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