Strengthening Birth to PK-3 Partnerships

Approaches to Linking PK-3 in Massachusetts:Activities to Support Continuity for Children andFamilies Across Early Learning and Elementary

Grades

EEC Advisory CouncilJune 7, 2011

Including Data from the Office Of Head Start Summit, “On the Road

to School Readiness”presented by Catherine Scott-Little

on February 15-17, 2011Baltimore, MD

Overview of PresentationContent:

• PK-3 Alignment• Mission Statements Support Alignment• What Science and Research Tell us • Key PK-3 Principles and Elements• Examples of current and future activities • Other Initiatives -Birth to age 8• Infrastructure and Accountability• Looking Ahead

• On the Road to School Readiness• Aligning State Standards, the Head Start Child Development Early

Learning Frameworks & Our Work with Children

• Head Start & Public Schools Memorandum of Agreement • State-wide meetings with Head Start, Public Schools, Early

Intervention and CFCE Grantees.• Purpose of MOU• 10 Federally Mandated Activities• Feedback to date from participants

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Mission Statements to Support PK-3 Alignments

Mission Statements Support Alignment

provide the foundation that supports all children in their development as lifelong learners and contributing members of the community, and supports families in their essential work as parents and caregivers.

strengthen the Commonwealth’s public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps.

Department of Early Education and Care

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Head Start

Improve Children’s school readiness outcomes and promote changes that integrate children into a continuum of high-quality early care and

education spanning from birth to age eight.

Boston Public Schools As the birthplace of public education in this nation, the Boston Public

Schools is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families and students to develop within every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.

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Our unified vision is...

…Proficiency on Grade 3 Statewide Literacy and Mathematics Assessments

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What Science and Research Tell Us About Child Development

What the Science Tells Us About Child Development

The brain’s architecture is being built from the bottom up

Early experiences literally shape the developing brain—for good or ill

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How the Science Guides Policy

Shonkoff, Jack P., MD: Leveraging an Integrated Science of Early Childhood Development to Strengthen the Foundations of Health, Learning, and Behavior. Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. Presentation to the EEC 2010 Early Childhood Information Systems Strategic Planning Institute - Cambridge, MA | November 18, 2010

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What We Know fromExperience and Research

Children enter school with vastly different skills. Research shows that gaps in learning exist by 18 months of age.

High quality preschool supports children to develop age appropriate skills and be ready to succeed in kindergarten.

Children’s overall healthy development is critical to learning. Social and emotional competencies as well as physical health are tied to academic success.

The support and involvement of families in their child’s education and development is necessary for successful learning.

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National Center for Children in Poverty Access Related Data (2009)

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There are 459,330 children in MA under age six, 29% live in low income

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Children Experiencing Multiple Risks in MA

Policies to Consider and Discuss

Universal Preschool

Mandated, Universal Full-Day Kindergarten (Offering and Attendance)

Class Size and/or Ratio Regulations in PK-3

Shift in access eligibility from family income to child need

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PK-3 Alignments:Key Principles and Elements

Key Principles in the PK-3 Alignment

1. Horizontal alignment

2. Vertical alignment

3. Temporal alignment

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Principle 1: Horizontal Alignment

Horizontal alignment

Vertical alignment

Temporal alignment

Horizontal alignment

is created by using consistent learning approaches within an age range or grade.

Full-day kindergarten

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Principle 2: Vertical Alignment

Horizontal alignment

Vertical alignment

Temporal alignment

Vertical alignment is created by using consistent learning approaches across ages or grades.

1st grade

K

Pre-K

2nd grade

3rd grade

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Principle 3: Temporal Alignment

Horizontal alignment

Vertical alignment

Temporal alignment

Temporal alignment is created by using consistent learning approaches across a child’s day.

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What does Pk-3 look like in Massachusetts?

