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Benjamin Heuston Early Childhood Institute June 29, 2017. Arne Duncan. ECE Is Important!. This is not a new idea, but it does signal more focus and in many cases more funding Lots of areas need help – health, housing, workforce, and of course education
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Benjamin Heuston Early Childhood Institute June 29, 2017
ECE Is Important! • This is not a new idea, but it does signal more focus and in many cases more funding • Lots of areas need help – health, housing, workforce, and of course education • Lots of categories are struggling: DLL, SPED, Low-SES / IGP, Minority, Refugee, Homeless, Migrant, etc. • So it’s not surprising that there are a lot of providers
So Why a New Program? • Things are not going well in literacy • By 4th grade, NAEP ranks only 1/3 of our children as successful readers and this doesn’t improve over time • Teachers have told us that not enough children are coming to school adequately prepared and it’s getting worse • Surprisingly, most parents seem to value education and having their children ready for school is a priority • UPSTART was crafted to fill in this school readiness gap
Online Preschool? • UPSTART is not a preschool • Not helpful when legislators get confused on this point • We have much narrower goals and do not provide the wealth of services that site-based provides • Policy-wise we believe these are apples and oranges and should not be seen as being in competition
Goals • UPSTART was designed by the Utah state legislature to get children school ready • Emphasis on literacy as the cornerstone with math and science optional • Site-based PK was not an option both for funding and geographical reasons
UPSTART In Utah • The UPSTART program is defined as the year before kindergarten (mostly 4yos) • Partner with and provide training and support for the parents throughout the program • At the heart of UPSTART is personalized software that children use 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week • Computers and internet are provided for those in need
Finding Parents • This is the ultimate local control program – after all, in the end it’s a parent’s choice • Even with funding, you still have to get out there and find the participants, which means you have to get the word out • It also means going where the families and approaching them in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way • For the most vulnerable populations, we have to find and partner with gatekeepers and local leaders
Advisory Board • The first thing we did was to set up an Advisory Board • We made sure to put some of our harshest critics on it • Adopted a very open, data-centric stance and asked them for input and guidance • Over time, through their own experiences, they became believers and eventually ambassadors of the program
Partnerships • Head Start is an example of a great partner for us • Already established in most communities and is working with populations that we’re concerned about • They are a gatekeeper because they are synonymous with early education in the minds of many parents (many of whom themselves benefitted from Head Start as children) • The most natural form of partnership is through servicing of their waitlists
Growing and Establishing UPSTART • The legislature (and our detractors) insisted on there being an outside evaluator • This was a huge blessing in disguise • We have enjoyed working with and benefiting from the insights this evaluator brings every year to the process • It has also given us the opportunity to objectively view the results of our efforts and to be able to share them with interested stakeholders and potential partners
The Parent Perspective • The evaluator was able to comment on children’s growth but we also wanted to hear from parents • We began dialoguing with them at the graduations from the program (exit interviews) • In addition we commissioned a 3rd party to do a survey • Finally we got unsolicited letters from parents and children
What Parents Are Saying 10,000+ 99% 99% Parents and caregivers voluntarily completed program evaluations Felt UPSTART helped prepare their child for kindergarten Said participating in UPSTART was beneficial 99% 98% 98% Would recommend the program to family and friends Felt the content was appropriate for their child’s age Felt that their child enjoyed the software
Sharing the Data • Once we had data, we made sure that we shared it aggressively with our Advisory Board, with potential partners and with the Legislature • The Legislature was willing to listen to and respond to the data by sequentially growing the program • We worked hard to ensure that there was always a deep waitlist • We also worked as a non-profit to get the cost of the program down to be able to serve more children • The state of Utah last year reciprocated by issuing its own report
The National Picture • Our data caught the federal eye and in 2013 we received an $11.5MM i3 grant for an RCT to test this as a solution for the rurals • We had pilots in Idaho, South Carolina, and Indiana • Last year a funder saw the state and federal data and has funded new pilots in Philadelphia, Appalachia (Ohio), and Mississippi • We believe this program can help augment any state or district that has children it is struggling to reach through more traditional site-based approaches
Recap • We saw a local need and worked from the beginning with the Legislature to start a pilot • By reaching out to the community and forming an Advisory Board we were able to get the word out • Data is invaluable to help your cause and recruit partners • Local growth and success naturally led to an expanded conversation about how this could play nationally • Partnerships have been and always will be central to our success
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.“ — Doctrine & Covenants 64:33