Early Childhood gains national attention

If you missed the final presidential debate, early childhood and education received attention in the final question. Here is the transcript of that portion of the debate.

Question: The question is this: the U.S. spends more per capita than any other country on education. Yet, by every international measurement, in math and science competence, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, we trail most of the countries of the world.

The implications of this are clearly obvious. Some even say it poses a threat to our national security.

Do you feel that way and what do you intend to do about it?




Question: Do you think the federal government should play a larger role in the schools? And I mean, more federal money?



The election is fast approaching. Check back soon for nonpartisan volunteer opportunities to Get out the Vote in Minnesota.

A picture of quality early childhood

Around Ready 4 K, we spend a lot of time talking about quality early care and education. One of our four principles is Promote Quality (the others are Support Parents, Increase Access, and Produce Results). Sometimes it's difficult for people who do not work with young children to envision what exactly does high quality early education look like. The following video by our friends at Pre-K Now demonstrates a high quality pre-k classroom and how it benefits all the kids who participate. Join us as we work to build the foundation for our future through quality early care and education.

Help set the Record!

Join Ready 4 K Thursday as we help the nationwide effort to “Read for the Record.”

Read for the Record, sponsored by Jumpstart, aims to bring attention to early care and education and increase awareness of the importance of reading.

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Ready 4 K Executive Director Todd Otis will read “Corduroy” to children at New Horizon Academy (401 Robert Street, St. Paul) on Thursday, October 2^nd at 11:30am. “Read for the Record” will be trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the highest number of people reading the same book in a day.

"Having a regular story time with parents and children provides a fun and effective way to develop language skills in little children,” notes Otis. “Those language skills will lead to the ability to read, the single most important building block for later school success. That is why Ready 4 K supports ‘Read for the Record.’”

If you would like to join in and register your own efforts to "Read for the Record", visit www.readfortherecord.org.

Get to know your candidates

If you haven't noticed, election season is upon us. Now is a great time to engage your candidates and tell them to make early care and education a top priority. One way to get to know your candidates is to hold a candidate coffee. This informal gathering is a job interview for who you will hire to represent you. (We pay their salaries, so we're the bosses.) You can find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you. It is also an excellent opportunity to educate candidates so that whoever is elected will start their job one day one knowing what is important to you.

A candidate coffee is simple. You can read our Holding a Candidate Coffee tips page in the Advocacy Resources section of our website.

Keep the group small and the setting casual. The goal is to have an open conversation, not a political speech. The group should be made up of constituents of the district. Candidates like to talk directly to the people they will be representing and it is the citizens of the district who will be making their choice.

In the last election cycle, I attended a candidate coffee in the home of one of our advocates. The advocate invited some of his neighbors who also had young children. About eight of us were there and we chatted ahead of time to figure out what questions we wanted to ask and what issues to discuss. We had treats and other refreshments to share. Candidates from both major parties were invited to come visit with the group at separate times. One candidate came first and the group talked with the him for about 45 minutes. The second candidate arrived and the group had a similar conversation with that candidate for about the same amount of time. Before each candidate left, the group provided information and materials on early care and education as well as their contact information in case the candidate had any additional questions.

The candidate coffee was interesting and informative for all who attended. We were able to hear directly from the candidates and move away from scripted speeches. The candidates were able to engage constituents and begin building relationships with early childhood advocates in their district.

View the Holding a Candidate Coffee page for more details on how the steps for setting up a candidate coffee and sample questions. If you would like to hold a candidate coffee in your Minnesota house district, contact Ready 4 K and we will work with you to set one up.

Stepping up for quality preschool

Recently, the Wall Street Journal printed an opinion piece by Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell titled Protect our Kids from Preschool. The article took the position that early childhood education is not a good investment and can even be harmful to children. There are a number of inaccuracies in the piece that are pointed out in responses by Early Ed Watch, NIEER, Pre-K Now and others in the Journal. It is disappointing that the nation’s premier financial journal would allow such inaccuracies to be printed and to negate the strong investment that is early care and education.

