Community Sites
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Watertown Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Watertown, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Mary Gruenewald, Family Living Educator PHONE: 920 674 7295 Fax: 920-674-7200 E-MAIL: mary.gruenewald@ces.uwex.edu
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: Watertown is a small city of 21,000 on the borders of Jefferson and Dodge counties in the south-central part of Wisconsin. The Watertown Unified School District area is rural with approximately 29,000 residents, including 2000 children five years and younger.
The goal of the Watertown Community School Readiness Project is that, by the year 2000, all Watertown community children will start school ready to learn. The overall objectives are a) to develop collaborative, comprehensive, preventive family-oriented programs and services and b) to enhance outreach efforts to help families participate in such services (by making them accessible and affordable and by raising awareness of them).
A diverse group of thirty individuals representing health professionals, school personnel, clergy, service providers, and parents was recruited to form the Watertown Community School Readiness task force. The collaborative was originally initiated and facilitated by the Jefferson County UWEX Family Living educator; other partners have taken leadership in the many programs and new collaboratives that have resulted from this project. Major collaborators include the Watertown Public Health Department, Watertown Memorial Hospital, Watertown Unified School District, and the Watertown Family Center.
This task force completed a comprehensive community needs analysis, assessing three dimensions related to later school success: maternal and child health, parenting supports and the family environment, and early childhood education. After identifying local needs. the group developed and carried out strategic action plans aimed at increasing and improving comprehensive developmental screening programs, increasing parent education options, and seeking full funding for the Watertown Family Center. It has also served as a catalyst for the development and support of a number of other community initiatives, programs, and collaboratives.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate collaborative processes and effects. Since the larger task force no longer meets regularly, only steering committee members were surveyed. On the twenty-four items measuring the effectiveness of collaborative processes relevant to this group's advanced phase of development, on average steering committee members rated one item at moderate effectiveness, 6 items between moderate and high effectiveness, and 17 at high to very high effectiveness. This collaborative was particularly effective at "making inter-organizational linkages," "identifying and using members' resources," ""securing adequate resources so the group can do its work," "carrying out planned actions," and "reviewing, reflecting, and evaluating to assure progress and results." Members were asked which tasks they felt the collaborative had completed. Everyone who responded indicated greatly enhanced individual and collective capacities (four items) and services/program improvement, new service creation, and increased availability of services as fully accomplished. Three-quarters of the respondents also indicated that they felt that results like systematic and comprehensive planning, better targeting of services and programs, the development of organizational linkages, shared resources, increased funding, the redesign, improved efficiency, lessened duplication, and affordability of service delivery systems, and increased use of services by underserved groups had been fully achieved, while the remaining minority felt that they were continuing to work toward these results. Most strikingly, of the 34 individual items measuring results in capacities, resources, services, public policy and general community conditions, none of the respondents indicated that the desired result was something not likely to be accomplished. All steering group members indicated that they felt the project had brought much benefit to the community
The following are results related to the specific goals and action plans of the collaborative: An area Informed Referral Network was created as a direct result of data obtained from the School Readiness Project to better coordinate local developmental and health screening efforts. A Child Find brochure, including a listing of all local early childhood resource numbers, was planned, produced, and distributed with a pooling of time and money from eleven agencies. Network agencies continue to meet quarterly. To increase visibility of the Watertown Family Center as a means of raising sustainable funding, the Family Center has published general articles (several times a week) and feature articles (several times) in the local paper. It also held a public relations fund-raiser with volunteers from the hospital, school, and city council. Community businesses donated food. The Family Center received funds from United Way, $1,100 from community members, $1,000 from the fundraising event, and $2,000 from the Menasha Corporation. Six major agencies wrote a grant for $15,000 to secure funding from a child abuse prevention agency to extend evening play groups and outreach to at risk families, and the mayor solicited funds from the community for the center's resource library. To meet its goal of reaching 800 families (50% identified as high risk) during 1998-99, funds have been solicited from three major local institutions (hospital, school, and city government); in September, the local Community Health Coalition voted to provide $27,000 to the Watertown Family Center for September 1998-September 1999 and $15,000 (with community match) for September 1999-September 2000. New parent education options were offered at the Family Center and in the community, resulting in increased attendance, especially among young families and other targeted groups (e.g., Spanish-speaking, fathers, low-income). (see results for Parents/Families below)
The Watertown Community School Readiness Project has succeeded in its purpose of serving as a catalyst, creating many new linkages between people and organizations that have led to the development of a variety of new programs and services that are preventive, comprehensive, and integrated . As the following examples illustrate, many community agencies that first collaborated through the School Readiness project have integrated their services, approaches, planning, facilities, and goals: Both the health department and the hospital now address the needs of families prenatally with case management and home visiting. A Young Parents group for education and support is sponsored by the school district, health department, teen home for unwed mothers, hospital, and Family Center Bright Futures for Families, a prenatal identification and intensive home-visiting program to prevent child abuse, is now offered by the city health department, hospital, and Family Center The Jefferson County Head Start program, Watertown School District educational needs program, and a local day care provider co-locate in a community-based early learning center in order to provide better service provision for parents and children As a result of the success of the School Readiness strategic planning process, the Dodge-Jefferson Healthier Community partnership (DJHCP) formed and conducted a comprehensive strategic