Recommendations Related to School Readiness and Success
(Goal 1)
Goal 1: Arlington children and youth will come to school each day ready to learn; get the skills they need to succeed; achieve
academically at their highest level; and successfully move from grade to grade, school to school, and on to work or college.
The work group identified four objectives under this broad goal. They are:
- Make sure that all children from pre-kindergarten through high school have the social and developmental skills they need to do
well in school.
- Make sure that all children, families, and school personnel respect and understand each other regardless of race, culture, religion,
sexual orientation, or income level.
- Make sure that parents are actively involved in their childrens education, both in and out of school, and that parents and
school personnel work together to help kids succeed.
- Make sure that all children and youth achieve their maximum academic potential and transition successfully to each new level
of school and work.
The work group felt that it was important to focus on recommendations related to objectives 1 and 2 in this first year.
Increase the Availability of Child Care
The first set of recommendations relating to Objective 1 involves increasing the availability of child care and early
childhood developmental programs for children ages 0 to 5. Children are more likely to do well in school academically and socially
if they have enriching early childhood experiences, but many young children in Arlington currently do not have these
opportunities. In the focus groups, parents of all income levels frequently expressed frustration with the difficulty of finding
quality child care in centers or homes.
Giving more young children the opportunities for quality child care is likely to increase the following developmental assets:
support through adult relationships; caring school climate; feeling safe at home, at school and in the neighborhood; opportunities for
creative activities; and assets related to social skills.
Provide Subsidies for Day Care. During the focus groups, low-income working parents expressed extreme difficulty in finding affordable care. They often must rely
on unlicensed relatives or neighbors who may not offer an adequate environment, supervision, or understanding of age-appropriate developmental
needs to watch their children while they are at work.
Mothers who were on welfare and who have returned to work at entry-level wages face an especially difficult dilemma. They may not qualify for
a child care subsidy, yet cannot pay the average $580 per month needed for home-based care or $660 per month for center-based care. (Rates are
even higher for infant care.)
Currently, there are approximately 120 families on the Arlington County waiting list for child care subsidies, which are provided through
a combination of County, State, and Federal funds on a sliding-scale basis for families whose income is within 185% of the poverty level. (An example
of a family at this level is a family of three with an income of $27,000).
Using Census data, State officials estimate that there are approximately 450 at-risk 4-year olds in Arlington who are not enrolled in
an early childhood program and will soon enter school without adequate preparation. The number of children ages 0-3 who are not getting adequate
care is not known, but is surely even higher. An additional, related issue identified by the work group, and substantiated in the focus groups,
is the considerable number of older children expected to care for younger siblings.
To address this issue of the lack of affordable, quality care for low-income families, the following recommendation is made:
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RECOMMENDATION: Provide child care subsidies for an additional 100 children whose family income is up to 185% above poverty level
in FY 03. |
With the County portion of the matched subsidies being $525 per family per month, this would require an additional $630,000
allocated to subsidies by the Department of Human Services (DHS). To provide the needed staff support to manage these additional 100 families,
the following recommendation is made:
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RECOMMENDATION: Add 1 child care eligibility worker to manage the above caseload in FY 03. |
This would require approximately $55,000 in salaries and operating expenses for a Grade 7 DHS eligibility worker.
Further, the Partnership recommends that in FY 04, DHS increase the eligibility level to 200% of poverty level, and provide subsidies
and one additional worker to cover an additional 100 families.
Provide Health-Care Benefits to Child Care
Providers. At the same time that care is unaffordable, licensed child care providers are among the lowest-paid workers in the work force. This
fact is at odds with the critical importance of nurturing, developmentally-appropriate early childhood experiences to the development of positive
individual outcomes later in life and to society as a whole. In addition to low pay, many providers do not have health benefits.
In an informal survey of Arlington family day care providers, 46% did not have any health insurance, while 54% had health benefits
through their spouses employer. As a result of low pay and benefits, there is a high turnover rate of child care providers in Arlington. The number
of providers who stop providing care usually equals the number of new entrants each month, creating a steady rate of providers instead of a growing
one to meet the growing demand for care. Enhancing their pay and offering health benefits would make the job more attractive.
To partially address this issue, the Partnership recommends that:
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RECOMMENDATION: The County Board should work with State legislative delegates to explore how to provide health benefits for child care
providers in the FY 03 legislative package.
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Fund Outreach Efforts to Enhance Training
and Retention of Child Care Workers. The Partnership work group will also further explore the TEACH-VA initiative and others that enhance the training and retention
of child care providers.
To further address the shortage of quality child care and the difficulty in retaining providers, the Partnership recommends the following:
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RECOMMENDATION: Fund a non-profit outreach position in FY 03 to identify and assist unregulated child care providers in the community to get
training and licenses. |
This would require a DHS contract for approximately $50,000 for salary and expenses for a non-profit outreach position to visit unlicensed
providers in their homes and give them information on how to become licensed and the benefits of doing so. In addition, the Partnership recommends that
non-profits, faith communities, and other community organizations and the media support this outreach specialist through efforts to:
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RECOMMENDATION: Conduct a media campaign to increase child care provider outreach and recruitment, especially for infants. |
Another creative strategy would be to recruit Project Family participants as providers because they have already received training
as parent caregivers. (Project Family is a public-private partnership that teaches parents to provide effective methods to stimulate their children.)
