Leadership in quality teaching and learning

Our preschool children learn the skills and develop the executive function they need to be successful in school and life, while Early Head Start supports healthy prenatal development and provides infants and toddlers with positive learning experiences that foster intellectual and social-emotional development.

CHILDREN IN OUR HEAD START AND EARLY

HEAD START PROGRAMS have the advantage of research-based curricula and evidence-based teaching and intervention practices that support growth in every area of early development and education. Preparing these children for success in kindergarten and life requires staff with proficiency in language(s) that align with the family’s first language or the one spoken in the home. As leaders in cultural and linguistic sensitivity, 78 bilingual/ multilingual staff met the needs of 174 preschool dual-language learners and 356 children from homes where English is not the primary language. Our exemplary programs are grounded in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and incorporate Arizona Early Learning Standards and readiness checklists developed in collaboration with receiving public schools. Using the latest researchproven, evidence-based tools, we continually assess, evaluate, and improve program outcomes:

• CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System®) is an observation tool that evaluates the quality of interactions between teachers and children.

Based on 2021-22 CLASS assessments, we identified a need for expanded shared reading experiences and access to texts in the home language. The implementation of successful strategies resulted in higher CLASS scores for 2022-23 in instructional learning formats, quality feedback, regard for student perspective, and language modeling.

• ITERS-R™ (Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale) provides a comprehensive observation tool designed to assess the quality of centerbased child care programs in the major categories of space/furnishings, personal care routines, listening/talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents/staff.

• HOVRS3® (Home Visit Rating Scales) provides a tool that measures desired family outcomes for home-visiting staff. In response to the 2021-22 HOVRS results, the leadership team identified tools and strategies to expand staff training/ modeling and improve collaboration with parents on home-visit plans. The success of these initiatives is reflected in HOVRS outcomes for 2022-23, reporting an average score of 6 or 7 out of 7.

CULMINATING YEARS OF TESTING and validation in collaboration with Arizona State University, Southwest Human Development Head Start entered the final phase of creating our locally designed curriculum, Constructs for Children and Families.

The new curriculum for Head Start and Early Head Start/Home Base programs supports high-quality teaching through curriculum-based measures that provide real-time assessment data. Our proprietary Constructs™ Teaching application tool features a new dashboard for tracking curriculum-based measures with early learning benchmark scores of Not Yet, Sometimes, or Most Times. This simple scoring system makes it easy for teachers to assess the need for reinforcement or individual attention and for parents to see and understand their child’s progress. For complete Early Learning Benchmarks for 2022-23, click here

Building and refining the curriculum is a collaborative process that brings together child development managers, content team members, and mental health program managers. Our professional learning communities review the data on curriculum-based measures and Construct Teaching assessments for an overall picture of progress and educational needs. Team members work individually on specific areas of focus, sharing results for review and preparation for the collective monthly meeting. Feedback from teachers is crucial in identifying what is functional in the curriculum and ensuring the relevancy of constructs, themes, and sequences. Ongoing evaluation and integration of input and results create a comprehensive, evidence-based foundation for building and refining activities, skills, and lesson plans.

“We love the new curriculum that has all the activities in a single book! The lesson plans are self-explanatory, include all the materials we need, and give us so much freedom to individualize based on classroom needs. We can choose the activities we want to do and the best time frame for them in our busy day.”

OUR CONSTRUCT™ PARENT PORTAL SUITE of services and information continues to be highly successful in strengthening connections between parents, teachers, and family support professionals. One of the most valuable features is the Home & School Connection e-newsletter, filled with relevant content on at-home learning activities, health tips, and community resources. The focus for 202223 was a closer alignment of curriculum with suggestions for child/parent activities and more targeted reinforcement of classroom learning at home. We also asked parent representatives on the Policy Council to promote an activity or helpful resource from the newsletter when they returned to share meeting updates at their sites. Family

Support Specialists supported the process by reinforcing the relay of information and encouraging engagement with the newsletter and the parent portal. Several popular additions to the Parent Portal in 2022-23 were highly successful in raising the level of engagement:

• Classroom menus – Parents can better plan their own meals and use the menu as a conversation topic with their children.

• Recruiting flyers/contacts - Information on Head Start employment is now part of the moving slide show of announcements.

• Children’s artwork – The chance to see kids’ original art generates excitement in children and parents alike.

“Asking parents on the Policy Council to help us promote a piece of valuable content from the newsletter has been a real success. Few things are more powerful than the natural enthusiasm of one parent talking to another about something they find truly exciting or helpful.”

– Nadia McKernan, Manager Data and Grant Systems

“Con la ayuda de mi FSS he entrado al portal de padres para conectarme entre el hogar y la escuela y ahí encontré muchas actividades que me ayudaron para hacer actividades con Luna. Por ejemplo, “Igual y diferente,” agrupando los bloques de colores. “Yoga”, “Yo Espío” y muchas más. También encontré muchos recursos como “Renueve su AHCCCS” “El ahogamiento es silencioso.” El portal de padres es una herramienta de mucha ayuda.”

– Elizabeth Yescas, Early Head Start Parent

“I am very grateful for the parent portal as a family engagement strategy for having conversations with parents about incorporating the activities of the home-school connection into daily routines. We review activities and I help parents understand how they contribute to the developmental skills of their children. I share resources that meet the needs of the family and show them where I obtained the resources.”

– Anahi Stephenson Early Head Start Family Support Specialist

“The parent portal is not complicated like other apps. It is easy to navigate and I can access the content from my phone quickly and easily.”

Gabriela Barragan, Early Head Start Parent