The Birth – 8 Continuum: Early Childhood Education in North Carolina
Susan Perry-Manning Deputy Secretary, DHHS 21 June, 2018
1 OVERVIEW
1. Why focus on Birth – 8?
2. NC’s Birth – 8 Landscape
3. Challenges and Opportunities
2 Why Focus on Birth – 8?
3 Where We Stand
67% 37% of jobs in NC will require of NC employers reported some post-secondary difficulty hiring in 2016 education by 2020
34% 38% of NC high school students of NC 4th graders in 2015 met ACT college readiness scored at or above benchmarks in reading in proficient in reading as 2016 measured by NAEP
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
4 2017 4th Grade Reading (NAEP)
2017 – NC 2017 – US All fourth-graders 39% 37% White 52% 47% Black 22% 20% Hispanic 22% 23% Asian 54% 59% American Indian/Alaska Native ‡ 20% Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander ‡ 27% Two or more races 41% 42% Eligible for free- and reduced-price lunch 24% 22% Not eligible (not economically disadvantaged) 53% 52%
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
5 Addressing these challenges and increasing literacy and mathematics proficiency requires that we begin here.
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
6 Why Birth to 8?
The most rapid period of development in human life happens from birth to age eight.
End of third grade outcomes predict academic achievement and career success.
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
7 So why are the early years so important?
2-Minute Crash Course in Brain Science
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
8 Child development is a dynamic, interactive process.
It is NOT predetermined.
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
9 Brains are Built, Not Born
Early experiences are built into children’s bodies—shaping brain architecture and impacting how biological systems develop. Every experience a baby has forms a neural connection in the brain at a rate of more than a million synapses per second in the early years. Not all will last. Connections that get used more strengthen, and those used less fade. Positive early experiences build a strong foundation for learning and future health.
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
10 Development Over Time
11 More than academics
As essential as they are, we aren’t born with the skills that enable us to control impulses, make plans, and stay focused. We are born with the potential to develop these capacities.
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
12 Learning to play Language skills and improved with others teamwork
Making up games Negotiation skills and rules
Learning to Sound ethics follow rules
Creative thinking and Early exploration problem solving
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
13 NC’s Birth – 8 Landscape
14 Public Early Learning in NC
Birth – 2 years 3 years 4 & 5 years 5 – 8 years AGE Child Care Subsidy (serves children through age 12) Early Head Start Head Start
Smart Start NC Infant & Toddler Exceptional Preschool Exceptional Children Program Children NC PreK PROGRAMS K-12 System
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
15 Who Administers Public Early Learning in NC?
Department of Health Department of Public Federal Government and Human Services Instruction
• Division of Child Development & Early • Early Head Start** Education Office of Early Learning • Head Start** • Child Care Subsidy • Preschool Exceptional • Child Care Programs Children • Smart Start* • NC Pre-K • NC Infant and Toddler Program • Division of Public Health • Home Visiting
*While funds flow through the Department of Health and Human Services, Smart Start is administered by The North Carolina Partnership for Children. **Funds flow from the Federal government directly to local grantees.
16 NC’s Early Learning Programs
Quality, Comprehensive Comprehensive affordable services for preschool for child care for low-income low-income 3 infants and working and 4 year-olds families toddlers
Child Care Early Head Head Start Subsidy Start
Services for Early care Services for Pre- pre-school- and children age kindergarten age children education for birth - 3 with for at-risk 4- with children age disabilities year-olds disabilities 0 - 5
Preschool NC Infant & NC Pre-K Child Care Toddler Exceptional Program Children Programs 17 Children Served in NC’s Early Learning Programs
300,000
250,000 250,000
200,000 Served* # Children 150,000
100,000 70,201
50,000 28,365 17,845 20,353 16,107 4,214 - Child Care Early Head Head Start NC Infant & Preschool NC Pre-K Child Care Subsidy Start Toddler Exceptional Programs program Children Program
*There are duplication among counts, as a child may receive multiple sources of funding
18 Percent of Eligible NC Children Served
Child Care Early Head Head Start NC Pre-K Subsidy Start
Serving Serving 23% Serving 28% Serving 44% of Eligible 5% of Eligible of Eligible Children of Eligible Children Children Children
19 Birth – 8 Alignment
20 NC Pre-K Impact Children in NC Pre-K have: • Higher math standardized test scores • Higher reading standardized test scores • Lower rates of placement in special education services • Fewer retentions in grades 3, 4 and 5
21 Power of Continuity and Quality
22 Challenges
• Teacher and Administrator Qualifications
• Curriculum, Instruction, Practice • Funding
• Research
• Human Capital Focused on Alignment
23 Unified: Deepening the Connections Between K-3 and 0-5 Educators
National Association for the Education of Young Children 24 Two-thirds of teachers say their work would be greatly improved if quality ECE was more available.
Do you believe that your work as a teacher of children in kindergarten through third grade would be improved if quality early childhood education was available to more children from birth to age five? Is that greatly improved or just somewhat?
Greatly improved 65%
Somewhat improved 35%
No 6%
Prefer not to answer 2%
National Association for the Education of Young Children 25 Q28 & Q29. Two-thirds of K-3 educators view themselves as an “early childhood educator.”
Do you consider yourself to be an “early childhood educator?”
