Forum Administrator YaBB Administrator Posts: 88	Mid-year progress reports for Planning Grants 07/26/07 at 13:52:23   Please post mid year reports by clicking reply above.
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tsander YaBB Newbies Posts: 2

Iowa-Grant Reply #1 - 01/07/08 at 11:11:35    Midterm Report   Iowa-Grant has formed a Community Cares Committee consisting of the 4K teacher, an ECSE teacher, Elementary Principal, 2 community daycare directors, 4 private daycare providers, Head Start Coordinator, a local librarian, 2 parents, and the school physiologist.   Iowa-Grant's committee has had 2 formal meetings. We discussed what is going well for small children in our communities and where we need to go in the future.  We found that Head Start and the School District are working as one cohesive unit but we could use some improvements with the private daycare centers and the Head Start community.  Within the school system itself, the ECEEN students that are 4K age come to the fully inclusive 4K program 4 days per week in the mornings and go to ECSE room in the afternoons 4 days per week. The teachers plan together and to strive to make this a positive and rewarding experience for all of the children.      The daycare community feels that overall things are going well in their centers but that parents need more guidance as far as structuring their child’s day, establishing routines and sticking to schedules.  We discussed this topic at length and decided to invite Paul Gasser to present to our community on February 26th from 6:00-8:00.  The Iowa-Grant School District will provide the flyers, mailings and host the event. The Community Care Committee will personally invite the families that they interact with daily.  The grant money will be used to provide a light supper for those parents attending and our Student Council will be providing daycare for the night.      The committee will meet again on February 14th to tie up last minute details with Mr. Gasser’s visit.  We will plan an in-service for all daycare staff in the month of March hosted by the Iowa-Grant School District we would like to talk to the daycare providers about the referral process and walk them through the importance of notifying us if they suspect a delay in a child.      The Iowa-Grant 4K and ECSE staff will attend the conference in Madison on Preserving Early Childhood and collaborative approaches in March. We are looking forward to the school visit portion and learning more about preschool options.  We are feeling a bit overwhelmed at times but are gaining a greater understanding of the many options available to our young population of learners.  We are looking forward to working with the committee to share ideas and create solutions for our preschool learners.  We are certainly off to a great start.

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halverss YaBB Newbies Posts: 2

Prescott School District Reply #2 - 01/16/08 at 17:01:30   On Monday, September 17, 2007, a general information meeting was held in the school to review the status/landscape of 4K Education in Wisconsin. All childcare providers were invited and the attendance was very good. Our elementary principal and five people representing two different childcare centers attended the WECA Conference in late September of 2007. On December 17th, a Collaborative 4K Committee was organized to actively pursue the establishing of a 4K Program in Prescott starting in the fall of 2008-09.  This committee has been meeting regularly for the past month. They made an official proposal to the School Board on Wednesday, January 9th.  The committee is hoping for/anticipating official board approval at the next regularly School Board Meeting currently set for February 20th. We have three centers who wish to collaborate for AM and PM sections. While we are expecting 80 students to participate, we are prepared for the maximum of 110 should people enroll all the possible students in the district. At the moment we are designing an information brochure and finalizing what appears to be the "Creative Curriculum".  We are fired up!   Scott Halverson   Malone Elementary School   505 N. Campbell Street   Prescott, WI. 54021 (715)262-5463 ext 136

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smithju YaBB Newbies Posts: 2

Peshtigo School Dsitrict Reply #3 - 01/17/08 at 09:33:00   Peshtigo School Dsitrict. Emphasis has been place in providing more least restrictive environments for children with disabilities. We have decided to explore implementing a 4K program in the district. We are starting a 4K committee. We invited the community's childcare providers to an informational meeting. The meeting was well attended by private daycares, private preschools, family daycare and HeadStart.Then it was approved by the school board to continue with exploring the idea. A survey has been sent out to parents of potential 2008-09 4K students. Another meeting is scheduled on the Jan.21 with the community providers to discuss the results of the survey and to invite them to join the 4K committee to plan for the young children in the community. Presently we are collaborating with  HeadStart. Students placed there are seen by the ECSE teacher and the Speech/Language Therapist at  HeadStart. Other EC students are participating in a preschool library story time and in MOPS Mothering of Preschool, (play group).

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Dawn_Walters YaBB Newbies Posts: 1

Early Childhood Special Education--Marinette, WI Reply #4 - 01/21/08 at 12:20:40   Marinette School District   We have formed an Early Education Council consisting of a School Psychologist, ECSE Teacher, Pre-K teacher, Elementary Principal, Head Start administrator, Birth-to-Three Representative, Parent of a child with special needs and a Private Day Care Administrator.  We have met monthly to discuss ways in which to involve the community into our programs and also to establish a line of communication between all area service providers.  Currently we are planning an evening meeting in April in which we will be inviting all the private day cares in our area to attend.  At this meeting we will be giving them background information on why we need to provide services in the child’s least restrictive environment and therefore, information on why we applied for the grant.  In addition, we have had a ½ workshop covering EC Options philosophy/history with appropriate district staff and some community service providers.  Furthermore, some of our district staff will be attending the EC conference held in Madison in March.

