Plan4Preschool September Newsletter (Imperial County)

In the September 2009 Issue:

LAUP Preschool Conference
September County Showcase: Imperial County
Plan4Preschool Quick FAQ

LAUP Universal Preschool Conference & Education Expo

The LAUP Universal Preschool Conference & Education Expo will be held October 16th and 17th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The aim of this conference is to provide preschool providers, parents, community, business leaders and government officials the opportunity to dialog, discuss, share and explore how to better prepare children for the future and how high quality preschool education can help to bring this change about.

Over 60 workshops aimed at providers, parents and preschool advocates will be held during the conference on a broad variety of topics from Understanding a Parent's Role in their Children's Learning to Creating a Meaningful learning experience.

More information on preschool activities in Los Angeles County including the Los Angeles Master Plan for Preschool and more documents authored by LAUP visit the LA County Showcase page. Links to other key advocacy organizations can be found on our Links & Organizations page.

For information on the event visit the P4P calendar. Registration can be completed on the LAUP website

September County Showcase: Imperial County

Early Childhood Education is being addressed in Imperial County in a variety of ways and through various agencies working together in collaborative efforts.

The Early Care and Education Programs (ECEP) at the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) offers a menu comprehensive programs to meet the child care needs in Imperial County. The ECEP was first established in 1980 and has since offered child care and development services to families and child care providers. These programs include the Alternative Payment Program which assists parents with subsidized child care; the Centralized Eligibility List which is a countywide list of eligible families waiting for child care assistance; a Resource and Referral Program which maximizes child care options through a variety of services; and Center Based programs which provide quality preschool experiences for young children. Early education programs extend throughout the community through a federally funded Early Reading First grant and the state funded California Preschool Instructional Network which are coordinated through the Educational Services Division. Preschool delivery in Imperial County is comprised of various agencies. Head Start, Migrant Head Start, State Preschool, and private providers operate most of the preschool programs. ECEP operates three preschool sessions including a partnership program with the Imperial County Children and Families First Commission, which operates a preschool program for children with mild and developing special needs. In addition, an autism preschool program and Infant and Toddler Early Start Program which serves children with developmental delays, high risk medical conditions or other disabilities is also offered through the Special Education Department. The Imperial County Office of Education also works with a number of community and regional partners to provide early care services. In conjunction with the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, the Early Care and Education Planning Council advocates, promotes and plans for quality care and education services for Imperial County.

The Children and Families Commission of Imperial County's School Readiness Initiative is composed of a activities for child transition, health and parent enrichment. Ten annual health fairs are held on the ten elementary campuses with twenty-five different agencies providing information ranging from nutritional workshops to dental care and checkups. In the 2008-2009 academic year 4400 parents attended the fair with their children. The Parent Education and Enrichment Program (PEEP) in their second year of operation served 140 parents in six schools with enrollment available to any parents interested in participation within school district boundaries. The five week course encourages parent awareness of child transitions into academics. Additionally Kinder Academy is available to children transitioning from Pre-K to Kindergarten is a 4 week, 4 hours per day learning program that introduces a child to the kindergarten classroom environment. Children are exposed to an actual classroom setting and are taught skills in social and academic development including introduction to the curriculum. The classes are taught by a State of California Certificated Teacher who often are the same kindergarten teachers for the school year. The Kinder Academy is provided to families that reside within the nine school districts with preference given to children who have not had any preschool experience and children with disabilities.

Another significant partnership towards preschool is the Imperial Valley P-16 Council, a preschool through higher education community collaborative promoting a college-going culture. The Council's vision is to increase significantly student eligibility, admittance, and attendance at post-secondary options. The P-16 Council is composed of 5 superintendents representative of all 16 school districts, Dean of San Diego State University - Imperial Valley, President of Imperial Valley College, five local business leaders, county superintendent who is also chair of the council, and two representatives from the Imperial County Partnership for Higher Education. One of the P-16 Initiatives is the College Begins in Kindergarten Summer Academies program to prepare students for the school environment. More information on council meetings, activities and initiatives can be found on the Imperial Valley P-16 Council website or Facebook page.

Do you know of areas where preschool planning is happening? Do you know of a particular ECE program that is doing phenomenal work?

Give us a heads up and let us know. You could be featured in next month's newsletter and on the Plan4Preschool website!

Plan4Preschool Quick FAQ

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Karen Hill Scott, Ed.D.
Plan4Preschool