All children in Hays & Caldwell are kindergarten ready

Percent of Central Texas children deemed ready for kindergarten

Current Value

50%

2019

Definition

Line Bar

Story Behind the Curve

What factors are contributing to age-appropriate functioning?

High quality Pre-K experience
- Full-day (SMCISD)
Teacher education and training
- Curriculum
- Level of parent education
Parent training and engagement
- Parental support in child development activities
Early child care providers
Natural and built environments provide lots of opportunity of physical activity/development
Neighborhood are safe places for kids to play
Strong families and extended families

What factors are restricting age-appropriate functioning?

Lack of access to high quality, culturally responsive early care though pre-k
Latchkey children
- Single head of household families
Lack of support in maternal leave
High teen pregnancy rate
Living wage jobs unavailable without college degree
Healthy foods
Access to high quality, culturally responsive health care
Incongruence in standard in what makes a student kinder ready
Uneven quality in early learning environments
Lack of affordable child care
Latino families
- High value on informal care
- Lack of quality services for dual language

Partners

State Federal City Leadership - Champion funding, set ordinance and award permits, tax breaks, etc.
Childcare providers - Educate children, parents support staff development
Healthcare providers - identify resources, modeling practices, provide health services
Parents / Families - Advocate for children, serve as first teachers
ISD's - PK/Student Health Advisory Council
Business Community - Living wage, maternity leave, supporting future workforce
Informal Care (CCL Licensing) - Provide care, support to stay informal but improve quality
Informal Neighborhood Leaders - Support and outreach

What Works

Evidence-based practices

Provide access to quality early childhood learning through formal programs and interventions
- Federally funded Pre-K (full day and low ratio)
- Early Head Start, Head Start, Texas Home Visiting program (Parents as Teachers)
- Equip formal childcare providers with quality curriculum
School-based healthcare clinics

Promising practices

Engage informal care providers to strengthen the quality of care while respecting their autonomy
- All our Kin (CT)
- Equip informal childcare providers with quality curriculum
Foster 2 generation approach
- decrease teenage preg rate
Family Engagement (Parents, caregivers, grandparents, foster parents, etc.)
Engaging caregivers thru Parent Learning Exchange
Employer based childcare facility
- (Fathers, grandparents, foster parents,
- Practice non-judgement approaches in collaboration

Low cost/No cost solutions

Develop a shared understanding for School Readiness across Hays County
- Why school readiness is important
- What school readiness means or includes

Off the Wall ideas

Use lottery $ to fund pre-k
Universal Early Childcare and education
Free college and undergraduate education
Extended family medical leave

Strategy #1

Prioritized Strategy: Provide access to quality early learning opportunities through formal programs and interventions

Action Steps:

1. Apply to become a Start Smart Texas community.

2. Expand high quality child care by applying for Regional Early Childhood Education Support Specialists (RECESS) Grant.

Strategy #2

Prioritized Strategy: Engage informal care providers to strengthen the quality of care while respecting their autonomy

Action Steps:

1. Support intensive home visiting programs to support kith & kin care providers.

Strategy #3

Prioritized Strategy: Develop a shared understanding, across Hays County, about what School Readiness means and what it includes

Action Steps:

Strategy #4

Prioritized Strategy:

Action Steps:

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.