Pre-K Children and parents to engage in team learning during the second round of SPARK group lessons in March
Kids receive games and kindergarten registration packets as they exit the session.
The Literacy Cooperative sought funding to replicate SPARK in Cuyahoga County and is currently collaborating with Invest in Children -Cuyahoga County’s public-private partnership serving young children and families - and with Family Connections in order to offer SPARK at select schools in Maple Heights, Cleveland Heights, and Cleveland.
Essential elements of SPARK include:
1) parent partners who work closely with children and families through monthly in-home interactions;
2) developmental screenings for all children (including a review of results by a child psychologist and a Responsive Services Team consisting of early childhood professionals);
3) follow-up assessments as indicated;
4) individual therapies as needed (i.e., for speech or behavioral issues);
5) learning plans individualized to each child’s specific learning needs;
6) home and group visits with prescribed lesson plans based on Ohio’s early learning content standards;
7) developmentally appropriate books with art supplies and activity cards;
8) transitional program to introduce children and families to their new school and take the mystery (and fear) out of kindergarten;
9) backpacks with all necessary school supplies; and
10) screenings and assessments for evaluation purposes.
While SPARK has not completed a full year in Cuyahoga County, The Literacy Cooperative hopes to replicate positive results from SPARK programs in Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Hamilton, Medina, and Mahoning Counties.
That’s great news for SPARK Cuyahoga’s children because the results of SPARK in other Ohio counties include:
1) SPARK children scored statistically higher on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment in Literacy (KRA-L) than non-SPARK peers in the same classrooms;
2) SPARK children were linked to community services prior to the start of kindergarten to address developmental and social-emotional barriers that would prevent school readiness;
3) SPARK increased enrollment of children in early childhood or pre-school programs
4) SPARK children improved in their socio-emotional ability, as evidenced by improved scores on the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE);
5) SPARK children had a higher average rate of school attendance than their non-SPARK peers in kindergarten, first grade, second grade and third grade; and
6) Third grade Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) results in reading and math are statistically higher for SPARK children than non-SPARK children, especially at the highest performance levels (advanced and accelerated) and among males.
These positive outcomes can have life-long implications for education attainment, health, employment, social skills, and personal well-being. Studies show that strong early childhood initiatives lead, down the road, to lower percentages of special education placement and incarceration. The economic return on investment in early childhood programs is statistically significant to society.
Enrollment is now open in SPARK Cuyahoga for children entering kindergarten in August 2012 at Boulevard, Noble, and Oxford Elementary Schools in Cleveland Heights;Raymond Elementary School in Maple Heights; and Michael R. White, Clark, and Clara Westropp Elementary Schools in Cleveland. More information is available through Family Connections at (216) 321-0079.