Bright Start Northeast TN is cheering 18 School Districts.
After two years of collaborative work, the Northeast TN Consortium of school districts has adopted a shared definition of school readiness and a universal screener tool for the region. Our hats are off to all the collaborators on this monumental project — especially Niswonger Foundation, Ballad Health and these 18 districts who made it happen.
A blog post from Niswonger Foundation shared: School readiness begins at birth and is shaped by families, early care and education providers, and the community. A ready child is prepared physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. This means that children begin school ready to participate in and benefit from early learning experiences that help them be successful and excited to learn.
There are five developmental areas related to school readiness:
- Approaches to Learning
- Physical Development
- Language and Literacy
- Social and Personal Competency
- Cognition and Math
High-quality early care and education experiences are crucial to supporting young children’s readiness for school and include:
- caregivers who respond to children’s needs
- strong relationships between children and caregivers
- a focus on social and emotional development
- the curriculum provides meaningful, hands-on experiences
- the curriculum focuses on all 5 developmental areas listed above
- evaluation of learning helps teachers decide next steps for all children
- families are a respected partner in children’s education
“Fundamental to our work at the Niswonger Foundation is the belief that all children deserve our dedication to preparing them for a successful future. We believe this commitment to children and families must begin at birth. Supporting a child is a critically important team effort, uniting the strength and passion of families, communities, and education professionals. We are proud to be part of this effort to create the best future for our children,” said Dr. Nancy Dishner, President and CEO of the Niswonger Foundation. Dishner is also a member of the board of directors of TQEE.
“It has been a privilege to attend the meetings being led by Mia Hyde and Tony Dalton. This project has been conducted with integrity; with ample attention given to research, relationship-building, and has provided an opportunity for teachers to provide valuable input,” said Beth Huber, Bright Start NETN Fellow, “The data that will be collected from the universal screeners will highlight strengths of the school districts and their surrounding communities while also identifying areas for growth. Together the districts can support each other’s efforts to strengthen systems in their communities. This can include collaborating with existing parent education programs, early childhood education programs, community resources, and after-school programs. Additionally, the data can drive strategic planning to support children, families and teachers. We are extremely grateful for this important work that has been done by the Niswonger Foundation and the representatives from the eighteen school districts.”
