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Closing the Achievement Gap for Youngest Learners

2012-03-05T14:52:00.001-06:00

By Julie Rasicot on February 15, 2012 10:03 AM

Laura McSorley was aware of the achievement gap when she began teaching several years ago as a new recruit for Teach For America, a national nonprofit that deploys recent college graduates and professionals to teach in high-poverty schools.

But McSorley says she was surprised to find evidence of the gap among the very young students in her public preschool classroom in Washington, D.C.

"I was really surprised that a 2- or 3-year-old could be behind a higher-income peer," says McSorley, who now heads Teach for America's early-childhood education initiative (ECE), which expands the program's outreach into programs for the youngest students.

According to McSorley, some students would be "really excited" to learn, but not quite as ready to do so as their peers. That would change over the course of the school year as these children would catch up, providing evidence that "we have an impact as teachers on 3- and 4-year-olds to close that gap," McSorley said.

Since Teach For America's early childhood education initiative began in 2006, more than 1,000 corps members have taught in public schools and charter schools, and Head Start and community-based programs. Currently, more than 280 corps members are teaching prekindergarten in 23 regions nationwide.

The initiative was highlighted earlier this week when Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, director of the federalOffice of Head Start, volunteered as a guest teacher in one of the initiative's classrooms at a Washington, D.C., public elementary school. Part of Teach For America week in D.C., the annual event draws local business and political leaders into schools as guest teachers.

Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association, got things started last week by guest-teaching in another D.C. elementary school classroom taking part in the initiative, according to McSorley.

Getting the best start!

2012-03-05T14:49:00.002-06:00

Program provides pregnant women, young children, with the best direction

By CHRIS PARKER cparker@tnonline.com

Theresa Perez learned about Pathstone Carbon County's Early Head Start program when she enrolled her daughter Jaylyn, 3, in the regular program. At the time, her youngest child, Brayden, was but months old.

Early Head Start, offered through the Pathstone Carbon County Head Start centers in Lehighton and Coaldale, is for pregnant women, and children from birth to age 3. The program is offered free of charge to low-income families and works through home visits from specially trained staff members.

Perez, of Lansford, had her doubts at first.

"Honestly, I expected a little personal invasion. I wasn't really looking forward to a stranger coming to my house," she said. "But it's great. It's nothing like I thought it would be. It's excellent."

Perez said the home visitor, Cerissa Kibler, is "really friendly, not intrusive at all. It's just like having a friend over for an hour-and-a half each week."

Even though she's already an experienced mother – Perez and her husband Robert also have an 11 -year-old, Aliyah, and a 9-year-old, Milena, in addition to Jaylyn and Brayden – she said she's learned from the program.

"Things change. For instance, they had information about car seats. The rules for car seats have changed drastically since my 11-year-old was born," she said."It's something I never would have looked into because you assume that you know it from the first time."

As Perez recounts her experiences while sitting in a classroom at the Coaldale center, Beth Schreffler, of Nesquehoning, plays with her little girl, 20-month-old Hunter.

Schreffler enrolled in Early Head Start when Hunter was three months old. She learned about the program as she enrolled her second-oldest daughter, Hilary, now 5, in Head Start. Hilary is now in kindergarten. Schreffler also has a 3-year-old, Hannah, in Head Start, and an 8-year-old, Hailey, who is in third grade.

Schreffler said her home visitor, Holly Watson, is good with giving each child one-on-one time, and letting Schreffler know about changes in immunization schedules.

"They really help you with everything," she said.

Shreffler said she didn't know what to expect when she signed up.

"I really had no idea what they were going to teach a baby. But instead of teaching her, they taught us stuff – different things that we needed to know, like about car seats and immunizations, and getting help with WIC (the federal Womens, Infants and Children nutrition program).

Early Head Start came about in Nov. 2009, when the Pathstone Carbon County Head Start program received a letter of financial award for $920,520 from the federal Health and Human Services department that allowed the program to serve 72 Early Head Start children, from birth to age 3, and pregnant women.

EDITORIAL: Streamlining for the future | A Maryland school district lights the path to reform

2011-11-01T17:22:00.000-05:00

Pre-school education programs make a difference in children's lives. Head Start is the largest pre-school program that is helping children. But it only serves 900,000 children around the US. Maryland's school district has the right concept... but why re-invent the wheel. Funding Head Start to serve more children would be a better solution. But I applaud the effort of the Montgomery County School District and Pre-K for releasing the focus to a more prosperous America that starts with Pre-school. Read the artitcle "EDITORIAL: Streamlining for the future A Maryland school district lights the path to reform" and see why Pre-school education is the best solution for helping low income children succeed.

