Libraries, Kids & Literacy

From the Star-Tribune Business Section

2006-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Business Forum: A productive, inventive workforce for the future

Minnesota can't afford a future without a productive labor force, which is why the business community is going to great efforts to ensure that the state's pre-kindergarten children are prepared to succeed in school.

Chuck Slocum

July 24, 2006

It was fitting that this month's summit on school readiness, called by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, was held in the shadow of 3M's corporate offices. The technology-intensive industrial behemoth is one of Minnesota's finest economic success stories, relying largely on home-grown and -educated talent.

Pawlenty and six others were selected by the National Governor's Association to hone state-specific strategies on how to prepare pre-kindergarten children to succeed in school and, presumably, end up working at world-class businesses.

About half of the state's entering kindergartners are "fully prepared," according to state assessments conducted by trained kindergarten teachers in 2002 and 2003. The others are either "in process" (38 percent) or "not yet ready" (12 percent).

Four years ago, the issue of the school readiness of children in Minnesota was barely discernable on the political docket. The business community is one reason why we will be hearing more about school readiness in the coming months. Under the leadership of Art Rolnick and his colleagues at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and the nonprofit advocacy and research organization, Ready 4K (R4K), many in the business community have been doing their homework.

In 2004, Al Stroucken, CEO of H.B. Fuller, agreed to chair an R4K-affiliated group called Minnesota Business for Early Learning (MnBEL). A United Way leader, Stroucken also became involved in that organization's "Success by 6" efforts and the Itasca Project's early-education task force. Not long after, the Minnesota Business Partnership expanded its education agenda to address the issue. Many local chambers of commerce are weighing in through a series of programs supported by the Minnesota Initiative Foundation.

Stroucken asked Rob Johnson, a senior vice president at Cargill, to create a long-range policy framework. One key idea adopted was the development of the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation (MELF).

Now operational with seed funding from Cargill, the McKnight Foundation and United Way, the new foundation has hired Duane Benson, a former state senator and former executive director of the Business Partnership. Benson will lead the "R&D" effort to identify the best ways to prepare children -- prenatal to age 5 -- to succeed in school. Cargill CEO Warren Staley agreed to chair the foundation's board, which also includes Rolnick, Stroucken and the top executives at Best Buy, Taylor Corp., Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Liberty Diversified Industries, among others.

There is a common message coming from business in all of this: Minnesota cannot afford to lose the productivity and inventiveness of its future workforce. At least four key words frame these initiatives: parents, access, quality and results. The common themes include:

• While support of parents as the primary and most important teacher of their own children is essential to the success of these efforts, many in the business community now believe that school readiness is not exclusively a family responsibility. Employers, communities, child caregivers, health professionals, schools and policymakers, among others, each have responsibilities.

• To move ahead, the primary focus should be on children and families and not on programs and funding streams.

• The highest priority must be high-quality early care and education for "at-risk" children, too many of whom are not fully prepared for kindergarten. There must be more readily available financial support from multiple sources to those families in most need.

• With nearly all fathers and 80 percent of mothers in the Minnesota workforce, there must be well-trained early-care and education professionals combined with a workable, accountable, quality-improvement rating system that parents can understand and rely on to make wise choices.

• The notion of linking a "pay for performance" incentive to those programs that consistently produce results -- school-ready children -- should be a key part of the market-based solution.

It's not just business whose energy is focused on school readiness. The public is signing on, according to February poll results conducted by Peter Hart Research Associates and Decision Resources. The findings show that Minnesotans believe the school-readiness issue should be a top priority (71 percent), that half of our children begin kindergarten without the knowledge and skills they need to do their best (63 percent), and that they are more likely to vote for a candidate for governor who supports voluntary, high-quality early-education programs for all Minnesota children (54 percent).

Chuck Slocum is president of the Williston Group, a management consulting organization. His firm has worked with R4K and Minnesota Business for Early Learning (MnBEL). Slocum can be reached at chuck@willistongroup. com.

