FourYearOld Kindergarten 4K Advisory Board

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Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) Advisory Board

• Our Vision
• Our vision is to provide all four-year olds
  access to developmentally appropriate learning
  experiences through partnerships with communities
  and families.

• Members
• Jeff Campbell School Board
• Julie Dachel EC Educator
• Rusty Helland Superintendent
• Gary Hoffman Principal - Greenfield
• Amber Lee Parent
• Denise Monicken Parent, Daycare provider
• Kim Paul Special Education Para
• Patti Phillipps Director of Pupil Services
• Deb Rasmussen School Board
• Carol Rolland Community Preschool Teacher
• Jason Sell BWHS Teacher
• Sarah Spenle Kindergarten Teacher
• Cindy Zielinski Speech/Language Pathologist

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Benefits of a 4K Program

• Research on early brain development indicates
  that during the years from age 3 to 5, the part
  of the childs brain responsible for planning and
  organizing, motor control, control of emotions,
  and attention to task is growing rapidly.
  Preschool children, who are read to frequently,
  have a rich variety of opportunities to interact
  with others and their environment develop the
  skills that will be needed at school age. The
  preschool childs brain is not only ready, but
  hard-wired to learn at an amazing rate given
  appropriate, play-based learning opportunities.
• National and state research shows the benefit of
  4K for children regardless of family income.
  Teachers report improved social skills and
  improved readiness for kindergarten. Academic
  benefits include greater success during school
  years, reduced special education placements,
  reduced occurrences of grade retentions and
  higher rates of high school graduation. Wisconsin
  reports that for every dollar invested in quality
  4K, a school district could see .68 in
  educational savings.

For more information refer to www.collaboratingpa
rtners.com and www.dpi.wi.gov/ec/ec4yrpag.html
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THERE ARE CURRENTLY 319 4K PROGRAMS IN
WISCONSIN. IN OUR GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THE
FOLLOWING SCHOOLS OFFER 4K AmeryBoycevilleElls
worthPrescottOsceolaNew RichmondMenomonieGlen
wood CityElmwoodSpring ValleyDurandSomersetPl
um City

• Wisconsin 4K Programs

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Why should we have 4K in the Baldwin-Woodville
District?

• The Advisory Board feels that all families who
  are interested in quality early learning
  experiences for their 4 year old child should
  have access to a high quality program. Excellent
  private preschool options currently exist with in
  our school district, but some families who may be
  interested cant access these programs due to
  financial constraints, transportation, enrollment
  limits or other factors.
• Baldwin Woodville children currently do not
  have access to a Head Start program for
  preschool.
• Parent interest

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The Advisory Board mailed 109 surveys to the
parents of three-year-old children in the
community. Based on the district survey report,
82 surveys were returned, 69 were received with
positive responses, 9 were undecided, and 4 were
opposed or not interested.

• Parent Survey Results

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Advisory Board Steps to Making a Recommendation
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Recommendation

• The Advisory Board would like to recommend that
  the Baldwin-Woodville School District adopt a
  community approach to 4-year-old kindergarten for
  the 2009-2010 school year. We are currently
  working with two interested sites that would be
  available for the next school year.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Curriculum Focus Recommended
• The Four Year-Old Kindergarten program will be
  child-centered with a focus on play-based active
  learning. Our curriculum will include basic
  concept development as well as promote a language
  rich environment, which focuses on pre-reading
  experiences. It will follow the research on
  child development that tells us that children who
  have appropriate experiences with oral language,
  phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and
  print knowledge develop lifelong skills.
• Our program will contain a component on
  social/emotional development. The goal is to
  teach four year-olds how to handle difficult
  situations appropriately and to use role models
  to ensure that they are prepared for success in
  Five Year-Old Kindergarten and beyond.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Components of our program will include circle
  time, story time, music and movement, centers and
  outside play.
• We recognize that parents are partners in the
  educational process and that they have both the
  right and the responsibility to share in
  decisions about their childs education and
  development.  The 4K program will plan numerous
  parent outreach activities.  Outreach activities
  are intended to support, nurture and instruct
  parents in their role as the primary educator of
  their children. 

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How will this be accomplished?

• Some examples of outreach activities include
• orientation activities the summer before the 4K
  program begins
• general communications (phone calls, newsletters,
  etc.)
• special classroom events
• parent teacher conferences
• evening family fun nights
• pot luck dinners/meetings
• parenting classes
• classroom involvement training
• parent-governance activities
• extended family and intergenerational component

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How would this be accomplished?

• A total of 437 instructional hours would be
  provided in a 3 hour day - four days a week
  following the school district calendar.
• Teacher collaboration time between the sites and
  the school district would be established.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Community Site Information
• Each site would need to meet the site criteria.
  A site contract would be established and signed.
  A copy of the contract would be provided to the
  School Board at a later date.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Site Criteria
• Meet applicable current state license
  requirements in State of Wisconsin Department of
  Health and Family Services (DHFS) 45 or 46 Day
  Care Licensing Rules and have no violations that
  required enforcement action within the last year.
  
• Provide a teacher(s) certified by DPI and meets
  DPI 4K requirements. DPI Licensed Staff (may
  have any of the following licenses 080, 090.
  083, 088, 100, 103, 106, 108, 808, 809)
• Site access to appropriate space and equipment
  (list) for outdoor play.
• Site provides for multiple different play/center
  and small group learning spaces for children.
• Site provides adequate large group areas for
  circle time and story time.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Site Criteria (cont.)
• Site provides adequate early learning materials
  including, but not limited to appropriate books,
  counting and sorting manipulatives, toys,
  puzzles, blocks, musical instruments, balls,
  varied art materials, science and nature
  materials.
• Site is clean, well-lighted, and well maintained.
• Site provides adequate personal storage space for
  children (i.e. cubbies).
• Ratio no larger than 112, maximum group size 20
  (with an aide).
• Only allow children admittance into program that
  are 4 years old before September 1st of that
  school year.
• Students must have the required vaccines
  according to the districts current policy.

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How will this be accomplished?

• Site Criteria (cont.)
• Facility must provide a non-sectarian
  environment, curriculum, and program.
• Facility must provide a minimum of 437 hours of
  instruction with an additional 87.5 in Outreach
  programs.
• Meets DPI requirements of parent involvement.
  (Outreach activities of a minimum of 87.5 hours
  with the primary caregivers of students). A list
  of planned parent outreach activities will be
  provided by August 15 of each year.
• Conduct and document two formal parent-teacher
  conferences each year. Dates and times should be
  documented in parent involvement documentation.
• Implement curriculum and assessment materials as
  determined by the Baldwin-Woodville 4K Advisory
  Board
• Actively participate in monthly professional
  development opportunities. Attendance records
  will be maintained by the district.

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How will this be accomplished?
Transportation
The State of Wisconsin requires that the district
be responsible for transportation to/from
half-day programs, including four-year-old
kindergarten programs.
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Working together for our childrens future.