plan. It identified six priority issues that are being addressed for families in both counties. DJHCP has become a nonprofit corporation. The Watertown Unified School District Board of Education used data obtained from the School Readiness Project and the Dodge Jefferson Healthier Partnership to form a Blue Ribbon committee that challenged the schools to establish a model of continuum of services available for young children and families and to incorporate the board as a community collaboration partner. A school board committee and the Family Center Board of Directors met to address parent education programs for low income families in specific neighborhoods. Perception of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: The Family Center involved 292 new parents through the New Parent Contact program and the Primary Nurse Program and thirty-seven new parents through infant massage classes. The center worked in cooperation with the Watertown Health Department and the Watertown Hospital to reach families in the home visitation program. As a result, there was an increased use of the center by families with children under the age of three. With the hiring of a Spanish-speaking staff member, there was also an increase in Spanish-speaking parents attending Center activities. Playgroups were attended by 123 families; parent programs were given on children's speech, nutrition, and school readiness. A drop-in playgroup at a low-income community center was begun. Seventy-eight families used the resource lending library. Twenty-three parents completed the eight week preschool STEP program. Seven focus workshops, including a six-week Dad's group, attracted from two to twenty-four families each. Seventy families called the center for information and referrals and 237 called the Center Warm Line. All regular adult volunteers completed a two hour training program.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Merrill Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Merrill, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Beth Tepper, Head Start Teacher (interim director) PHONE: 715 536 2392
"A community collaborative to ensure that every child enters school fully prepared to make the most of formal educational experiences."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcome: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: Merrill, a city of 10,000 people, is located in north central rural Wisconsin. The Merrill Community School Readiness Project encompasses the school district of Merrill (which includes the city of Merrill and 12 minor civil divisions) where about 8,000 people reside. The poverty rate for the county is just over 10%, but about one-third of kindergartners in the Merrill school district were eligible for free or reduced price lunches when their parents were surveyed by the project in 1996.
The goal of the Merrill Community School Readiness Project is to improve the extent to which the community promotes the development and education of its young children and to ensure that every child enters school fully prepared to make the most of formal education experience. The objectives of the project are a) to create linkages between people and organizations across the community through joint involvement and action, b) to motivate the community to change in ways that will better support and promote the development of young children (prenatal through the early school years), and c) to help the community focus on intervention and prevention strategies.
The Merrill Community School Readiness Project established a coalition of 42 parents and others, representing 17 community agencies and organizations including the Merrill public and parochial schools, the Lincoln County Health Department, and UW-Extension Lincoln County. The project was initiated and facilitated by the Lincoln County UWEX Family Living educator. This collaborative group conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment including surveys of kindergarten teachers and parents of children entering kindergarten. The School Readiness collaborative used their results to identify community strengths and to prioritize needs. They wrote and distributed a summary report of their results to create awareness of the local issues affecting school readiness.
Three subcommittees (maternal and child health, child care and early childhood education, and parenting education) have been facilitating and coordinating a wide variety of activities to address the goals identified in strategic planning: a)To achieve a higher rate of physical and developmental assessment between the ages of 1 and 3 years, b)To strengthen the quality of childcare programming through continuing education and training of existing and new child care providers, c) To increase the availability of quality infant childcare in Lincoln County, d)To explore options for a family resource center, and e) To develop strategies to inform citizens of what the local community has to offer to support family development A community School Readiness coordinator provided leadership to the project for part of this year; while a new FLE is being hired, the project is continuing this fall with leadership from the collaborative.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: Because the Merrill Community School Readiness Project served as a pilot site for the "Community Group Survey" last year, the survey was not administered again this year. In the pilot, 93% of task force members indicated that the project had built new or improved networks and relationships among community groups and 93% also noted an increased "sense of community." The members indicated satisfaction with the progress of the collaborative. At the time of the pilot, 73% of the members felt that the community is more aware of the needs of its children entering school, a first step to making improvements.
For each goal identified by the School Readiness Project, a number of actions involving the collaborative were accomplished during 1997-1998: To achieve a higher rate of early physical and developmental assessments. A Child Development Day was held in April 1998 for families with children between the ages of two-and-one-half and three-and-one-half. One hundred seventy-four children were screened. 68% of children invited to participate were reached in 1998 compared to 37% of children in 1997. As a result, there were nine referrals to the Birth to Three Programs and 18 referrals to the Early Childhood Program. Early childhood educators did follow-up home visits with 90 families of children who did not attend the child development day. A Vision Screening Kit was ordered for use at Child Development Days and the Head Start Program. The coordination of a community-wide immunization program was begun. The Health Department held immunization clinics with good attendance. A community-wide program will be developed once the Health Department has access to the statewide computer registry being developed. A child health screening tool questionnaire, that can be used at all points of service to identify children in need of referrals, has been developed and has been used at child development day and in follow-up visits with parents of children who didn't attend child development day. The Health Department and Good Samaritan Health Center walk-in clinic/emergency room is also using it. Data from the survey is being compiled by the Health Department. Two school administrators are investigating initiating a school policy to require well child checks prior to entrance into kindergarten.
