| Programs such as PA Pre-K Counts, Keystone STARS, Early Intervention, Nurse-Family Partnership, Parent-Child Home Program, and Head Start Supplemental are preparing children for kindergarten so they can enter school ready to learn and to succeed.
2011-12 child outcomes for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Keystone STAR 3 and 4 programs, and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program show children are progressing throughout the program year and are coming to school ready to learn:
More than six out of 10 preschoolers in Head Start Supplemental, Keystone STARS 3 and 4, and PA Pre-K Counts programs ended the 2011-12 school year with age-appropriate language, math and social skills.
- The percentage of students in Keystone STAR 3 and 4 programs with age-appropriate language, math and social skills doubled from beginning to end of the 2011- 12 program year.
- The percentage of students in PA Pre-K Counts with age-appropriate language and math skills more than quadrupled from the beginning to the end of the 2011-12 program year; the percentage of students with age-appropriate social skills tripled.
- The percentage of students in Head Start Supplemental with age-appropriate language and math skills increased more than six times from the beginning to end of the 2011-12 year; the percentage with age-appropriate social skills quadrupled.
Each program is showing a significant increase in the percentage of preschoolers with age-appropriate language, math, and social skills from the beginning to end of the program year.
- Head Start Supplemental, providing comprehensive early education and family support services to high-risk three and four year olds: At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, approximately one in five preschoolers in Head Start Supplemental programs showed age-appropriate skills. By the end of the school year, approximately three in five children showed age-appropriate language, math and social skills after attending Head Start Supplemental programs in 2011-12. As of May 2012, more than 3,200 eligible children were on waiting lists for Head Start Supplemental Assistance programs for the 2012-13 school year.
- Keystone STARS 3 and 4 programs, providing high quality early education in child care centers, group and family child care homes for children from birth through school-age: At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, approximately one in three preschoolers in Keystone STAR 3 and 4 centers and group child care programs showed age-appropriate skills. By the end of the school year, more than two in three preschoolers showed age-appropriate language, math and social skills after attending Keystone STARS 3 and 4 programs in 2011-12.
- PA Pre-K Counts, providing high quality pre-k kindergarten to at-risk three and four year olds: At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, less than one in four preschoolers entering Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts classrooms showed age-appropriate skills. By the end of the school year, approximately three in four children showed age-appropriate language, math and social skills after attending Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts in 2011-12. As of May 2012, more than 7,200 eligible children were on waiting lists for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts for the 2012-13 school year.
Observing and assessing children's progress is a key component to a quality early childhood education program and included in the quality expectations of these three programs. Teachers share individual child progress with their families and use the information to refine teaching techniques and learning activities to best meet the needs of their students.
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Providers/ Community leaders:
- Examples of child outcomes in your individual programs – children who were delayed when entering the program who are now at age-appropriate development.
- Performance of children who participated in your program who are now in kindergarten, first grade or higher.
- The importance of child observation, assessment and reporting of child outcomes. How collecting and reporting outcomes help you better teach the children in your program.
Parents:
- How has your child progressed in an early education program this year? What skills did he/she learn with words/letters, numbers, and getting along with others?
- How did the teachers help your child develop during the year? How did they work with you so you could do learning activities at home?
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