Recruiting and licensing providers is an important step, but it is essential that providers have the training and skills needed to support
the infants and children in their care. Although providers are given basic training as part of licensure, the Partnership recommends that there be a
strengthened emphasis on helping providers, parents, and DHS child care staff to recognize signs of developmental delays early, so that the appropriate
referrals and intervention can be made. Too often, delays are not recognized until a child reaches school age, and a critical window of opportunity has been lost. To this end, the
Partnership recommends that the DHS Child Care Office:
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RECOMMENDATION: Evaluate training needs for DHS child care staff, center-based and in-home providers, and parents in recognizing developmental
delays and linking children to services. |
This review of training needs would be done in FY 03, with recommendations for needed training resources completed in time for inclusion
in the FY 04 budget cycle.
Encourage Developers to Make Space
Available for Day Care Centers. Finally, a critical factor in the child care shortage in Arlington is the lack of space for locating centers. Rapid development and
competing demands for space in Arlington make finding child care space virtually impossible. The work group found considerable interest among community
organizations and the faith community in providing child care centers, but the stringency of zoning and licensure requirements and the competing demands
for space are significant barriers.
The Partnership recommends that the County Board, along with child care, planning, zoning, and economic development staff:
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RECOMMENDATION: Explore innovative options for making more space available for child care centers and early childhood programs (such as Head
Start, Early Head Start, and the Schools initiative for four year olds) through incentives for developers, no/low interest loans to churches for
renovations, etc. |
Provide Parent Education for all Arlington Parents
Another key issue identified by the work group in addressing the school readiness goal is the need for parent education for all Arlington
parents. In order for children to come to school prepared to learn, their parents must be able to provide them with the love, discipline, and structure
they need, and they must understand their childrens developmental needs.
Developmental assets enhanced through parent education include: family support, positive family communication, parent involvement in
schooling, family boundaries, adult role models, and high expectations.
This need for parenting support was also identified by the Task Force on Youth and was resoundingly validated through the recent Partnership
focus groups with parents and teens. Parents of varied backgrounds expressed a need for more support in addressing the challenges of raising children
of all ages, including issues such as discipline, supporting their children in school, talking about sex, recognizing and responding to signs of
depression, substance abuse or other risky behaviors in their children, and avoiding situations that lead to abuse and neglect.
Immigrant parents frequently expressed the need for support in reconciling their traditional cultural and family values with the American
norms and expectations that their children face. And many expressed that they need help in supporting their children academically in the Arlington
school system, especially if the parents themselves have limited schooling and/or limited English proficiency.
Likewise, teens in the focus groups consistently supported the idea of parent education. They identified the following areas where
they believe their parents require better skills: anger management and positive discipline techniques, better communication skills, and greater
respect and understanding.
Only 28% of Arlington youth surveyed reported having positive family communication; 30% reported that parents or other adults
model positive responsible behavior; 28% reported that their parents are actively involved in their schooling; and 40% reported having clear
boundaries established in their family.
Parents expressed a desire for a variety of parenting education/support venues-from night classes for working parents, to play groups
for stay-at-home moms, to one-on-one support and home visiting for families that need more intensive support. The need for transportation and
child care and for classes in different languages is frequently voiced.
Currently, there are numerous parenting programs and classes offered through community groups, the County and the Schools. All of
these have waiting lists and cannot meet the need. Since 1997, the DHS Parent Education Program has been staffed with one person to develop
parenting programs and services, facilitate improved access and coordination of services countywide, and increase public/private collaboration.
In FY 01, 227 parents participated in parenting classes (half of which were in Spanish), and another 135 attended one-time workshops.
Many more are on the waiting lists. The Parent Chat newsletter has a distribution of 3000, and there has been a doubling of requests for
information or services from this office in the past two years.
In response to these expressed needs, the Partnership makes the following recommendation:
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RECOMMENDATION: Expand the level of parent education services, outreach, and coordination among parenting programs within the community by
increasing DHS Parent Education Program resources from the current 1 FTE to 3 positions. |
Specifically, the Partnership recommends that the County allocate $69,000 for salary and operating expenses for a bilingual
(Spanish-English) co-coordinator to supplement the work currently accomplished by the Coordinator. The recommendation includes an additional
$53,000 in contract costs to double the number of classes offered.
Finally, the recommendation also includes $40,000 for salary and operating expenses for a bilingual administrative assistant to handle
the many phone calls, processing of payments to contract instructors, requests for information, coordination of class registration, child care, and
cab vouchers. The total estimated cost for this enhancement to the Parent Education Program is $162,000.
In addition to classes contracted through the DHS Parent Education Office, there are numerous community-based parenting programs
(Healthy Families, Project Family, Resource Mothers, Success by Six play groups, etc), and the Teenage Parenting Programs offered through the
School System. All of these programs are filled to capacity, with more on waiting lists.
