Equity at center of quality early learning

'How far away from our ideal learning are we?'

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In the last edition of Early Bird, I broke down what two researchers told me about quality pre-K. They said the question is not whether to provide pre-K, but how. Programs shouldn’t focus too heavily on academic skills emphasized in elementary school, they said. One researcher said more abstract skills, like language and executive functioning, are more likely to set children up for lasting success.

Once we agree on what matters in early education, how do we measure it? Pre-K classrooms sit in a larger context — of organizations like schools and child care centers, of an early childhood system with rules and policies, and of communities with ranging assets and needs. A new guide from Trust for Learning lays out a vision of how to holistically measure early learning quality, with equity — of access, experience, and opportunity — at the center.

A panel of early childhood measurement experts broke down the report Thursday. Here are some of their key considerations for educators and policymakers measuring success:

• Equity should be considered in what is measured, how the information is collected, and how it is used.
• Listening to parents and families is important when deciding how we define quality.
• Quality observers need to reflect the educators and classrooms they grade.
• Policies shouldn’t penalize programs and communities based on their lack of resources.
• Educators need information that is actionable.

Lydia Carlis, chief program and people officer at Acelero and Shine Early Learning, said working with parents, educators, and other stakeholders to answer these two questions is a great first step for leaders: “What would be different, better, enhanced for children, families, communities, if we achieved what we think is quality in our programs? … How far away from our ideal learning are we, and what are some steps that can take us to get there?”

Shout-outs from the road

Thanks to all who have reached out with thoughts on pre-K quality and story ideas in eastern North Carolina. EdNC is traveling to all 100 counties by the end of June to surface stories and better understand how news and information travel at the local level.

I spent a day in Greene County earlier in March visiting schools with Superintendent Patrick Miller, including the district’s pre-K Center. Shout out to Miller and pre-K director Yuvonka Davis for welcoming me back and showing me the new playground. Last week, I was in Onslow County at One Place, formerly known as Onslow County Partnership for Children, and Abundance of Love Learning Center, a child care center in Jacksonville.

Shout out to Molly McCabe, One Place’s communications manager, and Georgia Fonville, the center’s assistant director and longtime educator in Onslow and Pender County. After retiring as an elementary principal in 2010, Fonville told me ending up in early childhood was “God’s doing.” She said the center is turning away parents every day because of a lack of staffing. Many of the center’s staff are seniors.

“There’s a lot of learning that takes place in here,” she said. “People call it professional babysitting, or just babysitting. It’s more than that. We’re developing these children for life.”