Early Childhood News

2006-07-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

NEWSLINK - Earlychildhood News
Welcome to the June 30th, 2006 edition of Earlychildhood NEWSlink for early childhood educators and childcare professionals, where you’ll discover great ideas for your classroom!

Check out this publication for some interesting resources.

KIDS COUNT

2006-03-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

KIDS COUNT
Time to revisit this source of data about kids in communities. There is a wealth of data about the states from the Annie E Casey Foundation.

Lori Sturdevant: The ever-active Al Quie goes to bat for early learning

2006-03-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Lori Sturdevant: The ever-active Al Quie goes to bat for early learning

Pawlenty touts $10 million for early education

2006-03-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Pawlenty touts $10 million for early education

Star Tribune Editorial 2/23/06

2006-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

ED022406

Last update: February 23, 2006 – 8:13 PM

Editorial: Minnesotans want more early ed support

Early childhood education has a good head of political steam.

Here's a stunner: Something has at least equaled, and maybe surpassed, K-12 education in Minnesotans' expectations from state government.

It's preschool.

At the Capitol, where public opinion fever lines are avidly followed, that word from a poll this week ought to attract considerable notice. The statewide poll found 71 percent of respondents saying that properly preparing every child to do his or her best in kindergarten is a top priority for the state. K-12 betterment was so ranked by 69 percent, a statistically insignificant difference.

What's more, 54 percent of those polled said they would be at least somewhat more likely to support a candidate for the Legislature or governor who advances a plan to make high-quality early ed available to all families. Only 15 percent of respondents had the contrary view.

Those findings have a respectable bipartisan pedigree. They were jointly produced by Peter Hart Research Associates, which often works for Democratic candidates, and Decision Resources Inc., a Minnesota firm headed by Bill Morris, former GOP state chairman, in a project financed by the nonpartisan national group Pre K Now. The respondents were not a band of liberals: 72 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as either moderate or conservative politically.

What was telling is that regardless of age, income, gender or location in the state, those polled were strongly in favor of a larger state role in preschool education. They were divided over whether the state's role should be to provide universal-access programs, or support means-tested assistance to low-income families.

Minnesota's answer traditionally has been "both:" the all-comers Early Childhood Family Education program and sliding-fee child care help funded by the state. But drastic cuts, particularly in the latter, have left the state's early childhood education infrastructure in depleted condition. The poll suggested that Minnesotans know as much: 63 percent said that in their judgment, half of the state's kindergartners arrive in school less than fully prepared to learn.

That matches the results of assessments conducted in 2002-04 --assessments that were unwisely eliminated by the Legislature in 2005. If the 2006 Legislature finds itself without the money to do much else about early childhood in this non-budget session, it ought to at least come up with the few hundred thousand dollars needed to resume measuring school readiness.

READY 4 K -- Voters Say: Kids Can't Wait to Learn

2006-02-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

READY 4 K -- Voters Say: Kids Can't Wait to Learn

A statewide poll shows Minnesota voters placed early care and education as top priority for the state. Read more about the survey and survey results on the Ready4K website.

Reading Is Fundamental | Parents | Resources | Growing Up Reading

2006-01-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Look into the "Growing Up Reading" tips for parents and caregivers. Some great ideas to use with young children.
Reading Is Fundamental | Parents | Resources | Growing Up Reading

USA WEEKEND Magazine

2006-01-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

15 things you must do for your baby -- check it out. USA WEEKEND Magazine

Child Care Research Page

2005-11-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

Look here for research on school readiness and child care, particularly the report "School Readiness in Child Care Settings: A Developmental Assessment of Children in 22 Accredited Child Care Centers"Child Care Research Page: "School Readiness in Child Care Settings: A Developmental Assessment of Children in 22 Accredited Child Care Centers"

Minnesota's child care far short of excellent

2005-11-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

Early childcare and the quality rating system -- check it out!Minnesota's child care far short of excellent

