WELCOME Parents Child Care Providers Preschool Teachers TO CK’S EARLY CHILDHOOD & SCHOOL READINESS MEETING

AGENDA Welcome and Introductions (Dr. Hertica Martin, Elementary Director, Office of Teaching and Learning) Introducing the WA State Voluntary Early Learning & Development Benchmarks (Gail Gillis, Curriculum Specialist) Small Group Activity – Benchmarks exploration Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Benchmarks Edition Sharing/Questions (Dan King & Keith Lyum, Child Care Providers & Preschool Teachers)

What are Benchmarks and why do we need them? Benchmarks are used as a basis of comparison in measuring or judging capacity, quality, value, or quantity.

Benchmark Example: The weight a child should achieve at birth to be considered healthy.

What are Early Learning and Development Benchmarks? Define what children should know and be able to do. Example: Four-year-old children will be able to state name, where they live, parents’ names, and sibling names Note: These are usually observable in children’s behavior or verbal interactions

Five Dimensions (Domains) of Development In each, we specify what children know and are able to do 1.Physical Well-Being, Health, and Motor Development 2.Social and Emotional Development 3.Approaches Toward Learning 4.Language, Literacy, and Communication 5.Cognition and General Knowledge

What are the Washington State Benchmarks ?  Provides the basis for an integrated approach to learning/a source document  Describes some key expectations for what children should know and be able to do, birth to kindergarten entry  Addresses five domains of early childhood learning and development  Provides a voluntary guide to support all those who are raising, caring for, and teaching young children

What the Washington State Benchmarks are Not ! They are not designed to be:  an exhaustive guide to child development  a developmental checklist  a curriculum guide  the basis for teacher credentialing  an assessment tool to collect statewide information regarding children’s development  an assessment tool to make high stakes decisions about individual children’s placements or entry to kindergarten

Domain: Language, Literacy, and Communication Sub-Domain: Language Domain Component: Oral Language Goal: Children use oral language for a variety of purposes Birth to 18 months Indicator: Enjoys listening to oral stories Strategies: Tell stories to child 18 to 36 months Indicator: Requests to hear stories Strategies: Set aside time daily to engage in storytelling with child 36 to 60 months Indicator: Tells a short make- believe story with assistance Strategies: Encourage child to create make-believe stories and write them down as child tells the story out loud 60 months to Kindergarten Indicator: Enjoys listening to stories from diverse cultures Strategies: When telling stories from different cultures, highlight aspects of the story that might be interesting for child How to Read the Document

Small Group Activity Choose a Domain, Sub-Domain, & Goal: 1.Language of the domain: clear/accurate? 2.Items that you particularly like? 3.Items that you would like everyone to look at carefully? 4.Ideas for implementation?

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

Let’s play…

Are the Early Learning & Development Benchmarks Voluntary? C Absolutely not! B Maybe.D Who cares? A Of course. $100

Who are a child’s first and most important teachers? C Preschool B ParentsD Peers A Kindergarten $200

Which of the following is NOT a Domain of the Early Learning Benchmarks? C BD A $300 Physical Well- Being, Health, and Motor Development Social and Emotional Development Financial planning for retirement Language, Communication, and Literacy

In addition to the previous three, what are the two remaining domains of the Early Learning Benchmarks? C BD “Alphabet” AND “Counting” A $500 “Cognition and General Knowledge” AND “Approaches Toward Learning” “Calculus” AND “Nuclear Physics” “Hopscotch” AND “Dodgeball”

The Benchmarks are intended to… C B D All of the above. A $1,000 …link early development to later success in school and life by aligning the Benchmarks with the EALRs and K-3 GLEs …promote reasonable expectations and practical strategies for parents and those who care for and teach young children to support their learning and development. …contribute to a unified vision for the early care and education system in Washington State

What period of life is characterized by the most rapid development? C B D A Birth - 5 $2,000

Which of the following is not the END of a critical stage of development in the Early Learning Benchmarks? C 36 months B 24 monthsD 60 months A 18 months $4,000 Don’t forget your lifelines!

Which of the following will the Early Learning Benchmarks NOT do? C BD A $8,000 Help parents better understand what they can expect to see as their children develop. Serve as an assessment tool to make high stakes decisions about individual children’s placements or entry to kindergarten. Provide teachers with a learning continuum that will help ease children’s transition from one stage of development to the next. Provide some simple play and learning activities that adults can use to enhance children’s development.

How is diversity acknowledged and celebrated within the Early Learning Benchmarks? C BD A $16,000 The indicators and strategies incorporate modifications for diverse children. The ages indicated for achieving each of the indicators are broad guidelines to when and how children will achieve the indicators. Children with special learning needs may accomplish the indicators in a time span that is different from that indicated in the Benchmarks. All of the above.

According to the guiding principles, the content of the Benchmarks should… $32,000 C BD All of the above. A …acknowledge and respect children’s cultural and linguistic differences. …recognize that children acquire skills from multiple teaching approaches and diverse environments. … recognize that young children are active learners.

The Benchmarks should be aligned, where appropriate, to existing education benchmarks in Washington state, including… C B D A $64,000 EALRs, GLEs, & Head Start Framework outcomes What’s a benchmark? SAT, ACT & AP ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOP…

For every goal within a Domain, Two types of information are provided under each age category. These items include… C B D A $125,000 Indicators for children Strategies for caregivers Recommended TV programs A & B

Within Domain I, under Gross Motor Skills: Put these indicators for children of Strength And Coordination Of Large Muscles in order of 1.Birth – 18 months 2.18 months – 36 months 3.36 months – 60 months 4.60 months – Kindergarten Entry C Rolls over B Walks backwards D Skips with skill A $250,000 Hops forward on one foot

Which of the following is an example of a Strategy for Caregivers within a Domain in the Benchmarks? C BD A $500,000 Establish a procedure for taking turns and explain that each child will have a turn. Seeks peaceful resolution to conflict Signals own needs with sounds or motions Begins to control impulses

What role do the Early Learning Benchmarks play for child care providers? C Both A & B B D None of the above. A $1,000,000 A guide for what children should know and be able to do at critical stages of development. A resource for play and learning activities targeted to specific stages of development.