Don’t know Kindergarten 93% 3% 1st Grade 75%
Yes No 2nd Grade 61% 69% 28% 3rd Grade 52%
Former K-3 56%
Q15. National Association for the Education of Young Children 26 K-3 educators and educators who work with children 0-5 share similar views about the importance of their jobs.
How important to you are the following aspects of your job as an early elementary teacher? (Extremely Important)
K-3 Aspects of Job 0-5 Educators Educators Feeling good about the impact I am having on 72% 75% children and my community Working with dedicated and supportive 62% 64% co-workers Having a work schedule that allows me to spend 56% 49% time with my family Working in a field in which I am able to 51% 54% constantly grow and improve
National Association for the Education of Young Children 27 Q10. Like / Dislike
Like about teaching K-3 • Watching children grow and achieve • Children’s love of learning • Teaching foundations
Dislike about teaching K-3 • Children not independent • Demands on teachers • Inappropriate standards • Low pay
National Association for the Education of Young Children 28 Too much testing, regulations and bureaucracy, along with low pay, are seen as the biggest challenges.
Below you will find a list of things that some people consider to be challenges facing early elementary teachers that have led some to switch to teaching other grades or switching professions altogether. Please rate them in terms of how challenging they have been for you personally.
One of the Biggest A Big Challenge Too much focus from administrators on assessment and testing 43% 34%
Too many standards and regulations 36% 34%
Too much paperwork and bureaucracy 36% 34%
^Low pay 32% 33%
Lack of autonomy to teach the way you think is best 21% 34% Lack of respect from parents for the difficulty and importance of the work you … 27% 27%
National Association for the Education of Young Children 29 Q13. ^Not Part of Split Sample Most Helpful Elements of Pre-Service Training
Two items were identified as “very helpful” by over half of respondents: › Observing / assisting in a real classroom: 64 percent › Child development: 52 percent
Three additional items were considered “very helpful” by more than one-third of respondents: › Literacy Instruction: 46 percent › Math Instruction: 37 percent › Classroom Management: 37 percent
National Association for the Education of Young Children 30 Areas in which teachers did not receive effective training are the exact areas they wish they had.
In which of the following areas do you wish you had more training before you started your career as a teacher of children in kindergarten through third grade?
Classroom management 46%
Practices for including children with special … 39%
Working with dual-language learners 35%
Classroom technology 30%
Using data to inform instruction 27%
Family engagement 26%
Working with students from diverse … 26%
Curriculum design 22%
National Association for the Education of Young Children 31 Q8. Multiple Responses Accepted Three-quarters of teachers are more likely to agree with the argument in favor of creating a unified and aligned system of early childhood education birth through age 8.
Below you will find two statements about the Power to the Profession initiative. Please read them and click on the one that comes closer to your point of view. 76% 24%
We need a more aligned early care and Trying to align elementary school education pathway from birth to third grade teachers with birth-to-five educators does to increase the level of respect, and not work. While we both work with young ultimately compensation, for children, teaching babies is not the same educators. Educators in this critical time of as teaching third grade and there is much life have much in common: we teach more that sets us apart: elementary children foundational skills while school teachers have more education and supporting their growth to training, are governed by different rules, independence. It is important that we work are held to higher expectations, and as a unified field to better define who we should earn higher compensation. are and what we do.
National Association for the Education of Young Children 32 Q27. Opportunities • Transitions o Pre-K/K transition o Directed by state legislature
• Councils, Boards. and Commissions o B-3 Interagency Council o NC Education Cabinet o Child Care Commission o Commission on Access to Sound Basic o Early Childhood Education o Advisory Council o myFutureNC o North Carolina Partnership for o Child Well-Being Children Transformation Council
• Goals and Plans o Pathways o Early Childhood Action Plan
• Early Childhood Integrated Data System
33 What Would be Possible if . . .
We adopted shared, whole child, birth- through-age-eight measures that put children on a pathway to success?
We aligned policies and practices that were rooted in how children develop?
We coordinated strategies to support children’s optimal development beginning at birth?
Slide used with permission from NC Early Childhood Foundation
34 It’s Achievable: An Action Plan for NC
. Children are healthy at birth and thrive in safe environments that support their optimal health and well-being
. Children grow confident, resilient and independent in stable and nurturing families, schools and communities
. Children experience the conditions they need to build strong brain architecture and school readiness skills that support their success in school and life
. High Quality Birth-through-Age-Eight Learning Environments with Regular Attendance
35 Early Childhood Action Plan Framework
GOALS Broad aspirations for NC’s young children
2025 IMPACTS Measurable, child-level outcomes Measurable indicators of progress on INDICATORS outcomes for adults or service provision that drive the child-level outcomes ACTIONS High level intervention strategies State level investments or activities that show COMMITMENTS movement on overall Action Plan PROGRESS Annual dashboards on Impacts and Indicators
36 Benefits are Immediate & Long-Lasting
• Healthier pregnancies • Increased kindergarten • Reduced grade • Higher graduation • Reduced child abuse & readiness retention & special rates neglect • Fewer developmental education placement • Reduced crime • Fewer emergency delays • Increased reading and • Higher earnings room visits • Reduced school & math proficiency • Less reliance on social • Increased earnings & parental work • Better health outcomes services less welfare for parents absenteeism & lower costs
37 Human Capital Creates Economic Capital
“The foundation for school, career and life success is largely determined through the development of cognitive and character skills beginning in children’s earliest years.”
Nobel Laureate Professor James J. Heckman
38 Questions? 39