Medicine Hat School District No. 76

Board PresentationEarly Years

“The earliest experiences of childhood reach long into adulthood…Early experiences establish the architecture of the brain and the developmental trajectories for the learning, behaviour, and health of individuals and populations.”

McCain, Mustard and SchankerEarly Years Study (March 2007)

Early Years

Report and Recommendations Alberta’s Commission on Learning

What happens to children in their first few years of life has a profound influence on their relative success or failure in school and in life in general.

In fact research supports correlations between early childhood experiences and :

• High school completion rates• Rates of juvenile arrests• Forming and maintaining social relationships• Adult criminality• Health• Employment• Family life• Dependence on community support• Productivity

Second Recommendation:Establish new junior kindergarten programs

on a phased-in basis.

-“The trend in all countries included in [the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)] study of early childhood education is toward at least two years of early childhood education provided before children begin school. They also suggest that good quality early childhood development programs should be part of an integrated approach to meeting the needs of children and should have strong links to the education system. All children should have access to quality programs with particular attention to children in need of special support.”

Attachment: Every child learns. Every child succeeds. October 2003

Alberta Education reported, to the Early Childhood Council Zone 6 meeting, that Premier Stelmach has made the following recommendations, as

priorities, to the Minister of Education:

– explore options to provide children with access to early learning opportunities

– develop a strategy to improve high school completion rates

*…Research suggests that at least one out of every four Canadian children is vulnerable.” (Wilms, 2002)

THE EARLY YEARS

Before age 5 Sensitive period re impacts Critical for later development

‘SENSITIVE PERIODS’ IN EARLY

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Binocular vision

0 1 2 3 7654

High

Low

Years

Habitual ways of respondingLanguageEmotional

controlSymbolPeer social

skillsRelative quantity

Central auditory system

Efforts made in the early

years have a greater cost-benefit than efforts made in later years.

RATES OF RETURN TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT ACROSS ALL

AGES

Pre-school Programs

School

Job Training

ReturnPer $Invested

R

2

4

6

8

0 6 18Age

Pre-School School Post School

Adapted from Founders’ Network (Carneiro, Heckman, Human Capital Policy, 2003)

Junior Kindergarten

Medicine Hat School District No. 76

Medicine Hat School District 76Junior Kindergarten

• Serves more children/families• Provides more choices for children/families• Allows children who need less intensive interventions in

an excellent program• Congregation of children with mild/moderate needs

allows for more direct services and creative models• Opens parameters for all children:a) English Language Learners (ELL)b) Environmentally deprivedc) Assessed developmental stagesd) Typically developing from neighbouring community

Junior Kindergarten is for children

• One year prior to kindergarten

• Identified and assessed by Community Pre-school Special Needs Teachers, Speech Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists in play schools, daycares and pre-school development programs

Assessment

A team of therapists is available to provide assessments in a number of areas including speech, language, behaviour, play and motor development. Assessments are planned with each individual child in mind and information is typically gathered using formal assessments, observations and during play activities. The information is then used to help identify a child’s strengths and challenges and to develop program ideas and individual program plans.

Continuous Assessment and Improvement

Assessment provides information about child outcomes, program design, instructional strategies and parent involvement. Through assessment teachers can adapt the environment to promote learning and collaborate with partner agencies to adapt support services.

In Junior Kindergarten there are five main areas of focus for assessment:

1. The child;

2. The learning program and the prepared environment

3. The teacher’s practice;

4. Support services and,

5. Parent and family participation

Family

Teacher

Speech Language Pathologist

Assistant

Occupational Therapist

Assistant

Physical Therapist Behaviour

Consultant

Ed Assistants

Music Assistant

Program

Art Program

CHILD

Psychologist

Characteristics of the Learning Program

• Developmentally appropriate programming• Prepared environment• Development of the whole child: an integrated,

balanced focus on physical, social, emotional, intellectual and creative development

• Active, experiential focus to learning: an environment that promotes play

• Child centered• Specialized education supports

Responsive Learning Program

Specifically, early intervention Junior Kindergarten focuses on:

• Fostering social development and self-esteem;

• Nurturing educational growth and school success; and,

• Promoting language development.

“The cornerstone of our (Reggio Emilia) experience, based on practice, theory and research, is the image of the children as rich, strong and powerful. The emphasis is placed on seeing the children as unique subjects with rights rather than simply needs. They have potential, plasticity, the desire to grow, curiosity, the ability to be amazed, and the desire to relate to other people and to communicate”

(Rinaldi, cited in Fraser, 2006, p.20)

Mild/Moderate

Community

PUF

Funding Model

Children are identified with Alberta Education twice during the school year:

October 1st = Full Base Grant

Mild/Moderate Fundingor Program Unit Funding

March 1s

= Half the Base Grant Half Mild/Moderate Funding Pro-rated Program Unit Funding

District School registration fees