REGION 2020: EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM
WHAT
• To develop a region where all children enter school ready to learn, where
all K-12 schools provide students with skills for lifelong learning and
career opportunities, and where residents of all abilities -- including
those who
have never learned to read -- receive the best education.
WHY
• To improve the quality of child care for more children prior to school.
• To better prepare children for the Kindergarten curriculum. To encourage
parents to more actively participate in the early learning and education
of their children.
• To increase the number of children reading at grade level by the 3rd grade.
• To improve overall academic achievement.
• To reduce neglect and abuse of children.
• To increase high-school graduation rates.
• To produce a better qualified workforce.
WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED
• Public and private school systems
• Obstetricians, pediatricians, and other health care practitioners
• Private businesses in frequent contact with families of young children
• Local early childhood educators involving two groups: Association
of Childhood Educators International (ACEI) and National Association for
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (These include preschool and
elementary teachers, and college faculty in early childhood, elementary,
special
education and collaborative teacher programs.)
• Child care providers of all types, including Head Start and Early Head
Start
• The Holmes Partnership Group, a consortium of 11 school districts and
5
colleges/universities
• Child care Management Agencies in the region
• Birmingham Early learning Center
• Child care Resources, Resources, Inc.
• Local colleges and universities with programs in program early childhood
and
elementary education
• Other professionals serving "at risk" groups and groups and families
with young children
• Philanthropic groups committed to young children Providers of literacy,
after-school, and summer programs and camps
WHO WILL BENEFIT
• Children
• Parents
• Educators
• Communities
HOW
Strategy
A threefold strategy is recommended to:
1. Launch a vigorous public information and awareness campaign about
the importance of early language and learning for later reading
skills
2. Engage healthcare professionals, childcare workers, churches/temples,
local colleges and universities, and businesses in a coordinated
program that visibly and effectively promotes literacy for all
children
3. Work closely with K-3rd grade teachers and other educators so
that parents can better prepare their children for the transition
to school
and so that
parents are well informed about the content of the state's early
elementary school curriculum for K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades.
Related strategies: Family
and Parenting and Professional Development
in Education.
Action Steps
Region 2020 will convene an Educational Curriculum Implementation
Team composed of key stakeholders.
The Educational Curriculum Implementation Team will:
1. Develop the master plan for the public awareness efforts
and the distribution of print materials to families (especially
those
in
greatest need), focusing
on the birth to five-year-old age period.
2. Translate the K through 3rd grade curriculum and its measurable
goals into terms that parents can readily grasp, along with
suggested ways
that parents and communities can be supportive of the school
curriculum. Also,
parents should be informed of the proven effective ways of
teaching young children how to read to ensure that their
children's teachers
are using
the most effective teaching methods.
3. Seek financial support from the private sector to fund
the distribution of print materials.
4. Review current availability of quality alter-school care
programs that have an educational component or focus, as
well as summer
programs that
help to maintain and extend what children learn during
the school year. Supplement
and expand upon these programs in the future.
5. Explore options for housing and staffing this effort
with organizations such as the McWane Center and the Literacy
Council of Alabama.
Cost
$100,000
