…with CLI intervention, Pre-K centers are better prepared to develop the vocabulary of their students, putting them on a much brighter path for future academic achievement.
“As any parent knows, the first few years of a child’s life are critical… Kids who attend high-quality early learning and pre-school programs are more likely to do well in school. They’re more likely to secure a good job down the road; and they’re more likely to maintain successful careers long-term.”
-Kathleen Sebelius, Former Secretary of Health and Human Services 2009 – 2014
Finally, our current political landscape is recognizing the importance of high quality Pre-K for all students across the country. Just last year, President Obama laid out his plan for expanding access to Pre-K for all children across the nation in his State of the Union Address. While investing in Pre-K initiatives is the latest trend in education, it is a smart financial move as well. Every dollar invested in high quality early education, can return as much as $17 to the public sector by the time that child reaches age 40. In addition, exposure to high quality Pre-Ks provide children with the necessary reading and thinking skills needed to succeed in the K-12 years.
The focus on high quality Pre-Ks is long overdue. In the most recent national study of Pre-school aged students, kids between the ages of 4 and 5 scored an average of 25.5 on a scale of 0 to 85 in average early reading skills. In urban districts the need is even more pronounced. In recent needs assessment conducted across 11 various Pre-K centers in Philadelphia, CLI found that Pre-K students were already 6 months behind the national average on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), a measure of receptive vocabulary – one of the early building blocks for reading. Furthermore, students were scoring on average 9 points below the national mean for their individual age.
CLI’s professional development has already proven effective in improving student results on the PPVT. Data from a five year sample of Pre-K students exposed to CLI best practices suggests that with CLI intervention students move an average of nearly 8 points closer to the national average over the course of a school year. This means that with CLI intervention, Pre-K centers are better prepared to develop the vocabulary of their students, putting them on a much brighter path for future academic achievement.
While CLI coaching and training are proven ways to improve instruction and increase student achievement in Pre-Kindergarten, a strong and comprehensive literacy curriculum is key in driving a teacher’s decision making about learning objectives and lesson planning. CLI provides Pre-K teachers with this resource through Blueprint, a theme-based curriculum that addresses well-established standards for early childhood education as well as the Common Core. High quality literature and thorough lesson plans for read aloud, literature discussions, modeled writing and shared reading are provided with additional teacher resources to support successful implementation. Blueprint has been very well received by Pre-K programs across the country, with a new version of Blueprint will be ready to launch in the Fall of 2015.
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