To strengthen the quality of childcare programming through continuing education and training of existing and new child care providers. A childcare mentoring program has been developed to link experienced providers with new providers and/or provisional providers in an effort to improve availability and quality of care. In addition to School Readiness funds, funds were provided by Head Start, United Way, Social Services, and Child Care Connection (information and referral). Five mentors were trained in April 1998 and began 10 weeks of mentoring in September. Several childcare providers attended a conference on "The Brain: A Work in Progress" and eight childcare providers attended school readiness training taught by the local School Readiness Coordinator. . The kindergarten teacher survey was adapted by the Merrill Community project for use with preschool teachers. The survey was administered to both kindergarten and preschool teachers to gain information about their philosophies of readiness and their expectations for children on kindergarten entry. Results will be shared between the groups and with parents in the near future.
To increase the availability of quality infant childcare in Lincoln County. Funds for constructing an integrated child care facility, including children with disabilities, have been approved. The center will be located in Merrill and serve infants and preschoolers. It may coordinate with the school to do wrap around childcare for children in Head Start and early childhood programs. Discussions occurred among existing group center providers and the Merrill Area Development Corporation regarding developing a childcare program in the industrial park. After discussions did not progress, a committee member surveyed major employers located in the industrial park. Results showed that these employers would like more information about childcare for their employees. A breakfast meeting to discusses the importance and need for quality childcare was held for employers. Eight human resource directors participated in a networking forum on child care at which the School Readiness Project director presented a program on the school readiness survey results and the relationship of quality childcare to school readiness and the impact on the workforce. Funding for 29 childcare retention grants to existing programs was provided to retain 412 slots as well as funding for eight new infant slots through cooperation with the local child care resource and referral agency. Five presentations to citizen groups and educators totaling about 80 people about school readiness issues were presented by the Director of Exceptional Education.
To explore options for a family resource center. Family Resource Center planning workshops have been attended by committee members. They also visited and received information from three centers in Wausau, Rhinelander, and Medford. This group is working with the Family Preservation and Support Implementation Committee to establish a site or mobile resource center in Merrill.
To develop strategies to inform citizens of what the local community has to offer to support family development Semi-annual issues of Families Forward Together have been distributed to over 17,000 households in Lincoln County. This publication, authored cooperatively by various family service agencies and printed in newspaper format, informs families of community resources and events, explores current issues in family life, and increases communication links between families and community agencies. The Lincoln County Family and Youth Resource Directory has been established as an Internet Web Site (www.lc.family-youth.org). Information from the School Readiness parent survey was used to obtain a grant from WFTC for $30,500 to assist with the directory project. Other funding sources include the Alliance for a Drug-Free Wisconsin, United Way, and Family Preservation and Support. A "Building Blocks for Successful Parenting" educational display was designed by the Merrill School Readiness Project. It was displayed at child development days where about 200 parents viewed it and received handouts related to parenting and school readiness. It was also used for several parenting programs (e.g., "Ready, Set, Go for School Readiness") and displays in other community locations. A copy has been purchased by the state School Readiness Project and the Parent Support and Community Partnerships Theme Group for use by all counties in the state.
Perception of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: All of the above actions have been undertaken on behalf of young children and their families. Highlights include an increase in the percentage of children who received early assessments, from 37% last year to 68% year this during Child Development Days and from 0 to 90 additional children on followup. A mentoring program for family child care providers was developed and five mentors were trained. Awareness of the need for quality child care, especially infant care, was raised in a number of forums with community business leaders. Information about parenting and school readiness was presented to parents through a collaboratively written newspaper, through displays and handouts, and through several classes. A community family resource directory is now on-line.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: West Allis/West Milwaukee Early Childhood Task Force COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: West Allis, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Cathy Nelson, UWEX Family Living Educator PHONE: 414 290 2420 Fax 414-290-2420 E-MAIL: catherine.nelson@ces.uwex.edu
"A community-wide effort to ensure that all children enter school with the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and imaginative skills necessary for academic achievement."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcome: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: West Allis, located in Milwaukee County, is an older urban community of 63,000 citizens, with 3,000 young children under 5 years old. The city depended on heavy manufacturing until the mid 70's. The city survived the transition and today is a relatively homogenous community. Its neighbor, West Milwaukee, population 4,000 enjoys less resources and has joined the West Allis school district for educational services. An assessment of both public and private schools shows that 16% of the children enter kindergarten with behavioral problems and 21% of the children are unprepared to learn.
The West Allis/West Milwaukee School Readiness Project is a community-wide effort with a goal of ensuring that all children enter school with the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and imaginative skills necessary for academic achievement. The emphasis is on collaborative, preventive services for preschoolers and their families. The original objectives included: *Develop community coordination to support collaboration among health care, school, business and community groups for investing in the needs of young children. *Strengthen community-wide support for the needs of young children. *Encourage resource development through the expansion of and access to community-wide resources to support early childhood growth and development.
