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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
March 19, 2015 Building Bridges to SuccessMichelle Sioson Hyman
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A New Approach to Transitions: Welcoming Families and Their Ideas into Kindergarten Classrooms
Ready for Success: Creating Collaborative and Thoughtful Transitions into Kindergarten
Web Conference: How Families, Schools, and Communities Are Reshaping Family Engagement to Reach All Learners
Kindergarten Transition Practices: Changing “The Way We Do Things Here” in Discovery Communities
Transition Planning Resources
FINE Newsletter, Volume VII, Issue 1
Issue Topic: Engaging Families, Schools, and Communities in the Transition to School
Voices From the Field
People are not surprised to know that Silicon Valley is a center for global innovation, a bastion of higher education, and one of the wealthiest regions in the world. What is surprising is that children and families in Silicon Valley face challenges that one would not expect given the region’s success and prosperity.
To address these challenges, in 2010 the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Center for Early Learning (Center for Early Learning) started Bridges to Success. Bridges to Success is a five-year initiative designed to ensure success by third grade for all children in Silicon Valley’s San Mateo County, but more specifically within seven communities in its highest-risk school districts.1 Bridges to Success focuses on ready children, ready families, ready schools, and ready communities.
READY CHILDREN STRATEGIES
Within the seven communities, the Center for Early Learning funds school districts and community-based early education and family support providers to implement strategies that help children enter school ready to succeed.
READY FAMILIES STRATEGIES
Bridges to Success relies on critical cross-sector partnerships to ensure that families get the support they need to make a smooth transition to school.
Family support and parenting programs are having an effect on families and schools. Annabelle Kloezman, Principal of Westlake Elementary School in San Mateo County, writes: Thank you for scheduling this class at Westlake Elementary. I had several parents who spoke with me this morning about CELDT (California English Language Development Test) and other issues. I noticed that [the parents who came to me] had attended the class, so it’s obvious they learned something. The class encouraged parents to approach me. Because of your parent class, we will start a group for Spanish-speaking parents so that they can become more informed and connected with school. |
READY SCHOOLS STRATEGIES
In addition to working with early childhood providers and families within the funded communities, the Center for Early Learning also works with school districts.
READY COMMUNITIES STRATEGIES
The Center for Early Learning also brings stakeholders together to discuss what is happening in each of the funded communities.
By bringing together collaborative partnerships, the Center for Early Learning has influenced how school districts operate. Elizabeth Schuck, Associate Superintendent of the Cabrillo Unified School District, writes: In my 30-plus years as an educator, I’ve been involved in a multitude of important initiatives in support of early learning. I must say that the Bridges to Success initiative has had the most dramatic impact and has quantitatively changed the way we “do business” in Cabrillo Unified. As a result of the Bridges to Success Initiative, Cabrillo has formed strong, collaborative partnerships not only with our local preschool providers, incoming parents, and students, but also with service agencies that had never before served our isolated coastal community. |
SUSTAINABILITY: IT'S A "BIG LIFT"
Bridges to Success is now in its fifth and final year. Its work, however, will live on in a new countywide initiative known as The Big Lift. Led by Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the Big Lift focuses on high-quality learning experiences from preschool through third grade, on reducing chronic absence and summer learning loss, and on engaging parents and the broader community to support learning in school and at home. Based on findings from Bridges to Success, the initiative provides an intentional continuum of services starting before preschool, transitioning through the elementary years, focusing on summer learning, and engaging families throughout their child’s early years.
TRANSITION STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTED:
About the Author: Michelle Sioson Hyman, MPH, is senior officer for the Center for Early Learning at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. |
1 The seven communities included in the initiative are: Redwood City, Ravenswood (East Menlo Park and East Palo Alto), Cabrillo Unified, La Honda-Pescadero Unified, Daly City, South San Francisco, and Pacifica. These communities were identified based on the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, percentage of dual-language learners, and California Academic Performance Index (API) scores. Funding for the initiative comes from a blend of private-public resources, with primary funding from First 5 San Mateo County.
2 The parent education and family support work is led by StarVista, a family support provider in the County. The Center for Early Learning and StarVista work closely to make sure that the work is aligned.
This resource is part of the March FINE Newsletter. The FINE Newsletter shares the newest and best family engagement research and resources from Harvard Family Research Project and other field leaders. To access the archives of past issues, please visit www.hfrp.org/FINENewsletter.
© 2016 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by Harvard Family Research Project