KSB Newsletter October 10, 2024
News from The Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge (KSB) Learning Community
New Resources from KSB
Enjoy two videos developed by the Children's Equity Project for Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge. The recordings can be viewed on our webpage.
- Learning, Joy, and Equity: A New Framework for Elementary Education (32:12) The Children's Equity Project's New Framework for Elementary Education is guided by research, data, learnings from schools across the United States, and parent and family voices. The framework centers 14 core ingredients around joyful learning and holistic development, equity, child-centeredness, and flexibility for community contexts and priorities.
- Operationalizing High Quality Dual Language Programming (20:38) Watch as Drs. Shantel Meek and Xigrid Soto-Boykin dive into the Children's Equity Project report on DLI progams and how to operationalize them to their fullest capacity.
KSB Spotlight
This month, KSB is highlighting resources developed by states who engaged in the learning community.
- Alaska
- Alaska's Early Education Program Standards are applicable to early education programs provided by school districts for children who are four and five years of age. The standards were prepared in response to passage of the Alaska Reads Act in May 2022.
- Arizona
- Attendance/Chronic Absence includes data on attendance, Arizona's efforts to address chronic absence in PreK-12th grades, and resources to promote attendance.
- Explore Arizona Schools is a searchable and interactive data tool and resource to help families make education-based decisions for their children.
- Read On Arizona: Arizona's Early Literacy Initiative leads the statewide collaboration to advance the strategies, policies, and investments needed for children to learn to read at grade level and be successful in school.
- California
- CA Early Childhood Inclusion Support Fall 2024 Newsletter spotlights resources and interim guidance information. Don’t miss the inspirational video from Mitchell Child Development Center!
- California's Great Start Transition to Elementary School Toolkit considers the ways in which California is supporting effective transitions to kindergarten.
- California English Learner Roadmap provides guidance to local educational agencies (LEAs) on welcoming, understanding, and educating the diverse population of students who are English Learners attending California public schools.
- Colorado
- The 2021 Transitions to Kindergarten in Colorado: Supporting Native American Children and Families brief explores practices that contribute to successful transitions to kindergarten for Native American children and families and offers strategies that early care and education programs and elementary schools in Colorado can implement and support.
- Kindergarten landing page for families includes a video about brain development and learning, kindergarten academic standards, the importance of attendance, and more. On the Kindergarten family resources page, families can learn about the school their child will attend, ways to partner and engage, attendance, literacy, and support services.
- Hawai'i
- Kindergarten Resources Hub is a comprehensive resource for teachers. Information for school administrators is also available.
- Indiana
- Kindergarten Transition Model Best Practices and Self-Assessment Guide is a model and evaluation instrument designed to enhance local practices in the transition to kindergarten. It provides resources as well as indicators that local programs can use.
- Maine
- Instructional Programming for Maine: Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and First Grade includes open-source instructional programming for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade.
- Maryland
- Readiness Matters provides information about the statewide Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, which can be viewed by regions. Historical data is also available.
- Minnesota
- Play in Kindergarten encourages play in kindergarten classrooms, and was developed in partnership with Minnesota kindergarten teachers, teacher educators, and early learning advocates.
- Language that Supports the Successful Learner Equation The Division of Early Learning Services (ELS) no longer uses the term and concept of "readiness," which places an undue burden on children to be "ready for school." Instead, ELS is using language that aligns with the Successful Learner Equation, which recognizes that children are always learning and adults and systems should support all children wherever they are in their learning progression.
- Nebraska
- Nebraska School, Family, and Community Engagement Framework provides support for addressing chronic absence. It includes exemplars, resources, and research information.
- Nebraska's School Readiness webpage provides information for families, school district leaders, and educators. Topics include information about school readiness, the transition into kindergarten, and early learning guidelines and foundations.
- Nevada
- Kindergarten Resources and FAQ provides resources for families about kindergarten enrollment.
- Nevada Birth to Third Grade Projects provides information about professional development for educators and administrators. Nevada educators can sign up for a listserv, learn about the Nevada Developmentally Appropriate Practice Kindergarten Policy Statement, join the Kindergarten Think Tank, and more.
- New Jersey
- Attendance Toolkit for PreKindergarten and Kindergarten addresses attendance and chronic absence.
- NJDOE Grades K to 3 includes resources to support educators, including implementation guidelines, support for partnering with families, kindergarten entry assessment information and more.
- Oregon
- Transitioning in Kindergarten provides a wealth of resources for educators and families, including early learning and Kindergarten guidelines, registration information, Jump Start Kindergarten information, PK-3rd grade alignment resources, and support for schools and communities.
- Early Learing Transition Check In: A Collaborative Engagement with Community describes the ways in which the Oregon Department of Early Learning (ODE) and the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) are collaborating with communities across the state to redesign the Oregon Kindergarten Assessment (OKA).
- South Carolina
- Ready for Kindergarten: A Guide for South Carolina Families is a slide show that can support families as their children prepare to enter kindergarten.
- Wisconsin
- Frequently Asked Questions: Four- and Five-Year-Old Kindergarten is a resource for families, with a comprehensive FAQ.
- 4K/5K Transition Guidance provides information for educators.