SCHOOL READINESS PLAN

1. The university of Arkansas at pine bluff Early
Head Start – child care partnership and School
Readiness

2. Mission
statement
The leadership team will ensure that our
children become lifelong learners
and show program improvement
in school readiness goals and improve
teachers-child interaction in its classroom.

3. WHAT IS SCHOOL READINESS?
The concept of school readiness typically refers to the
child’s attainment of a certain set of emotional,
behavioral, and cognitive skills needed to learn, work,
and function successfully in school.
According to:
(Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014

4. School readiness vision
The vision of the University of Arkansas Early
Head Start – Child Care Partnership is to become
a more viable, highly visible and effective human
and community service delivery entity. We desire
to strengthen our ability to coordinate and
integrate resources and services for the citizens
we serve and do so in a timely and
compassionate manner.

5. The Goal
Early Head Start is a comprehensive child development
program which serve children ages birth to 3 years of
age and their families. It is a child-focused program
having the overall goal of increasing the social
competence and school readiness of young children from
low-income families. Social competence is meant by the
child’s everyday effectiveness in dealing with either his
or her present environment and later responsibilities in
school and life. Social competence looks at the
connection of social, emotional, cognitive and physical
development.

6. School readiness team members
Early Head Start Director, Education Disability
Mental Health
Coordinator, Health Nutrition Coordinator,
Family Services
Mentor Coach, The university of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff Child Development Center Director,
Head Start Director
Director, Early Head Start Parent, Head Start
Nurse
Center Director, Early Childhood
Director/Instructor and Facility Safety
Coordinator.

7. School Readiness
Act of 2007
 Improving Early Head
Improving Early Head Start across Start School Readiness Act of 2007 requires programs
to address and strengthen school readiness for all children they serve, ages birth to five.
 Head Start Act of 2007
The School Readiness. The Act and Head Start Program Performance Standard 1307.2
define school readiness goals as follows: School readiness goals mean the expectations of
children’s status and progress domains of language and literacy development, cognition
and general knowledge, approaches to learning, physical well-being and motor
development, and social and emotional development that will improve their readiness for
kindergarten.
 Performance Standard
In very board terms, the Office of Head Start’s definition of school readiness is that
“children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children’s learning and
schools are ready for children.” As Head Start leaders, we must identify the knowledge
and skills children demonstrate when they are school ready.

8. Areas of Development
Early Head Start and School Readiness
Early Head Start works to prepare children for school by supporting:
Social and Emotional Development
Language Development
Cognitive Development
Motor and Perceptual Development
Approaches to Learning

9. Classroom teams
Site Director and Teacher meet weekly to plan, individualize,
review data, and organize for the upcoming week. A review of
classroom data should be completed at by each teacher on
weekly basis and on a monthly basis as a classroom team
meeting. This classroom team meeting is essential to support
the children and staff in moving towards success in school
readiness goals. Resources and Related

10. Individualization and
Parent Engagement
 Approach to School Readiness: The University of Arkansas at
Pine bluff Early Head Start – child Care Partnership Approach to School
Readiness encompasses three major frameworks.
 Frameworks: These frameworks are to promote an understanding of
school readiness for parents and families, infants and toddlers.
 Family Engagement: The three frameworks and their accompanying
graphics provide the foundation for implementing systemic and integrated
comprehensive child development services and family engagement efforts that
lead to school readiness for young children and families.

11. several factors that influence school readiness
 Low family economic risk: poor school readiness often
revolves around poverty
 Stable Family Structure: Often, children from homes with two
parents have stronger readiness skills than those from single
parent homes
 Enriched home environment: Children from more structured
homes, such as where parents converse with them, discipline
them appropriately and often, read to them, and teach them
self-discipline usually have stronger readiness skills.
(Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

12. Early Head Start CURRICULUM APPROACH
 The approach: Our first priority is to ensure the safety and general well-
being of all children enrolled in Early Head Start. We believe that young
children learn best through active exploration of their environment. We
strongly believe that the children should have choices and engage in
meaningful developmentally appropriate activities throughout the school
day.
 Who takes part: We also believe that classroom staff, parents, other family
members and providers should form a team and work together to support
the child’s development and learning. The classroom staff is expected to
show understanding and respect for each other, all children, parents,
providers, consultants and others. They should use appropriate language to
express needs and feelings.