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Sandra_Mountain YaBB Newbies Posts: 2

School District of Random Lake Reply #5 - 01/22/08 at 11:25:08   School District of Random Lake -     Midterm Report   The School District of Random Lake has developed community partnerships with local resources including the Gables on the Pond Assisted Living Facility.  Cross-generational activities have added to the overall sense of community.  Staff has partnered with the Sheboygan County Family Resource Center in Plymouth to foster the Parents as Teachers and Parents as Partners in Education programs within our district.     Using information from seminars and workshops attended as well as onsite visits to other 4K programs, both a student assessment system and a program brochure have been developed to enhance community awareness of our new 4K program and accentuate effective communication between home and school.   Within our Learning Teams, the screening process for our youngest students has been analyzed and changes are being implemented as we gear up for the upcoming screening for students entering the program in September.

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Amy_Allbaugh YaBB Newbies Posts: 1

North Crawford School District Reply #6 - 01/22/08 at 11:29:21   Midterm Report   North Crawford School District has the goal of exploring an on-site daycare.  The committee has met formally twice to discuss plans.  In November, two members traveled to Elcho School District to observe and discuss their operation of an on-site daycare.  The information was brought back to the committee and to the school board.  Since then, we have met with Ground Maintence to discuss the facility options available at NC to provide on-site daycare.  Currently, a needs assessment survey is being developed for the target of 3-5 year olds audience along with contact of local agencies for local needs of daycare.  Having them both available at PreSchool Screening Days.  Two other site visits are being planned for March.

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Charlene_Lynum YaBB Newbies Posts: 3

Altoona School District Reply #7 - 01/28/08 at 11:22:14   Altoona School District Mid-Year Report   A great deal of interest in improving services and increasing access and options for all   preschool-aged children was generated by collaborations with community partners facilitated by the grant. The Pedersen Elementary Principal, the Altoona Pupil Services/Curriculum Director, and the Administrative Team provided leadership throughout the first half of the grant by gathering and disseminating information, organizing meetings, communicating with a variety of interagency partners, and serving on the Altoona Children’s Council. District staff collaborated with the Altoona Children’s Council and CCR & R in developing an early childhood community profile about existing community preschool services delivery options and gathered information about the need for expanded daycare options. Partnerships increased through four leadership team meetings and communications with Head Start, CESA 10, Birth-to-3, the Altoona Children’s Council, Altoona School District staff, and the child care community partners serving young Altoona children. Information was shared, feedback solicited, and a vision of services developed.   The Altoona District provided release time for staff to attend leadership meetings, attend an Early Childhood Conference, and go on site visits of community based programs where young children with disabilities are in integrated environments. Information about the grant initiative was shared with grade level teams, the Education Planning Council, and the School Board. Information shared about additional start up funds, provided additional momentum for planning innovative ways to provide an array of service delivery options for preschoolers.

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Cathy_Weis YaBB Newbies Posts: 5

Elmbrook School District Reply #8 - 01/29/08 at 11:51:12   In the 2007-08 school year, the Elmbrook School District is serving 8 students in the 4K pilot program. Things are going great! Each class is fully supported by Special Ed. staff. Unfortunately, our school board voted against full implementation for 4K. So back to the drawing board! Other students are having opportunities to participate in various 4K activities. A local day care center brings 8 students and a teacher over 2x/week and is embedded into a self-contained EC classroom. In the past, we have served students on an itinerant basis in preschools, however, this year we do not. More than 50% still receive services in self-contained classrooms.   CESA staff recently worked with us for 2 days to develop a common values and vision for our district.   Our next step is to meet with our community council made up of 0-3 rep, a day care provider, parent liason, social worker, speech therapist, preschool director, park and rec. and public library staff to discuss future preschool options in our community.   In addition, we are exploring options with two local day cares. They have been 4K pilot sights and want to explore options to continue working with us for next year.     More staff members are planning to attend workshops,trainings, and set up visitations to demonstration sites.   Change has been slow for us. We want all our changes to be in the best interest of the families in our community, with a strong research base. There is a strong academic focus in the district, even among the families we work with. We continually feel challenged to provide developmentally appropriate practicies while still preparing them for a 5K program with high expectations.

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Erin YaBB Newbies Posts: 1

Northwood School, Minong.WI Reply #9 - 02/15/08 at 11:57:16   Midyear report Northwood School, Minong.WI   We have an Administrator,  EC Teacher, 1 day care provider, Preschool teacher,and 2 parents on the committee as of right now.  We have met to discuss what we would like to see possibly added in the district as far as 4K is considered.  The first step for our district is to get Kindergarten 5 days per week, as it stands now it is 4 days per week.  We have an Early Childhood Special Education program in the school right now, the kids come 2 days/week.   In the district, we have a preschool that runs 3 days a week for 2 hour sessions, and a Head Start that is available for some people in Minong and a home based Head Start in Douglas County.  We have 1 certified day care provider in the district as well.  We would like to see some more certified day cares and eventually would like to have a 4K program in our district.  It will most likely be slow moving, but we are hopeful.

