1. Preschool Literacy Programs Innovation in North Carolina Kathryn Baars, Section 619 Coordinator kbaars@dpi.state.nc.us

2. Into Literacy

3. Getting Started • School Year 2000-2001 • Used state administration funds under 619 for local LEA contracts • Part of SIG but no money • Sent out Expression of Interest to Develop an Early Literacy Training Site • Asked about current efforts • Collaboration with IHE’s • LEA support for outreach

4. Model Demonstration Sites

5. Program Responsibilities of the 6 Chosen LEAs • To coordinate a comprehensive early literacy program based upon current research • To demonstrate techniques and teaching skills in a literacy rich environment • To provide a source for in-serving training to schools and community partners • To establish a plan that emphasizes “parents are the child’s first teacher”, and • To provide a setting that institutions of higher ed. can use as a demonstration site for pre-service training

6. Administrative Responsibilities • Meet twice a year and attend a summer institute • Update website yearly (SIG site) • Evaluate program effectiveness • Be available for presentations • Complete 2 progress reports • Have a pre and post ELLCO done on demonstration classrooms

7. Choosing LEAs with Quality Preschool Programs

8. Chosen Sites • One LEA in each region of the state (6 regions) received approximately $40,000 to begin to develop a model site • LEAs could only use inclusive classrooms • One LEA was the state-wide site and received additional dollars to hire staff • Most LEA’s had contracts with colleges/universities • Some LEAs used funds to bring in professionals for regional training

9. Successes • Classrooms ordered great materials • Several LEAs produced products such as CD’s and documents on literacy • Some LEAs gave mini-grants to other LEAs in their region • Some really great classrooms developed • ELLCO scores went up from the fall to the spring • Satellite programs developed as great classrooms were identified • SIG contributed dollars to fund sites

10. Great Literacy Activities

11. Frustrations • Model site classroom teachers left • Some sites never got to model status • Some sites did not collaborate with colleges/universities • Some sites did a poor job of outreach • State not an endless source of money!!

12. Adaptations • Contracted with a literacy expert who developed an early childhood literacy assessment • Had to keep finding new classrooms as teachers left • Gradual reduction of funds • Data management instead of paper and pencil evals • Did away with state-wide center due to staff changes

13. Future Directions • Combining with our state-wide “More at Four Programs” • Reconfiguring the model sites based upon high quality classrooms • Further developing common philosophies and having a uniform packet for on-site visitation • Trying to get model sites to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on additional state funding

14. Key to Success: Quality Teaching!