A coalition called the West Allis/West Milwaukee Early Childhood Community Task Force was formed by the Superintendent of the WA/WM School District under the direction of the WA/WM School Board. There are 36 active members on two action subcommittees, with representation from public and private school administrators, teachers, staff, and school board, the health department, the police department, the mayor's office, the Chamber of Commerce, community agencies, recreation department, child care, the local hospital, Head Start, YMCA, parents and volunteers, and the Milwaukee County University Extension office.
University Extension has provided technical assistance (including the School Readiness Project model and community needs assessment instruments), training opportunities, and has served in an advisory capacity to the task force. This collaborative group conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment including surveys of kindergarten teachers and parents of children entering kindergarten. The task force identified strengths and established two goals: a) to develop a community assessment process to identify children who needed special services long before they came to the attention of schools when they entered kindergarten, b) to establish a place for parents of young children to find support and activities for their children. Two action committees created new linkages across organizations serving families and children to produce new and improved programs.
The Community Screening and Family Data Base action committee developed a "Three to Get Ready" Community Assessment Day Project that was held in March 1998. This project was designed as a pilot, to test the screening process. Principals of twelve public elementary schools were asked to identify (with the aid of WIC programs) and invite a limited number of three year old children and their families. A group of teachers and agency representatives developed an assessment tool. The planners chose a special screening process to be educational and very family friendly. Parents of the three year olds were an integral part of the assessment, working with and rating their children at activity stations focused on gross motor skills, fine motor skills and language activities. Consultation with trained volunteers and with specialists in psychology, speech, and language was available to parents. Families with one hundred twenty-one three year old children attended the event. Over 75 volunteers composed of parents, school district personnel, and agency representatives assisted on the day of the event. Thirty-three volunteers were trained in helping parents through the assessment process. Less than ten percent of children were identified as in need of further services. About a dozen community agencies provided information at an exhibit area and packets of school readiness activities were provided to parents. The Family Resource Center action committee established a school-based Family Resource Center this year. The committee includes representatives from the public and parochial schools, the health department, YWCA, Chamber of Commerce, mayor's office and police department. The committee conducted research to identify "best practices" by visiting successful centers in other communities, obtained funding from several different sources, obtained a site for the Center in a neighborhood school where 49% of the children are eligible for free or reduced price lunches, and hired a coordinator who is a district parent, parent volunteer, and former child care operator. After recruiting a battery of volunteers, including an extension Home and Community Education club from the neighborhood, holding a twelve school drive for toys, books, videos and equipment for the center, and obtaining other support from local businesses, the center opened in March 1998. Among attendees at the opening ceremony were the mayor, the school superintendent, the director of University Extension, and a congressional staff member. In its first year, the center offered play groups for families with preschool and school-age children, a toy lending library, information and referral services, a computer and Internet access, and written and video resources for parents. Parent education, health and safety, and "Calling All Dads" classes have been held. A training class for parents on accessing the Internet will be held this fall. Parents will then be able to access the Internet on the computer at the Family Resource Center. Other programs have included a Teen Parent (play group and parent support group) program which is a collaboration between the West Allis Memorial Hospital, two local high schools, and the Family Resource Center, focus workshops (evening and weekend family activities) sponsored by the West Allis Health Department, West Allis Memorial Hospital, UW-Extension, WA/WM Recreation Department, and the YMCA, and the New Parent Contact Program which is a program to involve new parents in Family Center programming that is jointly coordinated by the Center staff, the West Allis Health Department, and the West Allis Memorial Hospital. The local hospital is conducting a babysitting course for sixth graders at a local school who will provide volunteer child care while parents attend Family Resource Center sessions.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate collaborative processes and effects. On the twenty-four items measuring the effectiveness of collaborative processes relevant to this group's advanced phase of development, on average steering committee members rated 3 items between moderate and high effectiveness, and 21 at high to very high effectiveness. This collaborative was particularly effective at "doing effective planning," "providing effective leadership," "carrying out planned actions", and "identifying and using members' resources." Members were asked which tasks they felt the collaborative had completed. About half of the collaborative members felt the following had been completed (and all members indicated their expectation that all would eventually be done): "Individuals' knowledge and skills have been increased," "People are better equipped to work collectively on community issues," "New improved networks and relationships have been built among groups, agencies and businesses," "Organizations are working together more effectively on community issues," and "Resources are shared among groups/organizations." About 80% of the respondents indicated that they felt the project had brought moderate or much benefit to the community already.
A critical piece of the success of this collaboration has been the development of leadership in two parent members. Working with the parents to increase their confidence in their leadership abilities and providing them with office support and other resources led to their becoming not only active partners, but also leaders of the task force. They now facilitate and document action group activities, make reports to the task force and provide updates to the superintendent of schools. This year, they gave presentations to the school board, helped write grant proposals, conducted a statewide training session, and presented information at a statewide Family Resource Center networking meeting.