NEA: A Parent's Guide to Preparing Your Child for School

2005-11-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

A brochure from the National Education Association for parents regarding school readiness. Brochure can be downloaded and reproduced -- give it a look.NEA: A Parent's Guide to Preparing Your Child for School

School Readiness Program

2005-11-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

Another new addition to the MDE website. This relates to School Readiness programs and is rich in information about state programs for school readiness.School Readiness Program

Early Childhood Family Education

2005-11-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

MDE has updated their webpage information related to Early Childhood Family Education. Many resources included in this site. Early Childhood Family Education

Early Childhood Screening

2005-11-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

The Minnesota Department of Education has just posted new information on their website related to early childhood screening. Included are screening forms, standards, and instruments. It is also possible to obtain information about the screening progam contacts for each school district.Early Childhood Screening

Every Child Ready to Read @ your library -- Spanish brochure available

2005-11-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Check out the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library site for all materials and resources available, including the newly available brochure for parents in Spanish.ecrr

Duane Benson to head foundation backing preschool learning

2005-10-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Early learning fund moves ahead.Duane Benson to head foundation backing preschool learning

Star-Tribune editorial on school readiness

2005-10-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Editorial: State should study school readiness ,
October 20, 2005

Surveys of kindergartners in the last three years have been a canary-in-the-coal-mine indicator for Minnesota's future -- and a sputtering canary at that. That's why it's a shame the survey isn't being conducted this year. It wasn't funded by the 2005 Legislature.

The surveys found that fewer than half of the kids tested were fully ready for the math and language lessons that kindergarten offers them. About 12 percent were badly lagging in preliminary learning in those crucial areas; the remainder were judged "in process."

In today's education-driven economy, those are disturbing findings. They spurred interest in the quality and availability of early childhood education in Minnesota, rallying business people, educators and policymakers to common cause for little kids -- until the plug got pulled.

It's not that the state Education Department did not want the survey continued. In fact, said state early childhood/school readiness specialist Barbara O'Sullivan, the department wanted it enlarged. Surveys in 2002, 2003 and 2004 sampled 5 percent of kindergartners; the department wants a 10 percent sample, combined with parent interviews. That would carry about a $500,000 pricetag, she said.

If that sounds steep to legislators, they should think again about the information's value. The survey's findings were more than attention-getters. Knowing which children are coming to school poorly prepared, and in what ways they are lagging, is essential to helping them catch up.

Gleaning that knowledge does not make Minnesota a "nanny state," as some conservatives claim. It puts helpful information in the hands of those already entrusted with the nurture of young lives.

The Legislature continued to support voluntary developmental assessment of younger children by school districts, and allowed those assessments to be made as early as age 3. That's a positive step.

But the Legislature said no to appeals by mental health professionals to include a standardized social and emotional development assessment in those screenings. That decision, too, needs rethinking. A child's social and emotional growth is an important component of school preparedness. Refusing to assess it makes the screening incomplete, and deprives parents of an early alert that might forestall real trouble for a schoolchild later.

There is nothing constitutionally, developmentally or morally magic about age 5 when it comes to education. In fact, research suggests that the most important learning in a child's life happens before age 5. If this state is serious about educating every student to his or her full potential, then, at a minimum, the state should monitor the learning little kids do.