A coordinated and collaborative approach

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Mechanisms forCross-Sector

Alignment

Teacher Quality &Capacity

Transitions and Pathways

Administrators &Leadership

Quality

Engaged Families

InstructionalEnvironment

(school andClassroom)

Data andAssessment

InstructionalTools and Practices

Cross AgencyCollaboration

on P-3

Mechanisms for cross-sector alignment (Governance, strategic plans)

Administrators and Leadership Quality (Leadership is inclusive/facilitative and focused on instruction)

Teacher Quality and Capacity (Focus on credentials and professional development; professional dispositions; professional community)

Instructional Tools and Practices (Curriculum content; alignment of standards and curricula; pedagogical methods)

Instructional Environment (Student-centered learning culture (classroom and school))

Data and Assessments (Data and assessment used to improve instruction)

Engaged Families (Families and communities engaged in student learning)

Transitions and Pathways (Focus on children’s movement through the continuum)

1 Kauerz, Kristie (2011). Sustaining Your Work: PreK-3rd Implementation and Evaluation Framework; a presentation to ESE PK-3 grantees. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA.

PK-3 Elements1

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Examples of PK-3 Elements:Current & Future

Activities

Mechanisms for Cross-Sector Alignment (Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3

initiative)

Executive Office of Education Inter-agency Taskforce focused on PK-3 Literacy

Support the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EEC and Springfield PS to develop a PK-3 infrastructure

Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)

Support collaborative efforts between early education and care providers and the public schools (e.g., joint professional development)

Co-sponsor an Institute on Literacy and Mathematics, weaving the social-emotional and family engagement frameworks into the content

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Administrators and Leadership Quality

(Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiatives)

Support the CAYL Institute and Principal Leadership forums

Create a survey course for Literacy PK-3 in collaboration with University of Massachusetts Boston

Link the STEM work with the professional development priorities around literacy and mathematics in early education

Support principals to develop early education and early elementary expertise

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Teacher Quality and Capacity (Examples of current and future activities to support

PK-3 initiative)

EEC Licensing requirements and ESE Teacher certification requirements

Administer the Early Literacy Grant and the Early Childhood Special Education Grants

Create opportunities for collaborative team planning between general and special education

Create common planning time for school staff across and between grade levels

Coordinate across program types to support children with disabilities

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Instructional Tools and Practices (Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Standards: Roll-out the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for

English Language Arts and Literacy and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics

Curriculum: Align the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and

Kindergarten Learning Experiences with the new frameworks Integrate content areas and create interdisciplinary curriculum Develop a birth to literacy curriculum for educatorsInstruction: Ensure developmentally appropriate practice in PK-3

classrooms Provide knowledge of child development to teachers,

administrators and assistants Differentiate instruction Implement tiered systems of support Enrich learning experiences for children PK-3 Focus on the whole child Use play effectively to promote learning

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Instructional Environments (Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Administer the PK-3 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Alignment Project

Administer the Universal Preschool Grant

Administer the Quality Full-Day Kindergarten Grant

Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

Create small class sizes and appropriate adult: student ratios

Alignment of schools and after-school and out-of-school time programs related to curriculum, instructional strategies, and professional development

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Data and Assessments (Examples of current and future activities to

support PK-3 initiative) Develop and use data systems to address PK-3 issues

Implement comprehensive assessment approaches by using formative assessment, progress monitoring, and summative student data

Replicate the Chicago Study focused on Literacy/Mathematics and social-emotional competencies

Use Classroom Assessment Scoring System instrument in Head Start programs, as an option in QRIS and in some Quality Full-Day Kindergarten grant classrooms.