The Family Resource Center action committee wrote three grant proposals this years. Grants received include $30,000 for 1999 from Community Development block Grants and a contract with the school district ($14,000) to train parent mentors.
Since the opening of the WAWM Family Resource Center, city departments (including the school district, police, health, and fire departments, and health center) have sought out the site as a place to distribute information and conduct training for parents and children.
Perceptions of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: For the first time, the West Allis/West Milwaukee community of almost 70,000 people has a center for parents and preschool children offering comprehensive information and programs.
One hundred twenty-one three year olds participated with their families in a pilot assessment project designed to provide developmental information to parents as well as identifying children whose development may be behind schedule. About 10% of the children were referred for further services. 100% of the parents responding to a survey about the "Three to Get Ready Day" said that they felt welcomed at the event and 98% said they found the information presented to be useful. Sample comments included: "Helped me learn more about my child," "I'm so glad I know what we need to work on," "Great information for parents. Fun for kids," "Put my mind at ease as to the development of my child," and "My child was made to feel very special." The task force plans to expand this project to more families and to hold it annually.
The Kiwanis service organization has agreed to contribute at least $3500 toward funding the printing and distribution of the "Parenting the First Year" newsletter to all new parents within the area. There are approximately 1,000 births a year. Funding has also been received from a private fund (Child Abuse Prevention Fund) to provide printing for the UW Extension "Parenting the Second and Third Year newsletter."
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Menominee Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Menominee Nation/County, Keshena, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Janee Anez, UWEX Family Living Educator PHONE: 715 799 1322 Fax: 715 799 1322 E-MAIL: janee.anez@ces.uwex.edu
"Community and family strengthening an educational foundation for the seventh generation."
Primary Outcomes: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: The Menominee Community School Readiness Project is located in Menominee County/Reservation which has almost 5000 people, all living in rural areas or small towns. Menominee County is the home of the Menominee Nation. Menominee County and the Menominee Indian Reservation cover the same geographic area, but have different political leadership. About ninety percent of the county population is Menominee Indian. Population is growing rapidly, especially among children aged 0-5 years.
The Menominee Indians are noted for the care with which they have husbanded their forests and for the high value they place on family relationships, including extended family. The tribe has placed importance on passing Menominee language and culture on to their children. But economic resources and opportunities are limited in the county. In 1990, 49% of the population had incomes below the poverty line; 62% of county children lived in families with poverty level incomes.
The Menominee Community School Readiness Project has developed a diverse task force including representatives from the Birth to Three program, UW-Extension Family Nutrition, Adolescent Health, Family Preservation and Support, and the WIC program. There is also representation from the Menominee Indian School District Elementary School and the Menominee Tribal School, Menominee Tribal Day Care, and Head Start. The task force was initiated and is facilitated by the UWEX Family Living Educator. The task force completed a survey of kindergarten teachers in both the district and tribal schools. It collected comprehensive data assessing community resources and needs. It also developed and administered an original parent questionnaire/interview specifically tailored to the issues of this particular community.
The state School Readiness Project raised awareness of the need for a Family Living educator in the community and, by combining funds from the State Strengthening grant, UW-Extension, the county, and the tribe, has established this as a full-time position in the community. Sustainable funding from the state, county, and tribal partners is being actively sought.
The Family Living Educator is a member of UWEX's Native American Task Force. Along with a member of the Menominee community, she presented information on the Menominee culture and Menominee parenting at a statewide inservice entitled "Cultural Influences on Parenting."
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate task force member's perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration processes thus far. On the nineteen items relevant to this group's phase of development, task force members rated all at between moderate and high effectiveness. This collaborative was rated as particularly effective at "listening to minority views" and "gaining support from other organizations." Half the members of the task force felt that the efforts of this new collaborative group had already shown moderate or much benefit to the community.
The Family Living Educator has been an active member of a number of collaboratives and other initiatives on behalf of young children in the community: Family Preservation and Support Steering Committee, Youth-at-Risk committee, W-2 (Wisconsin's new welfare program) Steering Committee, and the Honoring Our Children with a Healthy Start Task Force (to reduce infant mortality). She was invited to chair the Family Support Advisory Committee, which will examine needs of families with disabled children. The Family Living Educator has become a valuable resource to these coalitions in planning and coordination of their efforts in conjunction with the School Readiness Project's similar goals.
Perceptions of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: Based on its finding that many parents are unaware of community resources, the School Readiness task force has collaborated with the Youth at Risk committee to compile a comprehensive resource directory for parents that encompasses youth and family programs in the community. The Family Living Educator has presented programs on parenting and on preparing children for school to parents in Head Start and WIC. She has continued to teach stress management and parenting classes. She has published various articles on parenting and child development in the local paper. She is an active member of a Family Preservation and Support committee that has drafted and piloted the first section of an extensive Menominee-specific parenting curriculum.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Trevor School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Trevor Grade School District - Trevor, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Corie Davis, Community School Readiness Project Coordinator PHONE: 414 843 2343 Fax: 414-843-2343 E-MAIL: cdavis@mail.acronet.net
"Families, schools and communities: Working together to secure our children's success."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcome: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: The Trevor School Readiness Project is a community collaborative whose basic goal is to create or expand upon current services that either prevent or aim to remedy the presence of risk factors that impede children's success in school.