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Copyright 2005 Star Tribune. All rights reserved

Family Involvement Resource Guide at FINE - Family Involvement Network of Educators - at the Harvard Family Research Project

2005-10-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

This site from Harvard Univ contains a comprehensive resource guide to a wealth of info about family involvement from over 100 national organizations. Includes info about family involvement in early childhood education. Thanks to Judy Sheriff for noting this site.Family Involvement Resource Guide at FINE - Family Involvement Network of Educators - at the Harvard Family Research Project

Developing a Minnesota Reading Initiative to Promote Early Literacy

2005-10-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting new initiative from the Minnesota Extension service. It is a proposal for that considers the MN legislature's role in creating this initiative.Developing a Minnesota Reading Initiative to Promote Early Literacy

MN Assoc For Early Education -- Resources

2005-08-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Gretchen Wronka for submitting the link to the Resources linked from the Minnesota Association for Early Education website. Many important documents, research, and reports can be found here. MNAFEE -- Resources

FW: Minnesota Early Childhood Conference Summary

2005-08-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Haglin [mailto:Lynn Haglin]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 4:12 PM
To: wronka, gretchen
Subject: Minnesota Early Childhood Conference Summary

Summary of Major Presentations:
The Minnesota Early Childhood Conference
Seize the Opportunity: Invest in Young Children
March 21-22, 2005

Radisson Riverfront Hotel
St. Paul, MN

The McKnight Foundation sponsored event attracted nearly 700 people from more than 150 Minnesota communities and 60 Minnesota counties. Plenary and break-out sessions featured presentations from nearly 50 Minnesota leaders and activists from all sectors of the state's diverse infrastructure and economy.

Major presentation executive summaries by the four keynote speakers are included below.

Al Stroucken, Chair, President and CEO, HB Fuller Company

Mr. Stroucken is the Chair of the year-old Minnesota School Readiness Business Advisory Council (MSRBAC), a group of over 200 Minnesota business leaders involved in advancing the school readiness of Minnesota's pre-kindergarten children through building awareness, recognizing best practices and helping to advance public policy at the state and local levels of government.

Who we are is 85% determined by the age of five
Today's child is tomorrow's employee
Global workforce is very competitive
America's competitors--Eastern Europe, China, India
The economic payback for Early Childhood Development is clearly demonstrated
20% of the US workforce is not well prepared (Nobel Laureate James Heckman, University of Chicago)
Skill begets skill
We owe all kids in the United States a "level playing field"

US Senator Norm Coleman

Former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman (1993-2001) was elected to the US Senate in 2002. He is a strong believer in the power of the free market, individual initiative, common sense government regulation, low taxes and entrepreneurial incentive. Senator Coleman prefers to work for progress in a bipartisan manner.

Changing economy...knowledge based economy...future is not in low wage jobs...we need education
Minnesota has the highest number of adults in the workforce of any state
The new system must have standards, measurement and be performance, market-based
We must bring together the hard-headed and the soft-hearted
Federal legislation authored includes Federal Youth Coordination Act, youth obesity reduction, keeping families together--he supports continuing Head Start
In Washington DC, Minnesota too often gets "punished" for doing the right things
Senator invited conference attendees to learn and share their thinking with him

David Lawrence, Founder, Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, Miami, Florida

Mr. Lawrence has devoted the last decade of his life to early childhood development and school readiness. He led Florida's successful campaign for The Children's Trust in Miami's Dade County. Governor Jeb Bush named Mr. Lawrence, the former publisher of the Miami Herald, to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, the group which successfully advanced the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) amendment that passed in 2002 (59%-41%). He is currently Governor Bush's special assistant for UPK implementation.

We are all about building a movement...it is hard work
Kindergarten is for everybody now
Movement is for all kids--requires shared vision, public-private partnership
Leaders need to be both open-minded and tough-minded
Parents are the passionate advocates--"a mighty army marching for change"
Policymakers don't know the facts on brain development and school readiness
Dade County a success story from 1998-2005--now 290 accredited child care centers, $65M in new property tax money annually for early care and education
Websites in three languages, books provided for every child, developing "real" readiness paths to high school
August, 2005--statewide free, universal pre-k for all four year-olds in Florida
Are not children entitled to the best education possible? --Pro Family Movement
Insiders from the advocacy community must learn to collaborate
"What we do for children, they will do for society" (Karl Menninger)

Al Quie, former Governor of Minnesota

Al Quie is a member of the board of Ready 4K and is honorary Co-Chair of MSRBAC. As an elected official, he represented Rice County in the Minnesota State Senate, served 20 years in Congress from Southeastern Minnesota and, in 1978, was elected Governor of Minnesota, serving until January 1983. Throughout his public and private life, Governor Quie has advanced education, family and faith life. He authored the book "Riding the Divide" chronicling a horseback adventure over a number of years where he rode through the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico.

