Visions for Early Learning is the West Central Regional Coalition made up of Counties from...
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OUR HISTORY...
In September, 2011 ESD 113 was awarded the Community Momentum Grant from Thrive By Five. The grant period was October 1st, 2011 - September 30, 2012. The grant had four activities:
1. Creation of governance structure for an early learning regional coalition; whose physical boundaries are the same as the ESD. Those boundaries include the counties of Lewis, Grays Harbor, and Thurston; as well as north Pacific county and most of Mason county. We already had a regional coalition that was formed the previous year to respond to a funding opportunity for infant/toddler child care consultation work. However, except for meetings required by the infant and toddler consultation grant or by funding entities, the regional coalition had not met.
2. Supporting the state in the implementation of the community connections of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS). WaKIDS is a process that includes three elements:
- A developmental assessment of children's skills in the are of language/literacy, social/emotional, cognitive, and
physical for the purpose of providing teachers information to use in their instruction.
- A partnership with families/guardians of kindergarten children in learning about their child's developmental level and
the plan of instruction.
- Establishing partnerships with community early learning providers, such as child care and preschool teachers for the
purpose of aligning practices, and creating smooth transitions from preschool to kindergarten for the children.
Two school buildings in districts participating in the second year of WaKIDS were selected by the funders to receive additional support in the implementation of the community connections part of WaKIDS. Those schools were the Hood Canal Elementary School and Gray Elementary in Aberdeen. The ESD special Education Content Specialist provided leadership for this activity.
3. Implementing one early learning project that is the choice of the regional coalition. Our coalition planning group decided to contract with Child Care Action Council to bring their book bag program called Raising a Reader to teen parents in alternative high school settings.
In September, 2011 ESD 113 was awarded the Community Momentum Grant from Thrive By Five. The grant period was October 1st, 2011 - September 30, 2012. The grant had four activities:
1. Creation of governance structure for an early learning regional coalition; whose physical boundaries are the same as the ESD. Those boundaries include the counties of Lewis, Grays Harbor, and Thurston; as well as north Pacific county and most of Mason county. We already had a regional coalition that was formed the previous year to respond to a funding opportunity for infant/toddler child care consultation work. However, except for meetings required by the infant and toddler consultation grant or by funding entities, the regional coalition had not met.
- Work to be accomplished included establishing a mission and vision statement, conducting a needs assessment to be used in creating a strategic plan, and articulating a governance structure.
2. Supporting the state in the implementation of the community connections of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS). WaKIDS is a process that includes three elements:
- A developmental assessment of children's skills in the are of language/literacy, social/emotional, cognitive, and
physical for the purpose of providing teachers information to use in their instruction.
- A partnership with families/guardians of kindergarten children in learning about their child's developmental level and
the plan of instruction.
- Establishing partnerships with community early learning providers, such as child care and preschool teachers for the
purpose of aligning practices, and creating smooth transitions from preschool to kindergarten for the children.
Two school buildings in districts participating in the second year of WaKIDS were selected by the funders to receive additional support in the implementation of the community connections part of WaKIDS. Those schools were the Hood Canal Elementary School and Gray Elementary in Aberdeen. The ESD special Education Content Specialist provided leadership for this activity.
3. Implementing one early learning project that is the choice of the regional coalition. Our coalition planning group decided to contract with Child Care Action Council to bring their book bag program called Raising a Reader to teen parents in alternative high school settings.