The Trevor Grade School District has a high percentage of students identified as learning disabled while the preschool identification rate for these conditions is quite low. The average income of community residents is low, with 22% of the school's student body qualifying for free or reduced price lunch. The area is unincorporated and has no municipal body other than the township within which it lies. The resulting condition is one that creates a sense of isolation. Residents often do not know where or how to access services that are available at the county level.
In Fall 1997, a diverse community task force of over 40 individuals representing parents, school faculty, staff, and school board, public officials, health and nutrition professionals, child care and Head Start personnel, agency and organization representatives was recruited and began meeting. Major collaborators include the Trevor Grade School, the Westosha Special Education Alliance, Kenosha Achievement Center - Birth to Three Services, Westosha Head Start, and Community Action Agency - Women, Infants and Children. The collaborative was initiated and facilitated by a UWEX community project director who receives space and support from the special education office of a regional Cooperative Educational Service Agency. The Trevor School Readiness Project is sponsored by the county-wide Kenosha Early Childhood Consortium and also collaborates with the Kenosha County Community Health Needs Assessment Access to Health Care Work Group.
During 1997-98 task force members were recruited, public awareness of the issues of young children in the Trevor community was raised through public presentations and newspaper articles, and task force subcommittees completed comprehensive community strengths and needs analyses (including information gathered from parents at a task-force sponsored community-wide social event and from kindergarten teachers). The assessment covered three dimensions related to later school success: maternal and child health, family environments, and early childhood education. After identifying and prioritizing five areas of need, the group developed and has begun to carry out initial strategic action plans.
To meet its two highest priority areas ("Community and center-based learning opportunities for parents and children alone and together" and "Multi-service programs to low income families that address needs in two or more areas, including finances, health, education, child care and housing"), an Early Childhood Family Resource Center has been planned. Community agencies have provided materials, space, and planned to provide programming. Grants have been written for additional funding. The SPROUTS (Sharing Parenting Resources and Outreach, United Together for Support) Center will open on November 10, 1998.
To meet the priority of having regular parenting newsletters sent to parents' homes, several community agencies have collaborated to develop a database of interested parents, to provide funds for mailing, and to publicize the project. The database developed for this project will also be used to distribute a newly revised community family resource guide.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: During its initial year, the Trevor School Readiness Project recruited members, established an organizational structure, collected comprehensive local information, compiled an extensive report for task force use, used the information to prioritize community strengths and needs, and developed and began to implement their action plans. The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate task force member's perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration processes. On the twenty-three items relevant to this group's stage of development, on average task force members rated one item at moderate effectiveness, 15 items between moderate and high effectiveness, and 7 items from high to very high effectiveness. This collaborative was rated as particularly effective at "creating mutual respect, understanding and trust within the group", "building a clear mission," "doing effective planning", and "communicating progress and achievement". Eight-three percent of survey respondents indicated that "There is greater public support for the issue" of school readiness, sixty-three percent indicated that they already felt that "planning has led to better targeting of services and programs," and fifty percent indicated that this new project had already shown moderate or much benefit for the community.
Perception of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: A Family Resource Center has been planned with initial programming to include hosted playgroups, evening parent programs, WIC nutrition programming, community library story hour, and Birth to Three early intervention services. Parenting newsletters covering a wider age span have been more widely distributed. A local resource guide is being revised and printed. Local lead hazard reduction personnel used School Readiness Project assessment data to display need in a federal grant proposal.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Platteville Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Platteville, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Sue Noble, Community School Readiness Project Coordinator PHONE: 608 342 1062 Fax: 608 342 1133 E-MAIL: nobles@uwplatt.edu
"A community collaborative working to ensure that our children come to school healthy and ready to succeed."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: Platteville, Wisconsin is a small city with a school district population of about 13,000 in a rural area in the southwest part of the state. The Platteville School Readiness Project is a community collaborative established to carry out five goals: a) To raise awareness and understanding of the broader term of readiness b) To motivate the community to change in ways that will enhance the physical, social and intellectual development of young children c) To create linkages between people and organizations across the community through joint involvement and action d) To assess community strengths and needs that support young children and families e) To promote outcomes that benefit the lives of young children.
To initiate the project, a steering committee gathered information from kindergarten teachers and a community informational meeting was held to increase awareness of school readiness and to recruit task force members. In Spring 1998, a diverse community task force of over 70 individuals representing parents and 22 agencies was recruited. Task force members include school administration, faculty, staff, and school board, public officials, parents, media, health and nutrition professionals, child care and Head Start personnel, local and county agency and organization representatives, and university faculty and administration. Major collaborators include the Platteville School District, Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project, UW Platteville School of Education, Head Start, Grant County Health Department, UW Platteville Children's Center, and the Family Center. The collaborative was initiated and is facilitated by a UWEX community project director who receives space and support from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville School of Education where the project is co-located with the Even Start family literacy project and the campus Child Care Center.
