MEMPHIS, Tennessee – A recent assessment by Shelby County Schools has
revealed that 72 percent of incoming kindergartners from its Early Childhood programs
demonstrate full academic readiness in foundational reading skills — an increase of 125 percent over the past year. SCS took
over Memphis’ Head Start program from Shelby County government in 2014,
increasing the number of students served by 3,000. The district contracts the
operation of early childcare centers and wraparound services exclusively to
Porter-Leath, which will serve 5,476 students in the 2015-2016 school
year.
Head Start is a federal program that provides early child development and family support services for children, ages 3-5, from
the highest risk families. With a
comprehensive focus on all aspects of healthy development, the Head Start
Approach to School Readiness means that children are ready for school, families
are ready to support their children's learning, and schools are ready for
children.
School readiness goals for Porter-Leath and SCS are aligned with the
Head Start Child Developmental & Early Learning Framework, the Tennessee
School Readiness Model, and the Kindergarten Readiness Checklist for SCS.
Ongoing evaluation of children’s learning and development progress is
administered through Istation®
computer-adaptive testing as well as Brigance assessments, which determine progress
in language, motor, self-help, social-emotional, and cognitive skills. School
readiness goals for the following year are adjusted based on student progress.
Dr. Deanna McClendon, SCS’ Director of Early Childhood Programs said, “Our
partnership with Porter-Leath has successfully combined accountability,
experience and cooperation to not only deliver critical learning components but
also meet the social and emotional needs of children and families.”
"We are delighted to have doubled our school readiness scores, and
continue to work towards our goal of 90 percent readiness," said Karen
Harrell, Vice
President of Early Childhood Services at Porter-Leath. “Reaching this landmark
brings us closer to our vision of becoming a leader in helping Mid-South
children and families succeed.” In addition to supporting children’s
developmental growth, the program provides health screenings, nutritious meals,
disability services, parenting training and mental health support to build their
school readiness.
Read more about this wonderful news for Memphis at Teach901