Prison Fellowship activities have shown Governor Quie "up front and personal" the failure of lives because of a lack of understanding about brain development, parenting and constructive childhoods
Understanding the brain development of young children and acting on it is good for everyone--business, families, schools/li>
Times are changing and we "can't go back to the way it once was"--public responses need to change
Parents remain the most important educator, need help and assistance
Conduct preschool programs where parents congregate in the daytime
The workplace ought to integrate age three to grade three early childhood
Businesses, non-profits, schools and government will come together for a new early childhood school readiness program for all children
The effort has "caught on fire" in Minnesota and good things will happen

Thank you for your participation to help make this conference an outstanding event. Please watch your email for a future update on action steps.

To access more information about the Minnesota Early Childhood Conference, including the text from David Lawrence, Jr. and Al Stroucken's speeches, please visit the following websites:

www.northlandfdn.org

www.mcknight.org

www.ready4k.org

PLA/ALSC | Early Literacy Project

2005-08-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this website for research, workshops, reading lists, brochures, PR samples, training kits and more. All related to the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library program -- coming to MN in a big way this year!ALA Early Literacy Project

LSTA grant: Every Child Ready to Read @ Your MN Library

2005-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Children's and Young People's Section (CYP) of MLA has received a $184,288 LSTA grant to provide training in MN's public libraries. Read more about it here.MLA Newsletter

READY 4 K -- Minnesota' School Readiness Campaign

2005-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Check out this website for full information about school readiness in Minnesota and how we all can work to insure every child will be ready for school success. READY 4 K -- The journey begins with one step...

Hennepin County Library - Birth to 6

2005-08-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

A rich library website for parents, caregivers, librarians, and early educators. All the tools you need to help a child be ready to succeed in school. Hennepin County Library - Birth to 6 -

Test run of new blog

2005-08-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

NLLN will once again be posting information regarding libraries, kids, and early literacy.

Libraries, Kids & Literacy

From the Star-Tribune Business Section

Early Childhood News

KIDS COUNT

Lori Sturdevant: The ever-active Al Quie goes to bat for early learning

Pawlenty touts $10 million for early education

Star Tribune Editorial 2/23/06

Editorial: Minnesotans want more early ed support

READY 4 K -- Voters Say: Kids Can't Wait to Learn

Reading Is Fundamental | Parents | Resources | Growing Up Reading

USA WEEKEND Magazine

Child Care Research Page

Minnesota's child care far short of excellent

NEA: A Parent's Guide to Preparing Your Child for School

School Readiness Program

Early Childhood Family Education

Early Childhood Screening

Every Child Ready to Read @ your library -- Spanish brochure available

Duane Benson to head foundation backing preschool learning

Star-Tribune editorial on school readiness

Family Involvement Resource Guide at FINE - Family Involvement Network of Educators - at the Harvard Family Research Project

Developing a Minnesota Reading Initiative to Promote Early Literacy

MN Assoc For Early Education -- Resources

FW: Minnesota Early Childhood Conference Summary

Summary of Major Presentations: The Minnesota Early Childhood Conference Seize the Opportunity: Invest in Young Children March 21-22, 2005

PLA/ALSC | Early Literacy Project

LSTA grant: Every Child Ready to Read @ Your MN Library

READY 4 K -- Minnesota' School Readiness Campaign

Hennepin County Library - Birth to 6

Test run of new blog

Summary of Major Presentations:
The Minnesota Early Childhood Conference
Seize the Opportunity: Invest in Young Children
March 21-22, 2005