School
Readiness
Getting Children Ready
for School and Schools Ready for Them
Seattle’s
preschoolers spend their days in many kinds of care—at home,
in for-profit or nonprofit preschools andchildcare centers, the
homes of friends and neighbors, federal and state-funded programs
like Head Start, and centers run by religious, ethnic and cultural
organizations. As a result, students reach Seattle Public Schools
with a wide range of experiences and capabilities. Some are well
prepared to learn in kindergarten. Others are not.
The preschool years
are critical to students’ future achievement and
self-concept. As educators, we share knowledge with our preschool
colleagues to make a difference in students’ school
success.
Seattle Public Schools works
with preschools and
child care providers across the city
to:
- Help preschools
understand the skills a child will need by the first day of
kindergarten.
- Help the schools
understand their new students’ needs and the cultures and
environments they’re coming from.
- Collaborate on
development of curriculum, training, strategies for involving
parents, and other ways to help children get ready for
school.
- Keep an open channel
of communication to share best practices.
We also
operate the Seattle Public Schools Head Start
program, which serves as a model to other community
preschools in the way its curriculum and procedures dovetail with
those of district kindergartens.
HEAD START
The federally funded Head Start program has a 30-year track record
of improving the outlook for preschool children from low-income
families. It works for students, families and the community because
it supports the child on many levels, not just academic. Head Start
provides medical and dental care, healthy meals and snacks, indoor
and outdoor play, and a curriculum framework that emphasizes
practical learning and ongoing assessment to be sure students are
progressing. Head Start also provides roles for family members in
program governance and classroom support, along with job training
and adult education for parents.
In Seattle Public Schools, Head Start aligns with the K-12 system:
the procedures are the same for assigning children to the
appropriate school, getting transportation, arranging for
translation services, and conducting family orientations. This
alignment makes for smooth transitions from Head Start to
kindergarten.
Promoting universal school readiness requires
addressing the inequities in early life experience so that all
children have access to the opportunities that promote school
success; recognizing and supporting individual differences among
children including linguistic and cultural diversity; and
establishing reasonable and appropriate expectations of
children’s capabilities on school entry. (National Association for the Education of
Young Children, 1995)
School Readiness Initiative •
206-252-0951• jmmathews@seattleschools.org
Seattle Public
Schools Head Start • 206-252-0960 • lwgarcia@seattleschools.org
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| Children entering
kindergarten come from increasingly diverse racial, ethnic,
cultural, social, economic and language backgrounds. Many
kindergartners now come from single-parent families and from
stepparent families. They also differ in the level and types of
early care and educational experiences they have had. Schools are
expected to meet the educational needs of every child regardless of
their background and experience. (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, America’s Kindergartners,
2000) |
|
