Strive Endorses Covington Early Childhood Plan
Strive recently awarded a Stage Two Endorsement to the Covington Early Childhood Education Student Success Network. This endorsement means that the Network has established local evidence that what they are doing works and that they have committed to collecting data ongoing to ensure that their methods continue to work.
Research indicates that children who enter kindergarten with the necessary skills of naming letters and identifying letter sounds are more likely to be reading on grade level when they exit elementary school. In 2007, the Covington Independent Schools implemented a literacy assessment called Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) which is a standardized, individually administered assessment of early literacy development in the areas of letter naming fluency and initial sound fluency. The assessment results indicated that only 65 percent of 409 children entering kindergarten at Covington Independent Schools in 2007 were prepared for school.
With this knowledge, the Covington Early Childhood Education Student Success Network (SSN), convened by United Way of Greater Cincinnati Success By 6®, formed and now consists of the following members: Covington Independent Public Schools, 4C for Children, Children, Inc., Every Child Succeeds, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, Preschool centers, Head Start, Northern Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky Council of Partners and five childcare centers in Covington. Using the data gathered from the DIBELS assessment, they have created a regional plan to improve the quality and consistency of out-of-the-home education settings so that all participating children gain the literacy skills they need to be ready for kindergarten.
The primary objectives of the SSN are to improve the percentage of children ready to learn by 1) providing high-quality professional development to caregivers, 2) creating a seamless transition for children from birth to school, and 3) continuing to use the data they collect to drive decisions on what practices work best.
Jeff Edmondson, executive director of Strive, comments, “When children start school behind, there is a greater danger that they may never catch up to their peers. It is important for us as a community to continuously monitor progress in Covington through the DIBELS [assessment] and adjust our strategies until we find what works to decrease this learning gap.”
"4C is very excited to be part of this important initiative," says Laura Heuser, director of 4C for Children's Northern Kentucky Services. "Not only will it help child care providers increase their professional skills around early literacy, but it will also support providers in putting those skills into action so that children can be prepared to succeed in school."
For more detailed information on this action plan, please visit Strive’s website at Covington Endorsed Action Plan.