Preschool Literacy Programs

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Preschool Literacy Programs

• Innovation in North Carolina
• Kathryn Baars, Section 619 Coordinator
• kbaars_at_dpi.state.nc.us

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Into Literacy
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Getting Started

• School Year 2000-2001
• Used state administration funds under 619 for
  local LEA contracts
• Part of SIG but no money
• Sent out Expression of Interest to Develop an
  Early Literacy Training Site
• Asked about current efforts
• Collaboration with IHEs
• LEA support for outreach

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Model Demonstration Sites
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Program Responsibilities of the 6 Chosen LEAs

• To coordinate a comprehensive early literacy
  program based upon current research
• To demonstrate techniques and teaching skills in
  a literacy rich environment
• To provide a source for in-serving training to
  schools and community partners
• To establish a plan that emphasizes parents are
  the childs first teacher, and
• To provide a setting that institutions of higher
  ed. can use as a demonstration site for
  pre-service training

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Administrative Responsibilities

• Meet twice a year and attend a summer institute
• Update website yearly (SIG site)
• Evaluate program effectiveness
• Be available for presentations
• Complete 2 progress reports
• Have a pre and post ELLCO done on demonstration
  classrooms

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Choosing LEAs with Quality Preschool Programs
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Chosen Sites

• One LEA in each region of the state (6 regions)
  received approximately 40,000 to begin to
  develop a model site
• LEAs could only use inclusive classrooms
• One LEA was the state-wide site and received
  additional dollars to hire staff
• Most LEAs had contracts with colleges/universitie
  s
• Some LEAs used funds to bring in professionals
  for regional training

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Successes

• Classrooms ordered great materials
• Several LEAs produced products such as CDs and
  documents on literacy
• Some LEAs gave mini-grants to other LEAs in their
  region
• Some really great classrooms developed
• ELLCO scores went up from the fall to the spring
• Satellite programs developed as great classrooms
  were identified
• SIG contributed dollars to fund sites

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Great Literacy Activities
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Frustrations

• Model site classroom teachers left
• Some sites never got to model status
• Some sites did not collaborate with
  colleges/universities
• Some sites did a poor job of outreach
• State not an endless source of money!!

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Adaptations

• Contracted with a literacy expert who developed
  an early childhood literacy assessment
• Had to keep finding new classrooms as teachers
  left
• Gradual reduction of funds
• Data management instead of paper and pencil evals
• Did away with state-wide center due to staff
  changes

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Future Directions

• Combining with our state-wide More at Four
  Programs
• Reconfiguring the model sites based upon high
  quality classrooms
• Further developing common philosophies and having
  a uniform packet for on-site visitation
• Trying to get model sites to become more
  self-sufficient and less dependent on additional
  state funding

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Key to Success Quality Teaching!