GPRA 1. Number and percent of children in kindergarten who demonstrate at the beginning of the program or school year age-appropriate functioning across multiple domains of early learning as determined using developmentally-appropriate early learning measures.

Definition. Early childhood providers may use a wide variety of valid assessment tools to assess the five dimensions of early learning development and skills identified by the National Education Goals Panel (i.e., language and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge, approaches toward learning, physical well-being and motor development including adaptive skills, and social and emotional development). Promise Neighborhoods should work with their early childhood partners to ensure they are using either the school readiness assessment recognized by their state or local school district, or they are using a nationally recognized assessment tool or set of tools for their program that measures age-appropriate functioning across the multiple domains. Partners should implement those assessments at the beginning of the programmatic or school year.

Data from this indicator is from the Alaska Developmental Profile which measures kindergarten readiness at the beginning of kindergarten. Results are for Goal 4 "Regulates their feelings and impulses"

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Early Childhood Coalitions (0-8):

The Partnership for Families and Children is a coalition of more than one dozen organizations who support families of young children. The coalition has been meeting monthly for over 25 years to connect, coordinate activities, and identify gaps or strategic activities that help round-out support for children and families. However, we have been able to increase participation of partners during STEPS and provide a focus on underserved communities.  AEYC-SEA has served as the backbone.

The PFC has been instrumental in tracking and promoting parenting courses, coordinating kindergarten transition activities, implementing shared messaging campaigns like Rain of Shine Learning All the Time, and putting on learning fairs. At the fair this spring at least 24 families attended, with 39 children and 36 adults. 14 vision screenings were given and resulted in 4 referrals. 10 hearing screenings were given and resulted in 4 referrals. This spring the coalition also recognized that the primary physical resources that families struggle with is diapers; they created a diaper bank with over 16,000 diapers to distribute to families who need them.

Raising Our Children Kindly (ROCK) Juneau has also turned its collective attention to improving outcomes for students by focusing on early childhood. ROCK is connected to the Partnership for Families and Children but they differ in that ROCK has stakeholders that represent organizations working across developmental phases. While the PFC is largely composed of organizations providing programs and services to young children and their families. ROCK has been using its advocacy networks and connections with the business community to advocate for more funding for childcare through its Best Starts initiative. It has also been investing in improving social and emotional competencies of young children by fostering strengths-based culturally responsive learning through the Haa Sh Kalnéegi professional development and tool building program. This has elevated their attention to underserved families in the Juneau community.

Yakutat - The Yakwadaat Yatk’I Jeeyis Early Childhood Committee worked with the kinder-transitions coordinator to put on family learning nights in the spring that featured books and activities for the whole family and to help students transition successfully to kinder program expectations from Head Start.

Sitka - Sitka’s Early Childhood Coalition formed early in the STEPS grant, and hosted a series of community conversations to come up with the coalition’s 3 goals, the largest of which was to address the affordability and availability of childcare in Sitka. Unfortunately, during COVID, the coalition was largely inactive. However, this year, they reformed the coalition of agencies and parents and have selected a number of strategies to advance their goals: broaden the representation on the coalition, support Sitka's childcares and directors, communicate the status of childcare with the community, and advocate for childcare with the community, the City, the state of Alaska, and the federal government. The coalition’s activities this year include: they are working with local government to explore opportunities for long-term early childhood fund; getting the Health Needs and Human Services Commission to look into the issue and make recommendations on actions the city can take; and working with the Sitka Health Summit to select childcare as one of the two goals of focus for this year. Most recently, they have formed a workgroup called “Childcare Now” to work on the Sitka Health Summit goal of establishing a stellar childcare system in Sitka.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ages 3-4):

Angoon's Head Start teachers and families receive Mental Health Consultation from a Mental Health Specialist. Before COVID, the consultant traveled to Angoon for monthly class observation and to meet with the Head Start teachers. Due to COVID, in-person observation and consultation had been paused for 2 years, but will be able to start up again next spring. Mental Health Consultation is provided to the Head Start teachers and families of ten 3-5 year olds in nine family units and also offered to the elementary school teachers.

Sitka works with an early childhood Mental Health Specialist who performs in-class observations, consultations with staff and families, and training with staff. In addition to the 34 Head Start students impacted by this activity, staff who receive support also utilize their new skills with 11 other students through other youth programs.

Alaska Developmental Profile results for the 2022-2023 school year have not been received yet.

Generally, kindergarteners statewide and in STEPS communities have higher levels of SEL skills when compared to the other kindergarten readiness domains measured by the ADP.

Children 0-5 have had fewer opportunities to build age appropriate social and emotional skills over the last 3 years due to COVID. The data shows an initial decrease in ADP scores in 2020, followed by an increase last fall. We attribute this quick rebound to the commitment from all of our early childhood, family, and school partners, as well as the resilience of young children.

Statewide and in STEPS communities, students and families are experiencing higher levels of mental distress and stress since COVID. Many community conversations indicate that families and students are still seeking mental health support and tools for SEL.

Solutions reported on under GPRA 1b include:

Early Childhood coalitions have increased their activity to respond to the continued challenges around childcare access in STEPS communities. See GPRA 1a.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation did not meet targets due to limited enrollment capacity of Head Start programs in participating communities and limited ability for travel for on-site visits (Sitka and Angoon). See GPRA 1a.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is returning to in-person support in spring 2023. Angoon and relaunching the Kindergarten/ 1st grade expansion (see GPRA 4, Mental Health Supports).

Other goals and strategy responses are detailed in GPRA 1a.