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IN THIS ISSUE
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2008 Early Childhood Summit Offers Valuable Learning, Planning, and
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Top Competencies Children Need by Age Three
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Supporting Healthy Social and Emotional DevelopmentWith Dr. Terrie Rose, Ph.D., LPDr. Terrie Rose is passionate about early care and education in relation to young children's developing social and emotional health, but it is a passion rooted firmly in facts. The keynote speaker shared with Summit participants her powerful insights into the research-supported link between consistent, responsive care in a child’s first years to their lifelong brain development, school performance, and social/emotional interactions. A leader in program innovation, research, and training related to early care and education, Dr. Rose is a founder of the acclaimed BABY’S SPACE in Minneapolis, which is recognized as a model for high-quality infant and toddler care integrated with family support services. Dr. Rose touched on the roles that promotion, prevention, and intervention all play in ensuring that children from different backgrounds and abilities receive the support they need to develop social/emotional health. She discussed the interplay of nature and nurture – from physiological influences of serotonin levels (linked to aggression) in the brain, to the dramatic impacts of a neglectful environment versus one that is secure and nurturing. She emphasized the three main competencies toddlers ought to have by age three in order to do well in school and become healthy, productive adults (listed in the column at left). Rose explained how these three competencies form a foundation that allows children to manage life's challenges. Underlying her message: children's age and developmental stage as well as family environment, from infancy onward, are critical considerations if we wish to create the best possible early care and education and K-3 programming. “We cannot simply ‘miniaturize’ elementary school for kindergartners, miniaturize kindergarten for preschoolers, and miniaturize preschool for infants and toddlers. The systems are very different,” said Dr. Rose in describing how brain development, and corresponding social/emotional development, occurs in stages over time. Stated one Summit participant of this dynamic keynote presentation, “Dr. Rose articulates the issues better than anyone else."
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Engaging Diverse CommunitiesWith Okokon Udo, Ph.D., CPCCNext, international speaker and trainer Dr. Okokon Udo guided the audience in exploring perceptions about cultural differences and how society and individuals have traditionally dealt with “the other”– anyone who is different from themselves. Dr. Udo is the founder and president of Distinctive Leader Options, Inc. and is the former Executive Director of the Center for Cross Cultural Health. In his presentation, Dr. Udo touched upon diversity and intercultural competance on a number of levels, and he presented several models for developing intercultural effectiveness to build more inclusive schools and communities. In an eye-opening demonstration, two audience volunteers acted out a scenario based on the values of a certain culture. In part of the scene, the woman crouched shoeless on the ground while the man sat next to her in a chair. Observers interpreted that the woman was subservient to the man. In fact, explained Dr. Udo, this particular culture reveres women and the earth, so women are the only ones allowed to connect with the earth by crouching low and touching it with their bare feet. Intercultural sensitivity requires, explained Dr. Udo, that in a cross-cultural situation one remains open to the validity of a different world view. Among the models for cultural competence presented at the Summit were the DIN Model (Describe, Interpret, Navigate), the LEARN Model (Listen, Explain, Acknowledge, Recommend, Negotiate), and the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)—a six-stage continuum moving from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism. Says Dr. Udo of cultural competence: "To be culturally competent doesn't mean you are an authority in the values and beliefs of every culture. What it means is that you hold a deep respect for cultural differences and are eager to learn, and willing to accept, that there are many ways of viewing the world." |
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Panel Participants |
Kindergarten Transition Strategies ShowcaseCarlton County, McGregor, Greenway, and Hermantown/Proctor Panelists
Four diverse groups, with four unique perspectives, shared elements of recent kindergarten transition efforts in their schools, districts, and communities. Some are expanding upon a well-established program while others are blazing a new trail to begin addressing kindergarten transition in a more intentional way. Proctor/Hermantown presented the information gathered by their kindergarten camp exploratory committee. They surveyed parents and teachers to discover the interest level, ideas, and costs for a program that would best serve the children’s needs. Greenway kindergarten teachers told of their successful attempts to begin a special evening kindergarten orientation event. The event included activities to help incoming kindergarteners to get to know their school and classroom alongside their parents. The McGregor School District offered a kindergarten camp experience for two weeks in the summer for all incoming kindergarteners. The preschool and kindergarten teachers structured the camp activities to help prepare the young students for their transition into formal education. Representatives from Carlton County school districts related their broad collaborative efforts to define and prioritize school readiness based on the Minnesota Department of Education standards. The results were compiled in a printed brochure for distribution to parents and the public. By agreeing on a community standard for kindergarten readiness, they believe they are another step closer to achieving their goal of successful kindergarten transition for all students. |
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Kindergarten Transition Grants OfferedFollowing the panel discussion, the Northland Foundation announced that $500 grants are being made available in support of kindergarten transition efforts to teams who attended the Summit. To qualify, proposals must incorporate a social/emotional development component. "There has been great progress around the region on kindergarten transition planning and programs. Our hope is that these grants will spur even more activity, including the social/emotional aspect so crucial to students' ability to thrive in the classroom," explained Lynn Haglin, Northland Foundation's Vice President/KIDS PLUS Director. |
Commitment Card ResultsBefore heading out the door following the Summit, participants were asked to fill out “commitment cards” noting their intentions to support early care and education. A tally of all the results is as follows.
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© Northland Foundation 2008 |
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Networking Opportunities 
Paving the way to a smooth start in school for young children and families was the focus of the afternoon session. A discussion featuring panelists from several northeastern Minnesota communities showcased some of the exciting kindergarten transition strategies being implemented in the region. 