) Services state/federal
  money
• Healthy Start Home Visitors state/federal money
• Child Health almost all federal money

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State and federal programs that pass funding to
local providers

• Childrens Cabinet
• Smart Start other sources
• Pre-K Pilot other sources

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State and federal programs that pass funding to
local providers

• Social and Rehabilitation Services
• Kansas Early Head Start federal money
• Child Care Assistance state/federal money
• Therapeutic Services to Preschool Children other
  funds

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State and federal programs that pass funding to
local providers

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Head Start federal money
• Early Head Start federal money
• U.S. Department of Education
• Early Reading First federal money

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State and federal programs that provide direct
services

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Newborn Hearing Screening state/federal money
• Newborn Metabolic Screening federal money

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4. Work closely with providers of pre-K

• KASB surveyed membership and learned of 100
  districts involved, either as the only provider
  or as partner with other profit- or
  not-for-profit entities, in providing school
  readiness opportunities
• Inevitably pleased with program consistent
  complaint is lack of ability to serve more
  students, inevitably tied to lack of money

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4. Work closely with providers of pre-K

• Legislative Post Audit identified 20
  State-Administered programs that focus primarily
  on serving children from birth to age five.
• It also identified 14 major coordinating groups
  at the State level and 12 formal coordination
  agreements put in place to address issues related
  to coordinating functions or sharing resources.
• www.kslegislature.org/postaudit/audits_perform/07p
  a19a.pdf

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4. Work closely with providers of pre-K

• The LPA report did not make note of excessive
  duplication or waste, but its findings clearly
  revealed a system that makes it difficult for
  even a well-informed school board member to grasp
  the services available, their target audience,
  their funding source, who administers them and
  their effectiveness in helping kids be successful
  in school.

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Program Funding

• Reallocation of existing funds
• General fund
• Supplemental fund (LOB)

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Program funding

• Targeted population sources
• Title I
• At-Risk weighted dollars
• IDEA 2004 Part B (Special Ed 3-5 pre-school)
• Medicaid

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Program funding

• Additional funding sources
• 4-year-old at-risk grants
• 6000 slots statewide per year meet one or more
  of eight criteria
• Tuition/fees
• School Foundation
• Pilot Program established by Legislature,
  administered by the Childrens Cabinet

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• So how can more adequate
• and equitable resources
• be made available?

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5. Form effective coalitions

• KASB is working with the Pew Trusts, the Texas
  Association of School Boards and the Ohio School
  Boards Association to promote the positive impact
  of pre-K education.
• Coalition for School Readiness
• KASB November regional workshops to offer tools
  to be effective at the state level

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5. Form effective coalitions

• Identify and convene parties with interest in
  early childhood education
• School board members and administrators
• School building and teacher leaders
• Parents and grandparents of preschool and
  school-aged children
• Head Start staff
• Community- and home-based child care providers

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5. Form effective coalitions

• Legislators and state board of education members
• City and county elected officials and
  professional staff
• Chambers of Commerce and economic development
  leaders
• News media

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6. Dont rob Peter to pay Paul

• Complement high-quality pre-K with high-quality
  elementary and secondary education not trading
  ones resources to fund the others needs

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Your thoughts and concerns

• Which steps are visible in your community?
• Which ones are most absent?
• What can KASB do to help?