This document discusses aligning early childhood programs from birth through 3rd grade. It advocates for establishing standards across programs, aligning curriculum and assessments, expanding policies to increase access and require collaboration, and promoting success through quality, continuity and family involvement. The goal is to create a continuum of learning and development from pre-k through 3rd grade to improve outcomes for children.

1. Aligning the early years on a continuum of birth
through grade 3 learning and development

2.  Focusing on the support of every child’s
growth and development from birth to third
grade
 Looking at the diversity of programs,
purposes, and philosophies that serve
children and families from birth to age 8
 Promoting success by ensuring access,
quality, continuity, family involvement

3.  The Achievement Gap
 Pre K Fade Out
 Lack of shared belief about the purpose of
early learning programs
 Research

4.  Expanded policies at the federal, state, and local
levels that address access, funding, transitions,
and require collaboration for all children and
families
 Established standards that reflect high
expectations and that cross both programs and
age levels birth through third grade
 Alignment of curriculum, assessment, instruction
so that children are supported in their learning

5.  Family education and support at birth and in
the first 3 years
 Voluntary, universal access to quality
preschool (3 and 4 year old) programs
 Mandatory full day kindergarten
 Preschool and primary grade alignment of
standards, assessment purposes/tools,
learning plans and desired outcomes
 High quality teacher/staff preparation and
professional development/career ladders

6.  Agreeing on learning standards prenatal through K
and beyond.
 Teacher prep…same expectations for all
 Defining high quality classrooms/early learning
environments.
 Agreeing what “developmentally appropriate practice”
is and what “inclusive” means.
 Cultural competence.
 Promoting intentional curricula.
 Providing social/emotional consultation/early
intervention services
 Leadership.
 Parent involvement related to learning.

7.  Funded by the Foundation for Child
Development and others, the PreK-3rd
Initiative is designed to create a new first
level of American education that begins in
prekindergarten and extends through 3rd.
 Models: Ready Schools Miami…where
“adopting a universal and unified PreK-3rd
approach is crucial for a comprehensive
transformation of America’s public education

8.  Language and literacy: data-driven instruction and increased
time in the classroom on learning activities
 Curriculum alignment: strategies to help districts,
administrators and teachers align curriculum across content
areas and PK–3 grades.
 Family engagement: techniques for building reading,
numeracy, and rich conversations into daily routines at home;
involving parents in literacy-rich activities at the school;
strengthening teacher-parent relationships through home
visits and other approaches.
 Socio-emotional behaviors and climate: strategies for
effective behavior management, strengthening self-
regulation and executive functioning; and creating a positive

9.  After-school: strategies for integrating in-school curricula
with after-school practices, increasing participation in out-
of-school programs, and partnerships with community
providers of after-school activities.
 Alignment across PK to third grade: best practices for
developing common planning time across grades, integrating
data on children’s learning and behavior across grades.
 Integration: successful techniques for effectively layering
interventions over time and for integrating school, family,
and after-school interventions around important goals such
as increased vocabulary.

10.  Individual efforts to align pre-K with
elementary (i.e. Whatcom Day Academy)
 Nooksack Valley Collaboration for Children
(horizontal and vertical alignment)
 Gates School District Early Learning
Leadership Grant…and school district-OC
partnerships

11.  High Scope Perry Preschool Project
 The Carolina Abecedarian Project
 Chicago Parent Child Centers
 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-
Kindergarten Cohort
 National Head Start/Public School Early
Childhood Transition Demonstration Project
 Early Language and Literacy Studies (Heath,
Wells, National Research Council, etc.)