Implement Quality Rating and Improvement System requirements for evidence-based formative assessments in early education and care programs (infant, toddler, and preschool) and after-school and out-of-school time programs

Engaged Families (Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Administer the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Grants (EEC)

Create opportunities for staff from EEC and ESE to jointly develop a family and community engagement framework

Support the work of the Wraparound Services model and School Turnaround work, including engagement of families

Conduct home visits and other non-traditional strategies (e.g., parent groups, resource rooms)

Build partnerships among families, schools, and community-based organizations

Access behavioral health services and other supports (e.g., mental health)

EEC Family and Community Engagement Networks

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FY12 CFCE Grant Awards

Total :107

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Transitions and Pathways (Examples of current and future activities to support PK-3 initiative)

Support student transitions within and across grades

Create and use common transition forms between public and community-based preschool programs to share data with kindergarten teachers

Provide opportunities for preschool children to visit kindergarten classrooms and kindergarten teachers to visit children in their preschool program

Develop a common understanding about student expectations and share that understanding among birth to five providers and PK-3 staff

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Other RelatedPreK- Grade 3/ Birth- Grade 3

Initiatives

Springfield Public Schools Partnership

EEC and the Springfield Public Schools entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to:

Encourage use of (EEC) Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and ESE Guide to Kindergarten Learning Experiences in order to align learning experiences across multiple settings before children enter Kindergarten.

Track outcomes with regard to the progress of children, family mobility and workforce participation and development.

Develop a plan to share information, to the extent permitted by law, regarding professional development and/or training opportunities for early educators.

Share information, to the extent permitted by law, regarding comprehensive developmental and health teams for children in all settings.

Coordinate better transitions and connections between Pre-K programs and school programs.

Promote better coordination and connections between public schools and School-Age programs.

Promote mentoring/coaching between public and private entities to better influence instructional learning practices.

Work on best practices for family engagement.

Develop a shared practice and effort around the development of early literacy skills from Pre-k through 3rd grade.

Develop methods to support children and families to manage transitions.32

Out-of-School/District Partnership (Worcester)

EEC identified a great need for out-of-school-time care at two underperforming elementary schools in Worcester.

These schools have been designated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as “Level 4” for having scored poorly on the MCAS in both Math and English Language Arts over a four-year span with no signs of “substantial improvement.”

In an effort to assist these schools in their redesign and turnaround efforts, EEC sought a program to implement out-of-school-time services on-site at one or both of these schools.

Through quality programming, primarily offered after-school, children can receive assistance in completing their homework, preparing for MCAS examinations, and reinforcing lessons and skills taught during the school day.

EEC sought to award up to forty (40) out-of-school-time slots (up to twenty (20) per school) to an existing income eligible provider for out-of-school-time care to be provided at one or both of these underperforming schools starting on or before February 28, 2011.

EEC received one application from the Guild of St. Agnes to provide services. The Guild was awarded 40 school age slots amended to their income eligible contract to provide out-of-school time programs at the “Level 4” Union and Chandler Schools in Worcester. The programs will open on February 29, 2011.

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Pre-Kindergarten Quality Improvement and Partnership Grant (Lowell Public Schools)

In an effort to assist children, schools, and communities, EEC is seeking to implement quality improvement services which will be supported by community partnerships between the pre-kindergarten program and the local public school.

Through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP), EEC has awarded grants in the amount of $50,000 to Community Teamwork Inc. to partner with Lowell Public Schools and to Associated Day Care, Inc to partner with Lee Academy (pilot program in Boston Public Schools). Both grant recipients are contracted with EEC to provide preschool child care.

The grantees will collaborate public schools awarded contracts through the 2009 Income Eligible Child Care Financial Assistance Program Demonstration Project for Public and Private Schools in order to improve program quality, increase available community and staff resources, and expand support for children with special needs.

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Birth to Eight Leadership Institute In partnership with ESE, EEC is sponsoring a Birth the 8 Leadership

Fellowship Institute focused on three areas of importance: child growth and development; literacy, and dual language learners.

Educators are eligible for the Fellowship if they are: An elementary school principal; or A director of a program such as Head Start, center-based and

out-of-school time care programs, and FCC systems The Institute includes three in-depth meetings with national

experts and state leaders on March 26, April 30, and June 4, 2011. Meetings target leaders throughout Massachusetts, with priority

for principals of Level 4 Elementary Schools, and include proportionate numbers of representatives from Head Start, family child care, center-based care and other programs.