13. parents
Monitoring progress
Parents are involved in monitoring progress on school-readiness goals at multiple levels, including
our Governance Board, Policy Council, and center-level Parent Meetings.
Parent Meetings
The monthly parent meetings have a common structure across centers and delegates, which
includes an ongoing emphasis on school-readiness goals and review of the reports three times per
year. The parent meetings also provide an opportunity for parents to share concerns or
suggestions related to school-readiness goals—which then are brought to the Policy Council and,
as appropriate, to the Policy Council.
Home Learning
In addition, we educate all families about school readiness goals by connecting them to displays of
children’s work and learning in our centers – and help them to support their children’s school
readiness at home, primarily through Home Learning Activities and “family life practices”
workshop series.

14. How can Parents help?
 Read books to and with children
 Spend time with children
 Create routines
 Encourage and answer questions from children
 Engage informal reading and counting activities
 Familiarize children with the world around them
 Promote play that helps to develop skills
 Engage children in playgroups
 Encourage responsibility
(Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

15. School Readiness
Goals & Data
 Performance
 Assessments
 Dual-Language
 The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Early Head Start - Child Care
Partnership measures children’s school-
readiness performance using GOLD or
the Early Learning Scale.
 These are performance-based
assessments, in which teachers score
children’s development on a continuum
for each item.
 Our school-readiness goals are the same
for dual-language learners (DLL) as for
native English speakers, since we want
DLL children to enter kindergarten
prepared to succeed on a par with all
children.

16. Children progress
Children progress
Children progress is track and monitor regarding school readiness as follows: The Management Report aggregates and analyzes
child assessment information. This quarterly report shows what percentages of children are on track to achieve school readiness
(as measured by an appropriately high score on GOLD) at each center, and program-wide.
The Management Report
The Management Report is reviewed by education leadership teams to ensure all managers understand and can use the
information. It is shared with teachers, typically during center based assessment work groups, to
encourage critical thinking and foster a shared vision for quality improvement.
Individual children
We know whether individual children are making progress in school readiness by using the quarterly
progress checkpoints completed by teachers. In addition, teachers review classroom reports three times per year, which give a
snapshot of each child’s current level of readiness and recent gains. These help teachers
better understand the specific outcomes data for their children and thereby to identify strategies needed to support individual
children or groups.

17. Interaction of Teacher/Parent/Student
 Communicate -Parent should be available to communicate with teacher.
 Academic Program -If a parent shows that they are willing to learn about academic
program; children will be more prone to learn.
 Background Information -Share background information with teacher concerning the
families cultural.
 Parent participation -Parent participation in school activities helping to make school a
win/win situation
 Benefits -There is a great benefits when teacher, parent and child are all involved.
 Parent/teacher relationship -Parent/teacher relationship creates a win/win in positive
interaction for children.

18. Parent Engagement
Parents will participate in the program through involvement in:
• Policy Council
• Parent Child Activity Days
• Parent Meetings
• Conferences and Education Home Visits which cover topics on School Readiness.
•Sign-in Sheets at Policy Council Meeting
•Goals set on Home Visit Forms and Conferences

19. Action Plans: School Readiness
1. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Early Head Start- Child Care Partnership will
use the School Readiness goals and objectives to prepare children for school success.
2. Program will ensure that teaching staff is highly qualified and competent in all areas
of classroom management such as learning environment, interactions, individualizing
(which will include a child’s learning style), intentional and meaningful teaching
strategies and an effective transition plan.
3. Program will use Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment Reports to track and
measure infants/toddlers outcomes.
4. Program will utilize Arkansas State, TAPP, and the Department of Human Services
Specialist for training and technical assistance using their expertise in the content
area.
3. Program will ensure that systems, supports, and resources are in place to address
professional development, continuous improvement, and program environment as it
relates to children and families.

20. Action Plans: School Readiness
continue
6. Program will provide ongoing opportunities for children to develop and master School
Readiness Goals through meaningful activities and everyday interactions that lead to
being successful
7. Program will provide quality family nights that support School Readiness goals and
Parent, Family, Community Engagement.
8. Program will train staff, families and the community on School Readiness Goals, Parent,
Families, Community, and Engagement.
9. Center teaching staff will be a part of quality family nights.
10. All staff will know how their role impacts the success of School Readiness and Parent,
Family, Community Engagement.
11. Parents will partner with the Early Head Start program to educate their children.
12. Parents will participate in program activities and ensure that their children are on time
for school.