Members of the Big Sandy Area Community Action Program (BSACAP) Head Start worked on an initiative from the National Office of Head Start which requires all programs to have School Readiness Goals. Staff members spent many hours in training sessions and meetings aquiring knowledge about the initiative; and working together to create a School Readiness model for the program. The objective was to identify the skills that children need to obtain while in Head Start in order to be ready to enter kindergarten' and to create a plan that shows how the program assists children in obtaining those skills and how the success of that plan will be measured.

There are currently sixteen (16) School Readiness Goals identified for the program to work toward to assure that children are "school ready" by the time they leave Head Start. These goals are a center piece for the program. It is essential that all BSACAP Head Start staff maintain a clear undertsanding and are knowledgeable of the goals.

Assessment strategies and tools used for measuring progress towards reaching these goals include:

• Teaching Strategies GOLD
• ECERS-3 (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Third Edition)
• CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System)
• Parent Surveys

Additional information regarding assessment and monitoring is available by clicking on the link, School Readiness Monitoring, located on the left side of this page.

The School Readiness Alignment Plan also includes the School Readiness Goals and how the assessment process is used to measure progress towards meeting each goal. The link to the alignment plan is also located on the left side of this page.

School Readiness Committee

The BSACAP Head Start School Readiness Committee meets twice annually. The committee is comprised of staff members with expertise in each component of Head Start, as well as, two (2) parents and a kindergarten teacher. The committee is responsible for reviewing assessment information throughout the year; and identifying program weaknesses that need to be addressed.

After each meeting, the minutes are forwarded to all staff members. Teaching staff, and other staff if necessary, receive notices of required activities that result from these meetings in order to enhamce efforts toward improving school readiness.

 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, feel free to contact the BSACAP Head Start Grantee Office or your Head Start Delegate Office. Contact information can be found under the Contact Us tab located at the top of the page.