Cities/towns represented by multiple participants:

Boston Fitchburg Lawrence Salem SpringfieldChelsea Holyoke New Bedford Southbridge Worcester35

SAC Goal 3 – B-8 Community Planning and PK-3 Partnerships Co-Investment Funding Partnership Contracts with

the Philanthropic Sector Support for community birth through age 8 (B-8)

strategic plans, anchored in local data on: Child/family needs, and The quality/effectiveness of PK through Grade 3

aligned systems linking local schools, local providers, and families through grants to communities.

Development of tools and assessments which are aligned based on child development including standards, to be used locally between the early education and public schools

SAC Goal 3 Related Updates:1. ESE/ EEC PK – 3 Partnership 2. Head Start and the Public Schools

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Proposal: Grants to Support Birth to 8 Community Planning in Rural Communities

In response to feedback provided by the SAC suggesting that resources be targeted to rural communities, EEC proposes awarding grants to rural communities to support birth to 8 community planning.

Grants relate to SAC Goal 3: Birth to 8 Community Planning and Pre-k to 3rd partnerships.

• EEC plans to allocate $95,000 of the ARRA SAC the purpose of rural community planning grants.

• Grants will be approximately $5,000 each and will be focused on supporting the needs of children and families in rural communities through community planning.

• EEC has reviewed population per square foot and the number of children ages 0-5 in communities to determine which communities would be eligible to apply for funds (see following data).

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Out-of-School Time Literacy InitiativeOut-of-School Time (OST) Literacy and Learning Promotion Initiative

Goal is to retain or increase students’ academic gains, particularly in the area of literacy, by reinforcing their school day and year learning through high-impact activities and effective curricula during the summer months and throughout the school year.

Supports OST programs’ ability to implement high-impact learning activities through partnerships with public school districts for direct training, modeling of effective direct instructional practice and coaching/feedback for program staff).

The United Way is partnering with BOSTnet, WestMOST, and Boston DELTAS to support Out of School Time programs in partnering with seven school districts (Boston, Lowell, Lawrence, Lynn, Holyoke, Springfield, Worcester) designated “Commissioner’s Districts” by ESE

United Way Mass Bay is also collaborating with United Way of Central Massachusetts and United Way of Pioneer Valley to provide a statewide learning community for participants in the initiative.

Evaluation results show that 85% of all participants avoided typical summer literacy loss; 68% showed gains in reading

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Literacy Initiatives

Grants to the USDOE “Promise Neighborhoods” to support Early literacy engagement with “hard to reach” families who currently are not connected to any community agency in their area

Interactive training on assessment strategies for working with Second Language Learners through the Umass Donohue Initiative; participants receive an overview of the pre Language Assessment Scales (preLAS) oral language and pre-literacy assessment for four, five, and six year olds and strategies to use in the classroom and with families to support second language acquisition.

The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) literacy trainings for family child care providers (ARRA funded)

Introductory Presentations on the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework/PK-12 Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Math through the Regional Readiness Centers

Get Ready to Read! national initiative to build the early literacy skills of preschool-age children provides an easy-to-administer, research-based screening tool to early childhood educators, child care providers, and parents in order to help them prepare all children to learn to read and write

Forum on literacy professional development and community engagement in partnership with Reach Out and Read39

State Level Efforts on Early Childhood Assessment

EEC and ESE rolling out a PK-3 framework that looks at the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment from birth up through grade 3 as well as elements such as leadership, professional development, and family engagement.  Critical to promoting and understanding young children’s

development and learning and, ultimately, will lead to their success in school. 

Assessment of young children that is developmentally appropriate is an important element of this framework.

Think about assessment within the context of the PK-3 framework, not just school readiness/kindergarten readiness.  Look at children’s growth and progress in an ongoing way over time

to understand where they are in their learning trajectories and how to best support them to optimize their development and learning. 

Assessment of children at a single point-in-time and in isolation of ongoing assessment practices doesn’t provide us with the broader picture of a child’s development and how to optimize their learning.