Three subcommittees of the task force completed a comprehensive community strengths and needs assessment covering twenty-five essential Building Blocks for the optimal development of young children in the areas of maternal and child health, parenting and parent supports, and early education and care.. A "Family" subcommittee surveyed parents of children aged birth to four and parents of children registering for kindergarten. "Child" health and "Community" subcommittees collected information about community resources as well as relevant secondary data. Information from each subcommittee was gathered into a comprehensive report. A community informational meeting took place in October with 75 people attending, including Senator Dale Schultz and representatives from Assemblyman David Brandemuehl's office and the state Department of Workforce Development. Strategic planning will begin in November.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: During its initial year, the Platteville Community School Readiness Project held a number of public awareness events, recruited members, established an organizational structure, and collected comprehensive local information. The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate task force member's perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration processes. On the twenty-three items relevant to this group's stage of development, on average task force members rated 14 items between moderate and high effectiveness, and 9 items from high to very high effectiveness. This collaborative was rated as particularly effective at " "bringing together parties with an interest in the issue," "making inter-organizational linkages," "communicating with external constituencies," and "gaining support from other organizations." Eighty percent of respondents indicated that this new project had already shown moderate or much benefit for the community. Perception of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Parents/Families and Children: Awareness of the issue of school readiness has been raised with approximately 120 university students and 15 faculty members through classroom presentations and small focus groups. Information from a national Parenthood in America conference attended by several task force group members was shared through several articles in the local press. The local media helped to initiate awareness of the project and has supported the progress of the project through news releases, advertisements, public service announcement and radio interviews. Future plans to increase awareness include presentations by the project coordinator at a regional early childhood conference sponsored by UW-Platteville in March 1999 and also at Farm Progress Days in July 1999.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Sparta Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Sparta, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Karen Joos, UWEX Family Living Educator PHONE: 608 269 8722 Fax: 608 269 8767 E-MAIL: karen.joos@ces.uwex.edu
"Developing community capacity to secure our children's success."
Primary Outcomes: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: Sparta, Wisconsin, a city of 8,000 people, is located in west central rural Wisconsin. The Sparta Area School Readiness Project encompasses the city of Sparta and parts of attached townships. The poverty rate for the county is 13%.
The Sparta School Readiness Project is a community collaborative whose basic goal is to improve the extent to which families and community promote the development and education of its young children, and to ensure that every child enters school fully prepared to make the most of formal education experiences.
A diverse community task force of 36 individuals representing parents (2), health professionals (2), clergy (1), human services (3), County Board (1), city council (1), health department (2), child care, (3) public library (1), family resource center (1), judge (1), parks/recreation board(1), Boys and Girls Club (1), Community Action Program (1), Home-School Liaison(1), Head Start(1), school administrators (7), and teachers(6) was recruited in the Fall of 1997. The county UWEX family living educator was the initiator of and has facilitated the task force.
The task force completed a comprehensive community strengths and needs assessment covering twenty-four essential Building Blocks for the optimal development of young children in the areas of maternal and child health, parenting and parent supports, and early education and care. A steering committee gathered information from kindergarten teachers. A "Family" subcommittee surveyed parents of children aged birth to three and parents of children in kindergarten and first grade. "Child" health and "Community" subcommittees collected information about community resources as well as relevant secondary data. Subcommittees evaluated and shared gathered information in preparation for strategic planning. The family life educator presented a ten page synopsis of the assessment project to Sparta Area School District Administrators and the Sparta School Board.
The Strategic Planning Process was recently held by the Community Task Force. Also taking part in the planning meeting were the Sparta School Superintendent, Director of Instruction, Director of Pupil Services and all of the Elementary School Principals. Five priorities were chosen: 1) Children need to feel secure, coming from a healthy, non-threatening environment, where basic needs are met and they need to have adequate health care. 2) Children should have love and attention, resulting from early, consistent and positive involvement from nurturing parents. 3) Children need increased socialization experiences, which might include attending early childhood or preschool classes. 4) There is a need for improved parenting and basic discipline skills. 5) There is a need to increase parenting resources and to build an awareness of these resources among parents. The next step is to reconvene the Community Task Force to begin forming an action plan for these priorities with goals, objectives, and a timeline.
Evaluation and Outcomes:
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: In its initial year, the Sparta Community School Readiness Project recruited members, established an organizational structure, collected comprehensive local information, used compiled data to prioritize community strengths and needs, and summarized data to make presentations to community leaders. The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate task force member's perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration processes. On the twenty-three items relevant to this group's phase of development, on average task force members rated 11 items between moderate and high effectiveness and 12 items between high and very high effectiveness. This collaborative was rated as particularly effective at "creating mutual respect, understanding and trust within the group", "gaining support from other organizations," "making inter-organizational linkages," "identifying and using members' resources," and "communicating progress and achievement". Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents indicated that this new project had already shown moderate or much benefit for the community.
