School District 69 And The Infant Welfare Society of Evanston Celebrate First Anniversary Of Partnership To Build Strong Foundations For Young Learners
SKOKIE, Ill., July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In July of 2018, the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston (IWSE) and School District 69 partnered to create Ready For Success (RFS), an innovative national model for early childhood education.
Ultimately RFS will provide District 69's youngest children and their families with resources and services essential during the critical periods of child development, and lay the foundation for their continued success and a bright future.
RFS serves Skokie and Morton Grove, Illinois, communities that are economically, ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse. Using a two-generation approach, RFS provides a range of supports designed for both children and their families.
Family Support Specialists make weekly home visits and conduct monthly group programs for pregnant women, new parents and caregivers, and children ages 0-3. The Family Support Program offers support and guidance in parenting education, child growth and development, and also gives caregivers opportunities to build skills through positive parenting interactions emphasized in the Baby Talk curriculum.
At age 3, the children enter Madison Elementary School to attend TOPS (Teaching Our Preschoolers), a play-based, kindergarten-readiness program. Enrolled students and their families continue to receive the same holistic support as in the 0-3 program. These include:
- Medical, dental, mental health, vision, nutrition, and social services
- Early intervention and special education services
- Education, networking, and leadership groups
- Family nights, newsletters, and a lending library
RFS is supported by a generous five-year total investment of $4.31 million from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Currently, RFS serves 60 families with children ages 0-3, and 220 students in preschool. RFS graduates enter kindergarten "kindergarten ready" to learn on a lifelong path for success.
Tiffany Culpepper, IWSE Program Director, states, "In just a short amount of time we've seen a significant increase in parenting interactions through our weekly home visits and group socializations. The eagerness from the parents to want to learn and understand child development and practice these skills amongst a cohort of other parents is amazing. Supporting families through this educational journey is crucial to the success of our youngest learners, which is what Ready For Success is all about."
RFS understands that in the field of early childhood the demand is great for research to determine which strategies, models, and services best support young families. The IWSE-District 69 partnership is uniquely positioned to track children from birth through 12th grade by means of a single student information database, allowing for the study of the long-term impact of early prevention services on children during early childhood, specifically from ages 0-5.
To this end, research institutions and universities in Illinois and California are collaborating on this unprecedented, multi-faceted study to ascertain the impact of Ready For Success on a variety of areas of learning and development. Research partners include Erikson Institute, National Louis University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, University of California San Francisco, and University of Illinois at Chicago. A $100,000 seed grant for multiple, simultaneous studies was awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and Baby Talk, Inc., a national home visiting curriculum provider based in Decatur, Illinois.
"Recognizing the critical nature of early childhood, School District 69 is proud to partner with IWSE in order to support families many years before they enter kindergarten," comments District 69 Superintendent, Dr. Margaret Clauson. "We also value the engagement of our research partners from the start of this project, so we can clearly understand which of our early childhood services are impactful, and the long-term implications of our supports."
In its second year, Ready For Success is undertaking a number of speaking engagements to share its early childhood model with other communities and encourage the development of similar initiatives to educate and prepare young families for success in the public school system and beyond.
Visit ReadyForSuccess69.org to learn more.
Contact:
Liza Sullivan
Birth - 3rd Grade Coordinator
School District 69
(847) 675-7666 ext.1091
[email protected]
SOURCE Ready For Success
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