An early childhood assessment system must be comprehensive and focus on the whole child; research on children and educational outcomes has documented the importance of children’s physical and social-emotional health on their availability and ability to learn.

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State Level Efforts on Early Childhood Assessment

MA has taken a slow-and-steady approach to the requirement to create a kindergarten readiness assessment system for a number of reasons.  There are many different curricula and assessment practices

being used and we want to make sure that we understand those practices in order to best inform what our system should look like. 

We want to be clear on the questions that a kindergarten readiness assessment system should answer so that we can ensure that we have the right tools to collect the necessary data. 

We want to make sure that we have properly trained the field on the importance of developmentally appropriate assessment, how to do it, and how to use the data to inform instruction and program improvements. 

We want to make sure that whatever we create for an early childhood assessment system aligns with infant-toddler growth and development as well as growth and development of children in the PK-Grade 3 system.

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Assessment: Kindergarten ReadinessKindergarten Readiness Assessment Model Design and Pilot EEC has selected New York University (NYU) Child and Family

Policy Center (CFPC) as the vendor for a the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Model Design and Pilot Project.

CFPC will design a model of formative and/or summative assessment that can be used in preschool and/or kindergarten in the mixed system of early education and care programs as well as public school programs to demonstrate children’s kindergarten readiness level.

The model will serve the following purposes: Provide child-level data to educators which can be used to

inform classroom practice and individualize instruction for children;

Provide data that can be aggregated at the program level for site-based improvement and growth tracking;

Provide sample or complete data sets that can be aggregated at the state level to make statements about the school readiness level of children in the Commonwealth and inform policymaker decision making.

CFPC will also develop a training module for teachers, select pilot sites and work with educators to collect pre and post-test assessments of teachers perceptions of the feasibility, acceptability and educational benefit of the direct assessments being Piloted. 42

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Potential Partners to Build PK-3 Executive Office of Education Department of Higher Education and Institutions of Higher Education EEC (Policy, Professional Development, Early Childhood Information

System) ESE (Title 1, Targeted Assistance, Special Education, Learning

Support Services, Curriculum and Instruction, English Language Acquisition, Adult and Community Education) and the regional DSACs

CAYL Institute Readiness Centers Davis Foundation United Way Resource and Referral Agencies Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership Strategies for Children Head Start Non-profit Community-based Organizations Independent Family Child Care Providers Massachusetts Administrators of Special Education Massachusetts Elementary Principals Association Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Massachusetts Association of School Committees

Questions/Feedback?

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Setting School Readiness Goals and Aligning State Standards, the Head Start CDEL Framework and Our Work with Children and Families

Data from the Office Of Head Start Summit, “On the Road to

School Readiness”presented by Catherine Scott-Little

on February 15-17, 2011Baltimore, MD

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Reason 1: Head Start Act Requirement

HEAD START ACT as amended 2007 (42USC9801 et. Seq) promotes use of/

alignment with ELS in:

– Professional Development

– Qualified staff

– School readiness goals for children– Curriculum

– Head Start Collaboration Directors’ responsibilities

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Reason 2:

Our children deserve it

Common expectations from ELS/ELGs helpmake sure all childrenstarting from the sameplace

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Reason 3:

Alignment of goals and curricula is

the “heart” of smooth transitions

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Alignment is

• The proper adjustment of the components of an electronic circuit, machine, etc., for coordinated functioning

– Dictionary.com

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Mis-alignment means potential for

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Alignment means potential for

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There’s more toalignment than meetsthe eye

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Many alignment analyses are lowcomplexity matrices

One Document Another Document Aligned?

