Early Childhood News
February 27, 2020 ESC-Region 6
UPDATES FROM AUSTIN
High Quality Pre-Kindergarten District Reports
March is right around the corner! Will your Pre-K Students be "Kindergarten Ready" by the end of May?
The academic growth that your students make during their Pre-K year and the compliance of your school in meeting the High-Quality Pre-K Components is monitored more now than ever! CLEARLY PRE-K MATTERS in Austin and PRE-K MATTERS across our entire State!
Superintendents of all Texas public schools, open-enrollment charter schools, and districts of innovation that offer a prekindergarten program received their district's High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten District Reports this week.
The High-Quality Prekindergarten Component District Report was designed by TEA to inform district leaders of their status in meeting the high-quality prekindergarten components during the 2018-2019 school year and to offer support in the implementation of those components. Superintendents are encouraged to emphasize areas of high quality and areas in need of improvement with their early education staff in their ongoing efforts to meet statutory requirements and in offering a prekindergarten program of the highest quality.
Please see the High-Quality Components FAQ to help answer questions about this report and all of the High-Quality Pre-K components.
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UPCOMING EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKSHOPS AT ESC-REGION 6
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ATTENTION PRE-K TEACHERS!
Proclamation 2021 State Review Panel
TEA needs volunteers and nominees to review prekindergarten systems materials in English and Spanish to determine the extent to which the materials address the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines.
Please consider joining us—or nominating someone else to join us—for this important work. Teachers, administrators, parents, business community members, and others with appropriate content knowledge are all welcome. Candidates must be available during June and July 2020, be proficient in Microsoft Excel, and be able to read on a computer screen for an extended period of time.
Nomination/volunteer forms are available on the TEA website. When asked for your committee selection, choose Proclamation 2021 State Review Panel.
Working Group Application for Quality Reviews of Spanish Instructional Materials
TEA is beginning the process for developing rubrics to review the quality of Spanish and Dual Language Prekindergarten Systems, Spanish Foundational Literacy K-2, and Spanish Language Arts and Reading K-6. Individuals interested in contributing to the creation of these rubrics should complete the Texas Resource Review Rubric Working Group Application. Working groups will be held on March 5, 2020 at Region 19 and Region 20, with additional opportunities to provide feedback virtually.
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News from the U.S. Department of Education
Fathers and Father Figures Help Children Cope
The DadTalk Blog, published by the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, discusses how fathers and father figures can help children of all ages process traumatic events and feel safe. Conversations about violence are not easy; age and maturity each play a role in a child’s level of understanding. Making a child feel loved and safe is important during times of uncertainty.