Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten...
The Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten! initiative from Ready4K will show how MN can greatly improve school readiness through the principles: support parents, promote quality, increase access, produce results. This initiative was developed in collaboration with a diverse group of organizations representing parents, child care, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, School Readiness programs in the public schools, K-12 school districts, public health, human services, the business community, and many others. Its purpose is to get more children fully prepared to succeed in kindergarten, and in life, through building the capacity of parents to access high quality early care and education programs for their children, and to ensure that these programs are of high quality.
The initiative is categorized into six research-based legislative strategies. These strategies will be made into specific bills, authored by legislators in both the House of Representatives and Senate. The 2007 session is just getting underway and there’s still a long way for the initiative to travel in hearings and committees.
Here is a summary of the initiative...
Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten!
2003 School Readiness Data 2012 School Readiness Goal
Only 50% of Minnesota’s children are fully prepared for kindergarten. Research is clear: high quality early care and education can help prevent an achievement gap. We need to build the capacity of parents to access high quality early care and education programs for their children, and ensure that these programs are of high quality in order to more fully prepare our youngest citizens for success in kindergarten and life. Kids can’t wait to learn!The “Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten!” Initiative has been developed in collaboration with a diverse group of organizations representing parents, child care, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, School Readiness programs in the public schools, K-12 school districts, public health, human services, the business community, and many others.
The challenge: Increase the number of children ready for kindergarten to 80% by 2012
2007 Policy AgendaOur Vision: Every young child in Minnesota enters kindergarten encouraged, supported, and fully prepared for learning success
Six Key Legislative Strategies:
1. Support Parents:
Education Begins at HomeResearch shows that different families require different types of parent support and early childhood programming. We believe that parents are a child’s first and best teacher. This bill will:
This strategy targets resources to families with 3-5 year olds at-risk of not being prepared for kindergarten to access part day, high quality early education settings.This bill will:
Research shows that communication and collaboration between early childhood systems and the public schools improves kindergarten success. This bill will:
Well trained early care and education providers can facilitate positive brain development which promotes school readiness. This bill will:
This strategy provides supports and resources to family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers, and encourages partnerships between FFN caregivers, public libraries, Early Childhood Family Education, Early Childhood Special Education, School Readiness, Head Start, and Child Care to promote kindergarten readiness.
6. Child Care Assistance Reform
This strategy includes reforms that will help restore cuts to the CCA program, and provide incentives for school readiness:
The Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten! initiative from Ready4K will show how MN can greatly improve school readiness through the principles: support parents, promote quality, increase access, produce results. This initiative was developed in collaboration with a diverse group of organizations representing parents, child care, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, School Readiness programs in the public schools, K-12 school districts, public health, human services, the business community, and many others. Its purpose is to get more children fully prepared to succeed in kindergarten, and in life, through building the capacity of parents to access high quality early care and education programs for their children, and to ensure that these programs are of high quality.
The initiative is categorized into six research-based legislative strategies. These strategies will be made into specific bills, authored by legislators in both the House of Representatives and Senate. The 2007 session is just getting underway and there’s still a long way for the initiative to travel in hearings and committees.
Here is a summary of the initiative...
Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten!
2003 School Readiness Data 2012 School Readiness Goal
Only 50% of Minnesota’s children are fully prepared for kindergarten. Research is clear: high quality early care and education can help prevent an achievement gap. We need to build the capacity of parents to access high quality early care and education programs for their children, and ensure that these programs are of high quality in order to more fully prepare our youngest citizens for success in kindergarten and life. Kids can’t wait to learn!The “Get Minnesota Ready for Kindergarten!” Initiative has been developed in collaboration with a diverse group of organizations representing parents, child care, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, School Readiness programs in the public schools, K-12 school districts, public health, human services, the business community, and many others.
The challenge: Increase the number of children ready for kindergarten to 80% by 2012
2007 Policy AgendaOur Vision: Every young child in Minnesota enters kindergarten encouraged, supported, and fully prepared for learning success
Six Key Legislative Strategies:
1. Support Parents:
Education Begins at HomeResearch shows that different families require different types of parent support and early childhood programming. We believe that parents are a child’s first and best teacher. This bill will:
- Restore ECFE funding to $120/child and provide funds for parent education for families from underserved populations;
- Implement a coordinated universal newborn visiting program and a targeted intensive home visiting program for those families with the most challenges; and
- Increase reimbursement rates for early childhood screening
This strategy targets resources to families with 3-5 year olds at-risk of not being prepared for kindergarten to access part day, high quality early education settings.This bill will:
- Increase funds for Head Start Programs and School Readiness Programs in the public schools;
- Provide grants for eligible children to attend high quality child care settings;
- Implement a statewide financial aid website to supply parents with information regarding financial resources and options for early learning settings
Research shows that communication and collaboration between early childhood systems and the public schools improves kindergarten success. This bill will:
- Develop early childhood community hubs to coordinate and improve access to school, community early care and education settings, and community services to promote healthy family development, school readiness, and smooth transitions to kindergarten
- Implement PK-3 models with strategically combined quality preschool, full day kindergarten, curriculum alignment through grade 3, and parent involvement
- Expand the MDE Developmental Assessment at Kindergarten Entrance to all school districts by 2012
Well trained early care and education providers can facilitate positive brain development which promotes school readiness. This bill will:
- Increase the quality and range of professional development opportunities for early care and education providers, trainers and parent educators;
- Expand Service Development Grants that provide funds for start-up, licensing requirements, facility improvement, and staff training;
- Provide state funding for the T.E.A.C.H. and R.E.E.T.A.I.N. Programs;
- Fund at least one annual licensing visit for licensed child care providers and a one time home visit for those legally, unlicensed providers receiving CCAP; and
- Fund an expansion of the Quality Rating System (QRS) pilot project.
This strategy provides supports and resources to family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers, and encourages partnerships between FFN caregivers, public libraries, Early Childhood Family Education, Early Childhood Special Education, School Readiness, Head Start, and Child Care to promote kindergarten readiness.
6. Child Care Assistance Reform
This strategy includes reforms that will help restore cuts to the CCA program, and provide incentives for school readiness:
- Restore eligibility to 75% of the State Median Income;
- Provide sliding fee assistance to ALL eligible families;
- Lift the reimbursement rate freeze for child care programs;
- Lower parent co-pays to no more than 10% of the family’s gross income and provide lower parent co-pays for those families choosing high quality child care;
- Ensure a 60-day grace period for CCAP families to allow for employment and education fluctuation, and providing greater continuity for the child
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:05 PM 
