School readiness big Head Start goal | The Islander

STUDENTS INTERACT in a learning game with teacher Melody Little in a Head Start class in Kaysville. Photo by Tom Busselberg | The Islander

BY TOM BUSSELBERG
Islander Editor?

KAYSVILLE- A big underlying goal within Head Start?s efforts is preparing the students to be ready for entrance into kindergarten and the traditional school experience.

?We?re working hard on it,? said Judy Jackson, director of Davis County Head Start.

That means helping students and parents in getting their children ready, ultimately, to enter kindergarten, said MariAnne Henderson, education manager.

Families play a critical role in helping their children prepare for school and a lifetime of academic success, said Roger King, infant, toddler and health manager.

Five ?essential domains?? are part of that readiness, including language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, approaches to learning, physical development and health, and social and emotion development, he said.

Early Head Start and Head Start emphasize strong parental involvement as a part of their regular programs. That includes regular parent volunteerism in their children?s classroom.

For those parents where English isn?t their native language, classes are provided, Jackson said.

?Parents want to learn English. They are anxious,? because they know it will be a strong benefit, she said.

Each child is closely assessed three times a year on such issues as understanding number concepts, cognition, general knowledge and more, Henderson said.

Goals are set in each area and plans set up for teachers to work with parents on helping individual children succeed, she said.

?The big focus is on the individual,? King said. ?We want to make sure each child is getting what he or she needs.?

Providing a secure foundation for child development and early learning is the goal, ultimately meaning that children enter preschool and eventually school, ready to succeed, he said.

Two examples of goal objectives and activities include: ability for a 4-year-old to count to 20 with accuracy, explore and describe spatial relationships, knowledge of standard measuring tools, and recognizes, duplicates and extends a simple pattern.

The school readiness program is new but the expectation has always been there to focus on preparing each student to move successfully forward, King said.

The entire program is aligned with federal, state and district standards in coordination with common core standards, Jackson said.

Head Start operates 21 sites and about two-dozen classrooms throughout Davis County.

Although children are drawn from economically disadvantaged households, Head Start has proven its worth as a way for these students to achieve, Jackson said.

Tests have shown students typically start at 40 percent below the level of their peers in kindergarten without Head Start. After completing the program, that gap closes to within 2 or 3 percent, she said.

A related story in this issue shares the success story of a Kaysville student who faced enormous physical and other problems.

editor@utahislander.com

Source: http://www.utahislander.com/2012/11/27/school-readiness-big-head-start-goal/

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