Star Tribune Echoes Concerns about Kindergarten Readiness

Today's editorial in the StarTribune once again highlights the need for greater investments in quality early learning experiences for our youngest citizens. Citing the Kindergarten Readiness Study released earlier this month, the editorial shows how a lack of investment has created a lack of progress in getting our children prepared for school. While legislative leaders have taken steps to recognize the importance of high quality early care and education, that support has yet to be translated into funding increases.

Editorial: Make preschool a funding priority

Scores show that talk alone isn't improving early learning

What may be Minnesota's most important educational report card was issued earlier this month, and the marks weren't good. The fall 2008 results of a yearly school readiness assessment of new kindergartners were down from 2007 on all five aspects of development measured.

Fewer than half of the 6,310 kindergartners surveyed -- 10 percent of the state total -- were deemed "proficient" and fully ready for school. About two out of five were rated "in process" toward readiness. On two key measures, language/literacy and mathematical thinking, one child in eight was judged "not yet" prepared.

Those are troubling findings -- particularly since they come in the sixth year of the assessment, five years after the formation of the Legislature's early childhood caucus, and almost a decade after research and grass-roots advocacy efforts coalesced to put early education on state policy agendas.

Despite those efforts, too many children are still arriving in kindergarten behind and, research says, prone to stay behind throughout their school years. "Why would there have been progress?" asked Todd Otis, executive director of the advocacy group Ready 4 K. Though policymakers are talking more about the value of early learning, "we haven't done anything different to change these numbers."

Read the full Star Tribune editorial here.

Lack of Investment = Lack of Progress

Results from the Minnesota Department of Education’s 2008 School Readiness Study, released this month, confirm what we already know: Minnesota’s lack of additional investment in early care and education has negative consequences. The study, which uses the Work Sampling System to gain a sense of how Minnesota kindergartners are doing in five domains of development, shows that the number of Minnesota children who are rated “proficient” in kindergarten readiness skills has decreased from past years’ studies.

All five domains—physical development, the arts, personal and social development, language and literacy, and mathematical thinking—saw decreases of 3 to 6 percentage points in the number of children rated proficient, with the only domain above 50% proficient being physical development. What does it mean to be proficient? Based on MDE’s definition, “proficient” means that the child can reliably and consistently demonstrate the skill, knowledge, behavior or accomplishment.

In addition, the percentage of children rated as “not yet” ready (indicating that the child cannot perform the indicator) has grown from last year, by as much as four percent.

Does this mean that early learning programs aren’t performing? NO. High quality early learning programs consistently demonstrate good outcomes in terms of school readiness. But the study results aren’t really a surprise. State funding for high quality early learning has been stagnant for years, and has failed to keep up not only with inflation but with the growing need. Early learning programs – like Head Start, School Readiness and child care – that are funded are showing good results, but far too many children lack access to these quality programs. For instance, Head Start funding in Minnesota is sufficient to serve just 1 out of every 3 children who are eligible for the program.

Does funding actually make a difference? Of course it does. For example, in Maryland, where they use a similar method for assessing school readiness, 68% of children are rated proficient (they call it “fully ready”) and the state has consistently shown improvements over the last six years. Since Maryland has increased its investment in early care and education, children’s performance has steadily improved in every domain, including for all racial groups.

Ready 4 K is concerned that even though we know that a majority of our children are coming to kindergarten unprepared, we continue to withhold the resources necessary to move the needle. While the Minnesota Legislature has proposed significant investments in early care and education, those proposals have not been approved. It’s time to reverse this trend, which will not only have the short term benefit of getting out children prepared for school, but better prepare our children for life.

Build or rehab an early childhood facility?

Has an early care and education program you work with been thinking of expanding? Does a program you work with have a building rehab or construction project under way? Then think about putting in a budget request for a capital improvement project!

As you likely know, for the second year in a row, the Governor line-item vetoed $2 million in bonding for the early childhood facilities grant program. Ready 4 K will likely seek funding for the grant program next session, but we are also exploring other avenues to meet the demands for early learning facilities. One way is for local projects to submit budget requests for capital improvement through the "regular" bonding process.

In early May a letter and questionnaire from Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) Director Jim Schowalter was sent laying out the process by which local governments and political subdivisions of the state may request state appropriations for capital improvement projects. Given the difficulty we have had in securing funds for facilities bonding, we would like to encourage those of you with projects on the docket to submit requests to MMB. The deadline is June 25, 2009. If you cannot answer all of the required questions in the questionnaire, you should still submit the application. Please contact Eric Haugee at Ready 4 K (eric at ready4k dot org) if you have questions about this process.

For those who are not affiliated with political subdivisions, you will need to partner with a subdivision, like a city, county or school district, as you similarly would need to if you applied for an early childhood facilities grant. You may want to start by contacting your school superintendent or your city or county administrator.

Once projects are submitted, Ready 4 K can work with the project sponsors to get legislation drafted and introduced. The effect of this will be three-fold. One, it will help to showcase the actual need for early childhood facilities. Two, it will build a broader base of support for bonding for early childhood facilities within local communities. And three, it will build a base of support with local legislators.

This is a great opportunity, and we hope you'll consider submitting a request for your project. Let us know if you do!

(Photo: Steffe)

Communities working together

Last week I had the opportunity to listen to Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, NY. Canada came to Minnesota to speak at the Minnesota Meeting, hosted by the Minneapolis Foundation. Over 1,000 people attended and gave Mr. Canada a standing ovation. The event was covered in numerous local media including MinnPost, HomeTown Source and Twin Cities Daily Planet.

Following the luncheon, Mr. Canada addressed a special hearing of the House Education Policy committee who were joined by other interested members of the House and Senate.

What I found most inspiring is how a community can come together to make a difference in closing the achievement gap.

The HCZ is a non-profit organizing located in a 100-block section of Harlem, NY that is committed to educating all children, providing social-service and community building programs and breaking the cycle of poverty for families. It has been heralded as a model for education and community building by President Obama and has appeared on numerous national news programs.

The principles Mr. Canada bases his program upon are:

• Begin Early
• Provide continuous, high quality programming throughout the child’s educational experience
• Engage and empower parents
• Redesign schools with the success of each child in mind
• Build communities that support children and their learning
• Use clear and timely evaluation methods

Of course, Ready 4 K knows that beginning early is one of the keys to educational success. The HCZ takes it further to provide high quality educational opportunities and a supportive community all the way until the child graduates from college.

What’s happening in Minnesota (Northside Achievement Zone)

Inspired by a visit to the Harlem Children’s Zone in 2007, leaders in Minneapolis are creating the Northside Achievement Zone. The mission of NAZ:

“Resources and opportunities will be aligned in The Zone to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of all children (birth to 18 years) to promote educational achievement and life success.”

Projects that NAZ is working on include creating a NAZ-tested Seal of Approval for organizations providing high quality programs and collaboration in the Zone, establishing From the Northside to the Campus to prepare kids for success in college and life, and On the Block where neighbors will work together to support youth achievement.

500 under 5, a project working to reach 500 children under aged 5 and their families on the Northside and engage them in early learning opportunities, is part of NAZ.

The Harlem Children’s Zone is an incredible project and Geoffrey Canada brought great enthusiasm to Minnesota. Building on the lessons learned by NAZ on the Northside, we can work together to create a state where all children succeed and supported by their communities.