Draws pictures withcrayons

Develops fine motorskills

Plays with words,sounds, and rhymes

Knows own name

Identifies words thatrhyme

In Head Start alignment means• Coordinated functioning of– Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework

– State Early Learning Standards/Early Learning Guidelines

– Goals and objectives for individual children, for classrooms, and for the program

– Curriculum used in teaching

– Assessment used in gauging children’s learning & development

– Communication with parents and families 17

Kagan, Scott-Little, Reid & Greenburg, 2007 22

Need to evaluate alignment onseveral parameters

Balance: the degree to which the twodocuments address the same domains

Depth: the degree to which the twodocuments address the same specific skills

and knowledge within a domain

Difficulty: the degree to which theexpectations within the two documents reflect

a similar level of difficulty or age-level

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Balance

Pre-KStandards

Infant-toddler

Standards

Scott-Little, Kagan, Reid & Greenburg, 2008

6%

20% 8%15%

6%

38%

30 %

38%

38%

Physical Development and Motor Skills

Social and Emotional Development

Approaches to Play and Learning

Language and Communication

Cognitive Development and General Knowledge

Scott-Little, Kagan, Reid & Greenburg, 2008

Difficulty: Difficulty:Infant/Toddler vs. Pre- Pre-Kindergarten vs.Kindergarten Total Kindergarten Total

Percentage of Standard Indicator PairsPercentage of Standard Indicator Pairs

Younger Age Group More Difficult than Older Age Group (-)

Equal Difficulty (=)

Older Age Group More Difficult than Younger Age Group

32%68%

(49)

65%(75)

(151)22%

3% (6)10% (7)

(16)

* 96 Unpaired Indicators *184 Unpaired Indicators (+)

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Balance

• Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework

– Physical Development & Health- Social & Emotional Development

- Approaches to Learning

– Language Development

– Literacy Knowledge & Skills

– Mathematics Knowledge & Skills

– Science Knowledge & Skills

– Creative Arts Expression

– Logic and Reasoning

– Social Studies Knowledge & Skills

– English Language Development

• State ELS may

– Have a lower percentage ofphysical and health

– Have lower percentage of social-emotional

– Have higher percentage ofcognitive development and general knowledge but omit logic and reasoning

– Omit English LanguageDevelopment

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Depth: State ELS/ELGs may

Physical development

and health– Emphasize health

knowledge and practice less

Social-emotional

Approaches tolearning– Include some of the

approaches to learning concepts in social- emotional

Language andcommunication

Cognitivedevelopment– Address additional areas of

science and social studies

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Difficulty

• State ELS/ELGsmay have standardsthat are less difficult

than the Head StartChild Developmentand Early LearningFramework

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Special considerations for use ofstandards with dual language

childrenContinued use of home language is very importantTeachers should plan activities and interactionsthat support their learning in all domain areas aswell as their ability to learn EnglishDLL children can demonstrate competency in anydomain in either languageAssessments should be culturally and linguisticallyappropriate and should use the language orlanguages that most accurately demonstrate thechild’s knowledge and abilities

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Special considerations for childrenwith disabilities

Some additional alignment considerations– ISFP/IEP

– OSEP Early Childhood Outcomes

Should be working toward the same knowledge and skills described in the Head Start Framework and state ELS/ELGs

May require more individualized/intense instruction, accommodations, and/or assistive technology

Look for small and incremental progress

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“Take Away” From Framework/ELSAlignment Considerations

The Head Start Framework and state ELS/ELGs should be used together to set goals for children and to make decisions about curricula and assessments.

There may be some examples of miss-alignment between the two documents.

Special consideration should be given to how the Head Start Framework and ELS/ELGs are used with Dual Language Learners and children with disabilities.

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A final thought

• Use of state’s ELS/ELGscan be an important toolto improve children’stransitions to publicschool– Working toward same goals a children in other programs

– Support for cohesive system of

school readiness goals, curriculum, and communication with parents

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Resources Related to ELS/ELGs

www.earlylearningguidelines-standards.org

http://nitcci.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/resources/EarlyLearningGuide.htm

Head Start and Public Schools Strengthening Birth-to-Grade 3

Partnerships

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Head Start and Public School PartnershipsA series of 5 meetings between public preschool and Head Start

representatives with a focus on full implementation of the activities of the federally required Head Start –LEA Memorandum of Understanding. These meetings will offer:

An overview of the MOU requirements; Discussion of effective strategies to support children’s school

readiness. Shared best practices in education, curricular objectives,

assessment, and instructions, joint staff training, communication and parent outreach for smooth transition to kindergarten

Discussion of alignment of the Head Start frameworks, preschool learning guidelines, and the Common Core standards.