To further address the need for a spectrum of parenting supports provided in and through the community, the Partnership recommends
that the DHS Parent Education Coordinator:
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RECOMMENDATION: Identify the level of County funding needed to expand and institutionalize existing parenting programs (County, School, and
community-based) to meet the full need and to ensure a broad spectrum of parenting resources for the full range of families-from high functioning
to high-risk, and to include working and stay-at-home parents.
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The Parent Education Coordinator would gather these cost projections from individual County, School, and non-profit program
managers in FY 03, and identify budget allocations needed for FY 04. (This task assumes that the staffing enhancements to the DHS Parent Education
Office recommended above are in place.)
Explore the Concept of a Full-service Community School
The next recommendation made by the work group to address Goal 1 relates to the concept of a full-service community school. Using one
or more public schools as a hub, community schools bring together many partners to offer a range of support programs and opportunities to children,
youth and families-before, during and after school, seven days a week. The Partnership recommends that a study team led by Arlington Public Schools,
including Partnership members, parents, and youth:
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RECOMMENDATION: Study and review key components of a community school.
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This exploration would be accomplished in the 2002-03 school year. The goal would be to:
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RECOMMENDATION: Recruit and designate one or more Arlington Public Schools to begin planning as a full-service community school in FY 04. |
A community school would offer a range of educational enrichment, health and social services, family support, and youth development activities,
including after-school programs. Community organizations and County agencies could develop neighborhood-based services at the school site. For example,
family resource centers may be established to help families with housing, immigration, health, mental health and social service needs, counseling,
literacy, referrals to employment training and job search assistance. The community school might also sponsor early childhood programs.
For students, a full-service community school offers a way to improve academic achievement and heighten their engagement in the learning
process. If piloted in schools with large minority student populations, it offers a promising strategy for helping to close the minority achievement
gap in Arlington.
Research (Joy Dryfoss, "Evaluation of Community Schools", New York: Coalition for Community Schools), has shown that attendance at
full-service community schools does indeed lead to improved academic achievement. Some gains are impressive: for example, when PS 5 became a
community school in New York City, the percentage of children reading at grade level rose from 28% when they were in fourth grade to 42% by the
time they reached sixth grade.
Developmental assets that would be enhanced through a community school approach include: support through adult relationships, parent
involvement in schooling, caring school climate, creative activities, youth programs, interpersonal and cultural competence, school engagement, and
bonding to school.
The Partnership is aware of a current effort between the Arlington Public Schools and County agencies to design and offer an integrated
set of community services as part of the renovation and expansion of Kenmore Middle School. Although this project is seen as a step along a continuum
toward a community school, the time and budget constraints under which the Kenmore integrated services planning team is operating do not allow for the
strategic level of planning and community involvement envisioned by the Partnership in researching and designing a true community school.
Participants in several focus groups recommended looking at Drew or Barrett Elementary Schools as potential sites. Work group members also identified
Arlington Mill and Barrett as having characteristics that can be the seed for a community school.
Promote Feeling Safe, Welcome and Respected at School
The final recommendations of the Goal 1 work group relate to concerns expressed by young people about feeling safe, welcome and respected
at school. The Assets survey data indicate that only:
- 32% of middle and high-school students perceive a caring school climate;
- 47% feel safe at home, school and in the neighborhood;
- 46% report interpersonal competence;
- 54% report cultural competence (having knowledge and comfort with people of different backgrounds);
- 47% seek to resolve conflict non-violently.
The initial recommendations developed by the work group called for expanding and institutionalizing peer mediation, conflict resolution,
bullying reduction and diversity training at all school grade levels. Many teens expressed support for training in conflict resolution and diversity
issues, as long as it is done in an interactive, small group setting, instead of in an assembly or lecture setting.
However, the teens in virtually all of the focus groups expressed strong concern about the effectiveness of peer mediation. It appears that
it is used and implemented differently at different schools, and there is a problem with confidentiality being respected. Students often expressed that
they would rather gain skills in resolving conflicts on their own, and if they could not, they would prefer to have the problem mediated with a trusted
adult rather than a peer. Based on this feedback, the Partnership recommends that the Schools:
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RECOMMENDATION: Systematically review, with student input, the effectiveness of conflict resolution and bullying/harassment prevention programs
in the schools, including a review of peer mediation. |
This 2002-2003 review would include the Offices of Student Services and Instruction and students from each school at all levels. It is expected
that the review would result in a plan for how these components can be used effectively and consistently in the school curriculum in 2003-2004. It also would
include consideration of which strategies (peer mediation, skill-building in conflict resolution, tolerance, etc.) are best aimed at specific behaviors.
Assets built through these activities include: caring school climate, school boundaries, cultural competence, interpersonal competence,
resistance skills, positive peer influence, peaceful conflict resolution, and personal power. Including students in the review demonstrates that youth
are seen as resources and partners in addressing the problems they face.
