DEPARTMENT: Pre-K 4 SA
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Sarah Baray, Ph.D.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Update on Pre-K 4 SA efforts to collaborate with Head Start in support of professional learning for Head Start teachers.
SUMMARY:
This item presents an update on Pre-K 4 SA efforts with Head Start.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City, through General Fund and Federal Grants, manages a continuum of early childhood education and care options for low-income and working families including Early Head Start (EHS), Head Start, Child Care Subsidies, and After School Challenge. Voters also approved a dedicated 1/8 cent sales tax for Pre-K 4 SA. Two programs, Head Start and Pre-K 4 SA, provide pre-kindergarten education to ensure children are prepared for school success. The Department of Human Services (DHS), in partnership with Edgewood (EISD) and San Antonio School Districts (SAISD), annually provide full day Head Start education and support services to 3,020 children, ages three to five years old, and their families in school district facilities. Pre-K 4 SA provides full day education annually to 2,000 four year old children in four Early Education Centers; support for 1,700 additional children through grants to school districts, child development centers, and private schools; and teacher professional development for Pre-K-3rd grade educators community wide.
On January 24, 2017, staff provided a briefing and analysis of the Head Start and Pre-K 4 SA programs. At the request of the Neighborhood and Livability Committee, DHS and Pre-K 4 SA have begun collaborating in support of professional learning for Head Start teachers and developing a partnership between the two organizations.
ISSUE:
This briefing will provide an update on efforts between Pre-K 4 SA and Head Start to support professional learning for Head Start teachers in Edgewood and San Antonio Independent School Districts. Working in collaboration with Head Start, Pre-K 4 SA offers professional learning aligned with national early childhood education standards to help Head Start teachers develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide high quality instruction. Utilizing data gathered in participants’ classrooms, these professional development events are designed to address teacher needs. This collaboration helps to ensure consistent standards for the programs and guide implementation of high quality services for all children in Head Start.
Since March 2017, Pre-K 4 SA and Head Start staff have met twice a month to develop a professional development plan. This includes professional development opportunities for 192 Head Start teachers and 158 para-professionals in Edgewood and San Antonio ISDs, as well as a joint early childhood education conference. These opportunities will focus on increasing instructional quality using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) tool and providing teachers with support and learning through ongoing professional development during the program year.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this briefing.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a briefing for informational purposes only.