Continuing to Appeal for Early Learning Investments
As this recent News Journal article summarized, due in part to a budget shortfall, Delaware will not fund tiered reimbursements for new early learning programs entering the Stars quality rating program this fiscal year. The same is true of existing programs that are attempting to move up in Stars rating.
Already, we in the early...
Delaware Still Lagging Behind in State-Supported Pre-K
According to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Delaware ranks 35th among states for pre-K enrollment, with only seven percent (845) of four-year olds enrolled in state-sponsored pre-K.
(To see more on pre-K enrollment across the country, check out NIEER’s State of Preschool Yearbook.)
Despite Delaware’s laudable...
New Data about Delaware’s Earliest Learners Reveal Need and Opportunity
In Delaware, we’ve known for years the importance of getting off to a great start. By the time a child celebrates his or her fifth birthday, nearly 90 percent of intellect, personality, and social skills are already developed. And when children arrive to kindergarten ready to learn, their chances to thrive in school...
What Makes a “Ready” Kindergartener?
In Delaware all kindergarten teachers—including ourselves—will complete an observational assessment called the Delaware Early Learning Survey (DE-ELS) during the first 30 days of school.
We are observing various objectives under six domains of developmental growth: physical, social-emotional, language, cognitive, literacy, and...