Perception of Secondary Outcome Impacts
For Children and Parents/Families: Key findings from the School Readiness Assessment Project were shared with the City of Sparta Parks and Recreation Board, to encourage them to provide some funding and resources to play groups to address children's limitations in being prepared for school. The Parks and Recreation Board agreed to provide $500 to the play groups for 1999.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Necedah Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Necedah, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Kathleen Metzenbauer, UWEX Family Living Educator PHONE: 608 847 9329 Fax: 608 847 9369 E-MAIL: kathleen.metzenbauer@ces.uwex.edu
"Families, schools, agencies and community collaborating to promote the health, development and education of young children."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: The purpose of the Necedah School Readiness project is to reduce risks and focus on positive conditions in the lives of young children, their families and the community. It is to promote the development and education of young children to ensure they are ready for school by identifying existing resources and filling in the gaps.
Necedah, Wisconsin is a rural community in northern Juneau County with a population of approximately 834 residents. The outlaying township includes another 1,911 residents. The community has limited resources: the unemployment rate for Juneau County is about 8%; 56% of the children enrolled in the Necedah School District receive free and reduced price school lunches.
A local task force was recruited which included nine parents, eight teachers, and three other school personnel. The elementary principal and UWEX family living educator provide leadership to this project. In 1997-98, its first year, the task force adapted survey instruments to meet local concerns, conducted a comprehensive assessment of community assets and needs, and began strategic planning.
Evaluation and Outcomes
Key Impacts for Primary Outcome Area of Community: The Community Group Survey, developed by the Parent Support and Community Partnerships theme group of UWEX, was used to evaluate task force member's perceptions of the effectiveness of collaboration processes. On the twenty-three items relevant to this group's phase of development, on average, task force members rated one item at moderate effectiveness, 19 between moderate and high effectiveness, and 3 items from high to very high effectiveness. This collaborative was rated as particularly effective at "involving volunteers," "conducting meetings that accomplish what is necessary," and "carrying out planned actions." Over half the task force members felt that this new project had already demonstrated several community impacts: "results of community planning are used to determine priorities and allocate resources," "planning has led to better targeting of services and
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Gillett Area Community School Readiness Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Gillett, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Donna Doll-Yogerst, Family Living Educator PHONE: 920 834 6845 Fax 920 834 6853 E-MAIL: donna.doll-yogerst@ces.uwex.edu
"A community collaborative to help young children develop to their greatest potential during the earliest years."
Primary Outcome: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: Gillett, Wisconsin is a small city of approximately 4000 in rural northeastern Wisconsin. Many children in the area live in families with limited financial resources. There has been a great deal of concern by the Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and lst grade teachers in the Gillett schools over the past few years that the academic and social skill levels of children are dropping. The Gillett area has no accessible Head Start and no local nursery school programs. Local center-based child care is limited in availability and family-based care is limited in the quality of educational programming.
The Gillett School District is a major partner in this new community collaboration for young children. An executive committe has been selected to identify and recruit a diverse community task force and to plan the community process. Executive committee members include two day care directors, two pastors, the mayor, six grade school teachers, two medical personnel, and a CESA early childhood representative. Leadership is provided by co-lead facilitators Linda Sarnwick, the Gillett Schools Guidance Counselor, and Donna Doll-Yogerst, the Oconto County Family Living Educator.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TITLE: Allied/Dunn's Marsh Community School Project COMMUNITY PROJECT LOCATION: Allied/Dunn's Marsh Neighborhood, Madison, WI COMMUNITY PROJECT DIRECTOR: Peg Thomas, Family Living Educator PHONE: 608 224 3720 Fax 608 224 3727 E-MAIL: peg.thomas@ces.uwex.edu
New Project - beginning Fall 1998
Primary Evaluation Outcome: Community Secondary Outcomes: Parent/Family, Children
Project Description: The focus of the Allied/Dunn's Marsh Community School Project is to develop a) an awareness of the need for early childhood learning experiences and b) coordination of services among the city and county service providers and schools to families with children from birth through kindergarten.
The Allied/Dunn's Marsh Neighborhood is a multi-ethnic (primarily African-American and Hmong), very low income neighborhood governed by four municipalities (two cities and two towns). Elementary school students in the neighborhood are bussed to four grade schools located in middle and upper income neighborhoods in two school districts. The community consists primarily of rental housing with an occupancy rate of about 45%. Many families in the neighborhood are new to Madison. The majority of families plan to move to other Madison neighborhoods.
Certified child care spaces in the community are limited and neighborhood families living in Verona or the town of Madison are not eligible for child care subsidies in the city of Madison. Some early education opportunities in the community are provided by Headstart, a four year old kindergarten program, and an Even Start Program, but all accept limited numbers of children.
A diverse task force is being recruited. Partners being invited to join include parents, parent representatives from the local neighborhood center, public school teachers, staff, and administrators from two districts, health and social service personnel, early childhood and care (including Head Start and Even Start) teachers and staff, and members of local organizations. Leadership for the initiation and initial facilitation of the project is being provided by the UWEX family living educator.