Deborah Ross, PhD
Director of TTA Services
HS University

Breaking News! Recommended funding increase for Head Start

2011-09-29T19:12:00.001-05:00

Wonderful breaking News! Subcommittee Chair Denny Rehberg has recommended funding for Head Start be increased to $8.1 billion for FY2012!... see more

"Getting to a common ground" by Dr. Marvin Hogan

2011-09-29T19:08:00.001-05:00

Dr. Hogan has written a great article about Head Start and early childhood education that I recommend everyone read! Love this article!
Getting to a common ground about early childhood education: Head Start is a school readiness program"

Deborah Ross, PhD

To grow the economy, we must pay attention to child poverty

2011-09-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

Every day we hear about another economic indicator, another predictor about whether the economy is up or down, in recovery or in decline. But we don't hear about a more pressing indicator of our national health: the poverty status of our children. We don't see the faces of the many children who face tougher odds on the path to adulthood because more and more of them are growing up poor.

For the fourth year in a row, child poverty is up. One in five children--including one in four young children under age 6--lived in a family earning just $60 a day. For the fourth year in a row, well-meaning politicians and thought leaders will wring their hands and bemoan the fact that children, the future of the United States, are living in substandard housing, attending failing schools, lacking books in their homes and communities, and missing out on quality early childhood experiences...

See more at Huffington Post

Poverty Surge in America

2011-09-15T11:42:00.002-05:00

The Census Bureau said Tuesday that 46.2 million Americans lived below the official poverty line last year, the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been tracking poverty, The New York Times reported. Last year alone, 2.6 million people slipped into poverty in the United States and median household incomes fell to levels last seen in 1997.

HS University: Credentialing

2011-08-29T15:11:00.001-05:00

HS University: Credentialing: Join us October17-21, 2011!! Join us in San Francisco! Health Services Management Conference

Why Head Start Works...

2011-08-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

The following article was posted in a Mississippi newspaper this week. The question that many pundits of the written media like to quote is "Does Head Start make a difference in preschool children?" My answer is yes it does! Head Start programs are more than child development programs. One of the program's mission is to promote family development. For some school age children, this means the difference between a parent that shows up for a school meeting or a parent engaged in PTA. Preschool children, especially low income, under privileged children, need more than child development to succeed in school. They need an engaged parent, one that not only can help with homework, but one that can advocate for school systems that ensure quality in education. In the case of a Head Start child whose scores are the same as a non-Head Start child, that even playing field is a positive. You have to understand the background of some Head Start children. When you are born into a family dealing with drugs, abuse and homelessness, competing on the same level is a major accomplishment. Also remember Head Start is the largest health referral program in the US. It is also the only place some children have access to a healthy nutritious meal. When you compare apples to oranges, of course statistics are going to be greater for a child not living in poverty.

As this article and the many others written by child development specialists have explained, preschool children such as the ones enrolled in Head Start benefit most when the program also addresses family development not just the cognitive development of children. In the Mississippi article written by Ellen Ciurczak of Hattiesburg American stated, "...children who were in the pre-kindergarten program were 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school..."

With Mississippi's Head Starts only serving 26% of children ages 3 and 34% of 4 year olds, you should instead ask... "Why does Head Start not serve more children in need?" So it brings me back to the question, ..."Does Head Start work?"! I say "YES"! Check out your state's statistics for preschool programs and let me know.

See Article: "Teens are not prepared for the military"

Thomas Micheals, M. Ed.
HS University

Wait list for Head Start Grows!

2011-08-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

As our economy slows down, Head Start's eligible children in communities are growing by the 1000s. For example, more than 1,000 low-income children across York County remain on the waiting list to enroll in the county's Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Another example is a little 2-year-old boy came to the hospital hungry, not just for dinner, but every day of his young life. He is smaller than he should be and his organs, including his brain, are not developing fully. And he lives in Boston, one of America's most prosperous cities. Our leaders need to understand the effects of cutting Head Start funds.

For some kids enrolled in Head Start, this program is the only stable, consistent place for meals. When the economy weakens, we have more Head Start eligible children in need of services! We should not be cutting funds, but at this time of need there should be an increase in funds to meet Head Start eligible children. Head Start is the largest health referral program in the US. Children enrolled in Head Start learn more than math, they eat healthy meals and learn about family style meal services. Parents are helped with access to health services and taught prevention services such as oral health checks and well baby checkups. Head Start is a child and family development program! For those that focus only on the child educational aspect of Head Start, they forget that one of Head Start goals when formed in 1965 was to educate families and help break the cycle of generational poverty.

In quoting Dr. Geoffrey Canada, "Bringing Change to Scale: The Next Big Reform Challenge", in "Waiting for Superman", ...We need to recognize the powerful impact that forces outside the schools have on student's achievement. ...at the same time we address the barriers to academic success outside schools--from health problems to misguided parenting practices to lack of physical safety.

For Head Start this is a social service practice every day! Children are enrolled in classes, but parents are assigned a social service worker immediatedly who works with each family on health issues, parenting practices, education services and employment. Children are enrolled at birth and services such as parent education, job training, health clinics are provided for all children enrolled until they enter kindergarten.

You can help today by calling your congressman or senator and telling them not to cut funding for Head Start!

Deborah Ross, PhD
Director of TTAS Services

Letters: A Good Head Start

2011-08-15T17:53:00.000-05:00

C heck out this article. I think it is a good question... Check it out http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-29/news/29829733_1_debt-ceiling-children-and-youth-education