Plan and Be Heard: Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
Once again, the 2018-2019 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) Report shows low Head Start assessment scores. The infographic and KRA report below exhibits percentages from Head Start, Child Care, Family Child Care, Home/Informal Care, Non-Public Nursery and Pre-K. According to this report, only 32% of Head Start children are ready for Kindergarten.
KRA Infographic | KRA Full Report
As in the past, the 2018 - 2019 KRA Report is based on data that may be faulty. There is widespread concern that the system used to report Head Start start as prior care is not adequate and that Head Start is not being reported accurately in many jurisdictions.
We need to tell OUR own story.
Your support is necessary! Here is what we plan to do:
Develop and publish a Growth Report. While the report will undoubtedly include statistics and data, we would like to tell the stories behind the hard data. We feel it is necessary to publicize the growth and development of a family through the works of Head Start. How do we tell such a story?
On March 28th, we plan to have a statewide Data Managers meeting to discuss this report and how we can effectively tell our story. During this meeting, we hope to create a plan of action and timeline to have this report produced. We will discuss plans for the March 28th meeting during our planning webinar on Feb. 13. Please register for the webinar HERE.
Create a committee to help advocate for better prior care reporting and other related issues. Make no mistake about it, MHSA, along with other partners, have met with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) on many occasions to discuss the accuracy of prior care reporting to develop a solution. One of which includes a standard form for all school jurisdictions. We understand that a draft form is in the works. We need more voices, more input, and more minds to move forward. Our ultimate goal is for Head Start programs to obtain a state identifier for each child. We hope to develop this committee during our planning webinar on Feb. 13. Please be sure to REGISTER HERE.
Make internal improvements. As a community, we must plan to continuously improve the quality of Head Start programs. Where do we need to improve? How can MHSA help promote this improvement?
While it was not meant for this purpose, the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report has become a tool funding sources sometimes use to determine financial awards. We know the quality of our work, we need to make sure everyone knows the quality of our work!