Steven Barnett of NIEER and David Kirp from UC Berkeley had a counter piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, The War Against Preschool. They offer a strong point and counterpoint to the Dalmia/Snell article.

In a time of economic downturn, investing in the first five years of children’s lives is the smartest thing that we can do. Economists and policy analysts including Art Rolnick and Robert Reich agree that early investments are a key strategy to shoring up our long-term economic standing. As the election season kicks into the highest gear, it’s time to remind our candidates that strong early investments are the first step for our future.

photo by merebearlandon

Hopping on that school bus: Kindergarten transitions

The state fair has begun and I think I saw some yellow leaves on some trees today. The start of school is right around the corner. This time of transition can be stressful for children and parents alike. For young children, starting kindergarten is a significant time of transition and change; new setting, new schedule, new classmates, new teachers, new expectations. It's a lot! There are some great resources online for kindergarten transition, such as Terrific Transitions. Even for younger children, starting preschool or a new child care setting is just as stressful. It's not too early to start thinking about kindergarten, even with your preschooler.

Some tips from Terrific Transitions:

The week before…

• Get the supplies requested by the school (book bag, crayons, glue, nap mat or towel, etc.)

• Label all personal items with your child’s name in permanent ink (clothing, lunch box, book bag, nap mat or towel, etc.)

• Discuss plans for drop-off and pick-up in detail with your child. (If possible, do a “practice run” prior to the first day.)

• Take to the school nurse or office any prescription medicine that must be administered during the day.

• Plan a separation routine. If possible, include your child’s teacher or carpool partner in the routine. Select a series of steps that you will take every day. (Child puts belongings away, parent describes what they will do after school and says goodbye, child goes to her teacher/drive/walking partner and greets them, parent leaves)

• Discuss any fears or questions your child might have. (What if I have to go to the bathroom? What if I forget where you are going to pick me up?)

The night before…

• Review a school-day routine with your child (bath time, bed time, wake time, schoolwork time, etc.) Try and keep a firm bedtime to ensure your child is well rested for the next school day.

• Put lunch money in an envelope with your child’s name and what it is for on the outside. Put the money in a safe place (book bag, secure pocket of tomorrow’s clothes, etc.)

• Help your child select their clothes for the first day. Make sure your child will be dressed appropriately for the weather and the school setting.

The first day…

• Wake up in plenty of time to prepare for school. You don’t want your child to feel rushed on this day. The calmer and more relaxed the morning is, the more comfortable your child will feel with the situation.

• Have your child eat breakfast at home or make sure that she has money and time for breakfast at school.

• Review the drop-off and pick-up procedures with your child.

• Make sure your child knows his full name, address, phone number, and the name and number of an emergency contact. If he does not know this, write it down and put it with his personal belongings.

• Arrive before school starts, but not so early that there is no supervision available.

• Leave your child promptly, with a positive attitude, after you have completed your planned separation routine.

At the end of the first day…

• Greet your child at the planned time and place.

􀂃Ask your child specific questions about her day. If you simply ask, “How was your day?” the response will likely be “Okay.” Instead, ask questions such as, “What was the best thing that happened today?” or “Tell me about some new friends you met today.” etc.

Also, early childhood programs in school districts also have information and resources specific for your district. Find your early childhood program here. In Minnesota, all children need to be screened before entering kindergarten. Schedule a time with your district's early childhood program for your child to be screened.

Good luck!

photo by kevindooley

In the news

It was a busy week for Parent Aware and the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation. Stories appeared in both the StarTribune and the Pioneer Press about the progress Parent Aware is making in helping to connect low income families to quality child care. A great editorial was also published in the StarTribune. The MELF was also highlighted in an article describing the economic investment needed for early care and education.

Expanding Parent Aware, a quality rating system for child care providers, to be state wide is a key piece of Ready 4 K's agenda of helping kids start kindergarten ready for learning success. Stay tuned as we head into the election season for questions to ask candidates on how they plan to get kids ready.

photo by pragmagraphr