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tackesma YaBB Newbies Posts: 1

Hamilton District Reply #10 - 02/15/08 at 14:56:47   In the Pre-school Options Hamilton District project, we have been following our grant plan rather well.  This means that our two EC teachers of three-year-olds have been in the community at Day-Care centers, or in homes of students or at meetings with moms and dads at Willow Springs Learning Center every Friday since the start of the school year.     Our Pre-School Options Professional Learning Community (PLC) has met several times with discussion focusing on the book entitled "Consultation in Early Childhood Settings".  At our meetings we have had a guest speaker share information followed by questions and answers.   The learning we are doing creates good questions and discussions.   Our membership has changed a bit on this committee. Our parent had to leave, our day-care members are not always able to attend and a teacher went on maternity leave.  Because we don't meet every month,  and because our membership is not as constant as one would hope, it takes a bit more time to "reconnect" when we do get together.  Our  current membership includes new and old participants who have the following occupations/roles: 2 EC teachers, a speech pathologist, director of special education, a principal of a 4K school, a regular education 4K teacher, two day care representatives, a Birth-to-Three director, a diagnostic teacher and parent. Additionally, the educators on the committee have participated in a several inservices to date.    The committee's work is good as we are learning and advancing change.     Submitted by Margaret Tackes, Principal Willow Springs Learning Center Hamilton School District

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Toni_Dakins YaBB Newbies Posts: 5

Burnett County Reply #11 - 02/27/08 at 12:56:18   We are in our second year of planning and have continued to work on developing an ECIC council here in Burnett County.  Our goal of developing a transition agreement has been started.  We have had one meeting with our CESA and Birth to 3 Regional people to help put into place a county wide transition agreement.  The next meeting is scheduled in March.     Our second goal of strentghening our referral network and finding collaborative ways to screen children has continued.  The council has been discussing ways to improve our county screening procedures and how we can improve our outreach to families with young children.  The council hosted along with Resource and Referral a county wide training in the Ages and Stages screener.  We had Mary Joslin come up and do the training and she did an excellent job.     Our third goal of reaching parents with more resources is starting  to be addressed as Burnett County as just started a Family Resource Center and we have added the director to the council.  Also, Birth to 3 has moved into the FRC from the Governement Center with hopes of reaching more families and bringing Birth to 3 families into the FRC.     We still struggle with getting parents to the ECIC meetings, but we continue to invite.  We are at the point with the council where are ready to take on a project, but have not come up with a idea yet.

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RLENNON YaBB Newbies Posts: 2

Unified School District of De Pere Reply #12 - 03/03/08 at 20:30:33   Mid-Year Report Unified School District of De Pere   The De Pere Early Childhood Steering Committee was formed. It is a 14-member committee, consisting of an administrator, school psychologist, Birth to Three coordinator, 3 parents, daycare director, Head Start disability coordinator, Head Start parent advocate, a preschool teacher and director, kindergarten teacher, as well as 3 special educators. The committee has met monthly, since October. The focus of this year's planning grant has been two-fold. The first goal has been to identify and communicate with the community partners, to enhance the continuum of preschool options available to young children with disabilities. Our first job was to compile a list of licensed childcare centers, preschools, and in-home care providers in the rapidly growing district of De Pere. Next, through informal conversations with daycare providers, an interest in professional development opportunities was indicated. Our first training for community providers started in January, on the topic of Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards. Twenty-three community partners attended the first 2 of 3 sessions. This week, at the final session, a questionnaire will be distributed to survey interest in future training opportunities. In addition to the training outreach, the committee has diligently worked on the development of a district Early Childhood Special Education brochure. Plans are to have it ready for our Child Development Days, in April 2008. A subcommittee has also investigated ways to add a play group setting to our continuum of special education options. Following the Itinerant Networking meeting in October, consultation with Jude Teicher, and extensive planning, our first playgroup starts on January 31, 2008. The second goal is to work to provide a smooth transition from Birth to Three services to public school special education services. Our plan is to host the Ready Set, Go training for individuals this spring. Select committee members also plan to attend the Preserving Early Childhood conference in March, to network with others who are enhancing their community and school district collaboration. The formation of this comittee has been a positive start to a dialogue between our private community providers and the school district personnel.

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Kathleen_Merlo YaBB Newbies Posts: 12

Burlington Area School District (BASD) Reply #13 - 07/14/08 at 11:11:43   Mid year posting for BASD Planning grant 07-08   Burlington area had representation of EC staff attend the LINKS Training held in Oconomowoc in December of 2007.  This training has allowed staff to take information and share it with preschool/daycare staff.   The Early Childhood staff have been able to support children in 4 community settings with great success

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