Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation (2015) / Chapter Skim
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5 The Importance of Continuity for Children Birth Through Age 8
5 The Importance of Continuity for Children Birth Through Age 8
Pages 209-238
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From page 209... ...
First, it denotes the consistency of children's experience across diverse care and education settings as they grow up. Viewed in this way, the vertical continuity of high-quality learning experiences for children over time includes the alignment of learning expectations; curricula; and other instructional strategies, assessments, and learning environments to ensure that they are coherent with each other and grounded in the science of child development and of best practices in instruction and other professional responsibilities.
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From page 210... ...
For example, gains made as an infant and toddler need to be built upon in preschool programs, and additional gains made in preschool need to be built upon and extended when children progress to kindergarten and early elementary classrooms. This vertical continuity requires communication, planning, and coordination among care and education practitioners across the diverse settings that influence children from birth through age 8, including home visitation, early care and education, preschool programs, and elementary schools.
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From page 211... ...
Bringing multiple systems together to make the high quality of early learning opportunities and supports more coherent and consistent as children grow requires coordination and alignment across the many interconnected components of the care and education of children from birth through age 8 described in Chapter 2: public school and other elementary education systems; center-based or school-based programs and services for children younger than kindergarten age; other non-center-based settings for care and education, such as family childcare providers; and consultative or supportive services for young children administered by different agencies and occurring in various settings, such as home visiting and early intervention services. Creating a stronger continuum and bridging the gaps among different systems and settings entails significant conceptual and logistical challenges for the stakeholders involved: care and education practitioners; leaders, administrators, and supervisors; those who provide professional learning for the care and education workforce; policy makers; health, mental health, and social services providers; and parents and other adults who spend time with children.
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From page 212... ...
The efforts needed to achieve these goals have been articulated in slightly different ways, but many common elements emerge, discussed here in the following categories: professional learning and workforce development; early learning standards; instructional strategies; learning environments; child assessments; accountability systems and data-driven improvement; family engagement; pathways for vertical continuity for children; and coordination and communication across professional roles, settings, and policies. This committee was charged with focusing on one of those categories -- professional learning and the development of the workforce -- but describing this broader range of elements provides context for how the workforce fits into larger efforts to strengthen the care and education continuum.
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From page 213... ...
Developmentally appropriate standards set expectations for what young children should learn and the concepts they should understand. These early learning standards, also often referred to as early learning guidelines, typically reflect expectations within domains of development and learning, such as socioemotional competence, cognitive development, general learning competencies, and specific content areas, including literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and arts.
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From page 214... ...
pari es in Ensure… FAMILIES: Parents and other family students' • Standards are aligned with Common Core • Align core competencies with B-3rd standards. members have access to compre readiness for State Standards, Head Start and Office of B-3rd • Strengthen prepara on and professional development hensive data about their children's General Learning college and Special Educa on Outcomes Frameworks.
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From page 215... ...
. Early learning guidelines articulate age-related benchmarks for development in early childhood so that professionals will use appropriate educational instruction and practices that support child development.
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From page 216... ...
. Instructional Strategies Coherent instructional strategies provide children with a consistent, connected series of learning experiences.
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From page 217... ...
Learning Environments Evidence indicates that children benefit when learning environments meet well-defined measures of high-quality care and education (Annie E Casey Foundation, 2013; Tout et al., 2013)
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From page 218... ...
. If data collected through child assessments are to lead to beneficial change, professionals must be trained not only in how to administer them but also in how to interpret their results and apply that information in altering instructional practices and learning environments (Kauerz and Coffman, 2013; Tout et al., 2013)
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From page 219... ...
Data gathered from these systems must be used responsibly to inform instructional practices as well as policy and strategic decisions that will ultimately lead to improved child outcomes (Annie E Casey Foundation, 2013; Bornfreund et al., 2014; Kauerz and Coffman, 2013; Tout et al., 2013)
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From page 220... ...
The transition to a new setting (for example, when a child is moving from home to a center, from family childcare to a preschool, or from a preschool to an elementary school) can be a major adjustment for young children -- a challenge compounded by disconnects or misalignment among
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From page 221... ...