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Region Scheduled Date Scheduled Time Location

Western MA (Region 1)

May 25, 2011 9:30 am -12:30 pm Westfield Public School, 22 Ashley Street, Westfield, MA

Central MA (Region 2 & 4)

June 1, 2011 to be 9:30 am-12:30 pm S.M.O.C Head Start 300 Howard Street, Framingham 01720

Northeast (Region 3)

June 15, 2011 9:30 am-12:30 pm Head Start Greater Lawrence Community Action Council 305 Essex Street Lawrence, MA

Southeast and Cape Region (Region 5)

June 13, 2011 9:30 am -12:30 pm Self-Help Head Start 370 Howard Street, Brockton 02302

Metro Boston (Region 6)

June 7, 2011 1:30 am -4:30 pm ABCD South End Head Start 3rd floor 112 Shawmut Avenue, Boston

2 Done

Purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):

a. Improve availability and the quality of services for children and their families

b. Support children’s optimal development & readiness for school entry and success

c. Address the unique strengths and needs of the local population, such as homeless, migrant, or non-English speaking families

d. Promote collaboration regarding shared use of transportation, facilities, etc.

e. Reduce duplication and enhance efficiency of services

f. Define responsibilities toward coordination and greater collaboration; enhance linkages and relationships; and exchange information on the provision of educational and non-educational services

g. Coordinate a comprehensive system of activities, policies, and procedures that guide and support their delivery of services to children and their families

Data from: OHS Model HSSCO MOU, 2009

MOU’s 10 Federally Mandated Activities:

1. Educational activities, curricular objectives, assessment, & instruction

2. Public information dissemination & access to programs for families

contacting HS or any of the preschool programs

3. Selection priorities for eligible children to be served by programs

4. Definition of service areas

5. Opportunities for joint staff training on topics such as academic content

6. Program technical assistance

7. Provision of services to meet the needs of working parents

8. Communication & parent outreach for smooth transitions to kindergarten

9. Provision and use of facilities, transportation, and other program elements

10. Other elements of activities mutually agreed to by the Head Start and Public Schools

  

Group Discussions

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3 Topics for Discussion:

1) Alignment of Curriculum and Assessment

2) Opportunities for Joint Professional Development

3)Supporting Seamless Transitions

Questions to Discuss:

•What is working well, in particular related to the following sections of the MOU that you would recommend as best practice for others across the state (Include in the discussion services to children with disabilities?

•What could be working better? What support from each other, EEC or ESE is needed to improve outcomes? What type of technical assistance do you need to support your work?

•Are there collaborations outside of those required by the MOU that you would like to highlight as examples of best practice?

Group Summary:

•Ideas/key lessons learned to share with the larger group.

General Themes Feedback From Westfield and Framingham Meetings:Curriculum and Assessment Comments and Ideas:  Establishing opportunity for Head Start and Public school to create the vision for

curriculum and assessment together  Supporting a continuum of curriculum and assessment within the district from the

early years up through grade 12  Top-down approach in prioritizing MOU activities: involve Superintendents/Principals  Professional Development Comments and Ideas:  Have the district commit to at least one joint professional day  Thinking outside of the box regarding

When to have professional development opportunities (day/night/weekends) How to structure the PD event to support each program and their collaborative

work between Head Start and public schools Who is invited to attend PD opportunities ( i.e., E.I. personnel)

  Transition Comments and Ideas:  Include personal connection between teachers when sharing paper forms of child

transition sheets (teacher meetings)  Public school staff taking time to visit children and families at their program early on

before transitioning Utilizing Coordinated Family & Community Engagement grantees to support families

along the pathway75