The success of these approaches will depend on the availability of educators employing a high quality of professional practice, to avoid a cumulative negative effect of children experiencing consecutive years of a low-quality learning environment rather than the desired continuity of a high-quality learning environment. Across settings, bridging activities might include developing partnerships within a community among early care providers, communitybased organizations, preschools and elementary schools.
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From page 222... ...
. Thus, "readiness" means as well that professionals and the systems in which they work are equipped to facilitate smooth transitions between home and school, as well as to establish continuity between early care and education settings and elementary schools.
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From page 223... ...
In Washington State, for example, the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills includes not only a whole-child assessment component but also components for family connections and for early learning collaboration to align practices among kindergarten teachers and professionals in settings prior to elementary school (Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, n.d.)
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From page 224... ...
Federal funds that can be leveraged include Title I, Title II, Special Education, Head Start, and the Child Care Development Block Grant (Kauerz and Coffman, 2013; Tout et al., 2013)
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From page 225... ...
The competencies required for these kinds of collaborations among different professional roles, referred to as interprofessional practice, are discussed further in Chapter 7. Conclusions About the Care and Education Continuum Consistency of high-quality learning environments and learning ex periences across settings and sectors as a child ages is important to supporting development and early learning from birth through age 8.
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From page 226... ...
Additionally, the schedules, cal endars, and salaries of prekindergarten teachers are commensurate with those of other teachers. The program thus facilitates joint professional development activi ties and allows teachers to inform one another in grade-level transitions.
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From page 227... ...
In addition, the wider community in Bremerton has an Early Childhood Care and Education Group that was established to link school district early learning programs with other community programs, preschools, and childcare providers. It provides such services as instructional materials for in-home childcare providers, as well as monthly teacher trainings.
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From page 228... ...
It is also about the competencies of educators to recognize where children are along their individual trajectories, to support children who are "ready," to help children catch up as needed in acquiring the capabilities to succeed in their adjustment, and to provide appropriate learning experiences for those children who surpass the "readiness" standard. Readiness also is about the capacity of settings and environments to support both children and educators in this work.
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From page 229... ...
. Coordination with health care, social services, and other services can help ensure that all children receive comprehensive care that addresses the many factors affecting their well-being, that children's early experiences contribute consistently to developmental achievements, and that all professions who work with young children have a shared understanding of the interconnected quality of developmental processes that each may see only in part.
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From page 230... ...
Hand-offs Case 230 Management HEALTH SECTOR PRACTITIONERS Referrals Data & Information Shared Professional Sharing Learning Data & Information SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR PRACTITIONERS Sharing Data & Information Sharing Hand-offs 3 Hand-offs Referrals 8 3 Referrals 0 Case Management Case 5 Management Shared Professional Shared Learning Professional Learning CARE AND EDUCATION SECTOR PRACTITIONERS FIGURE 5-2 Activities that contribute to connections among professional roles across sectors.
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From page 231... ...
As with Box 5-1, these examples do not represent a comprehensive review of all such initiatives, nor did the committee draw conclusions about best practices or intend to endorse particular exemplars. Of particular note, in light of the focus of this report, is that there is little documentation or evaluation of changes to practitioners' scope of work, roles, and responsibilities; specific new required competencies; and training and other professional learning activities associated with the implementation of these approaches.
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From page 232... ...
. Community Schools A community school serves as a place for hosting partnerships aimed at promoting student learning, strengthening families, and promoting healthier com munities.
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From page 233... ...
describe the role of family service coordinators as helping families navigate services for children in different sectors, including social services, education, health, and nutrition. Acting as advocates for children and families, family service coordinators connect families with these services, which can result in higher levels of family engagement and parents' involvement in their child's education and health.
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From page 234... ...
. Conclusions About Continuity Among Sectors Child development is highly interactive across different domains, in cluding those supported by professionals not only in care and educa tion but also in other sectors, especially health, mental health, family support, and social services.
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1996. Providing Head Start-like services from kindergarten through the third grade: The role of family service coordinators.
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From page 236... ...
. NEGP (National Education Goals Panel)
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From page 237... ...
2013. The McKnight Foundation Education and Learning Program: PreK–third grade literacy and alignment formative evaluation findings.
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