TARGET: Ready for the Common Core and Arizona’s Future WorkforceBuilding the Foundation for Success Through a Strong Birth to 8 System

Meeting workforce needs today and in the future…

• More than 50% of current high school students lack the written, verbal, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills employers need.

• Twenty percent (20%) of today’s workforce is functionally illiterate.

• By 2020, analysts predict that the majority of available jobs will require skilled labor, even as fewer and fewer skilled workers enter the job market.

Workforce Challenges

Our Aspiration…

• Demonstrate independence• Have strong content knowledge• Respond to varying demands of

audience, task and purpose• Comprehend as well as critique• Understand other perspectives

and cultures• Use technology and digital media

strategically and capably• Lead with confidence

College and Career Ready Students

Our Method

Focus:• Real World Application• In-depth Content Learning• Relevant to College and Career• Consistent Learning Targets

Skills:• Critical Thinking• Problem Solving• Effective Communication Skills

Arizona’s Common Core Standards

Our Foundation

Engaged and Supported Families

High Quality Early

Education

Healthy Births and

Development on Track

High Quality All Day

Kindergarten

Continuity between ECE

and K-3

Effective Teaching and Learning in

ECE and K-3

STRONG SYSTEM(S) THAT SUPPORT CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH AGE 8

The URGENCY to ACT

State Education Status 2011

• AIMS 2011: • Reading: 77% of third

graders at or near grade level.

• Math: 68% of third graders at or near grade level.

State Education Goals 2020

• Increase to 94% the number of 3rd graders reading at or near grade level. (ADE Statewide Literacy Plan)

• Implementation of Move on When Reading Legislation 2013-2014

• Full implementation of Common Core (2013-2014) and new assessment (2014-2015)

The children who are tasked with meeting the state 2020 education goal are being

born NOW! The opportunity is TODAY to ensure their

success!

Why Birth to Age 8?An Introduction…

Why Birth to Age 8?

• Students who cannot read by the end of 3rd grade (age 8) are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

• 88% of students who failed to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in 3rd grade.

Why Birth to Age 8?

What Happens Early Matters Most

• 80% of a child’s critical brain development happens by age 3, and about 90% by age 5.

• Early advantages accumulate; so do early disadvantages.

Resource:http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/threecore_concepts/brain_architecture/

Why Birth to Age 8?

special education

grade retention

HS graduation

4 yr college

31%

34%

67%

36%

49%

65%

51%

13%

Abecedarian Study: Academic Benefits

No Program Group Program GroupEarly Learning Predictors: High Quality Early Education

• High quality early learning

• Healthy development

School Readiness

• Ready for Kindergarten

Kindergarten Proficiency/Knowledge

• Higher standardized test scores in math and reading

Early Grade Success

• Reading at grade level or beyond in 3rd grade

Future Educational

Success

Early Grade Predictors

Why Birth to Age 8?

Why Birth to Age 8?

Return on Investment

Every $1 invested in quality early education saves $7 dollars in special education, public assistance and lost taxes. The rate of return for quality early childhood education is 10% per year.

http://www.heckmanequation.org/content/resource/why-early-investment-matters

Long-Term Benefits of 0-8

Return on Investment of Early Childhood Education

Studies show early learning influences long-term success:

Special Education Costs School SuccessGrade Repetition GraduationCrime Workforce ReadinessTeen Parents Job ProductivityWelfare Dependency Community EngagementJob Training Costs COMPETITIVE ARIZONA

Sources: Schweinhart, 2005; Bruner, 2003Slide from Nebraska’s Early Childhood Business Roundtable

Arizona ContextAZ’s Children and System Status

Arizona’s Children 0-8

Statistic Arizona U.S.Faster child (0-17) growth rate 1990-2009 76.7% 23.4%

Greater % of young (0-5) children in population 8.6% 7.9%

Greater young child diversity (0-5)    

White, non-Hispanic 39.7% 51.0%Hispanic 44.9% 25.2%Native American 6.2% 1.2%African American 4.6% 14.3%Asian 2.6% 4.5%Higher percentage young (0-5) lower income children

   

Under 100% 27.5% 24.8%Under 200% 55.7% 48.0%

16

Graph adapted from Hart, B. & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful Difference in the Everyday Experiences of Young Children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Researchers grouped children into three socioeconomic status groups based on occupation: “Professional” “Working Class” and “Welfare”. Groups strongly correlated with parents education levels and family income.

749 words (Children in working class families)525 words (Children inwelfare families)

1,116 words (Children inprofessional families)

Implications of Poverty – Achievement Gap Starts Early

Progress to Date in AZ

• Creation of First Things First, a dedicated, voter approved funding source for young children. FTF is funding many key programs/projects to support and enhance the early childhood system.

• Implementation of a system to improve the quality of child care/early learning programs (Quality First).

• Statewide literacy Initiative, READ ON Arizona, developing a community-based collaborative approach to create a continuum of supports to improve literacy outcomes for young children.

• Arizona has secured some federal and philanthropic support to expand critical programs.

• Governor’s Arizona Ready Council is integrating early learning as a component of 2020 goals.

The Challenges

• Arizona ranks 49th in the nation on the percentage of children ages 3 to 5 that attend early education/ preschool.

• Data from NIEER shows decline in funding in recent years.

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ApWD2cb39EW9dGZLZDZjSG5PcnlIVXlCT0l6UzJ0OEE&output=html

Scale: Access to High Quality Early Learning Experiences

The Challenges

State Cuts to Early Childhood

(-$307.5 million)

State Cuts to Children’s Health

(-$49.7 million)

State Cuts to Other Programs for Children and Families

(-$80.0 million)

Child Care Subsidies – Enrollment Closed

KidsCare – Frozen from 2010 to recent. Will open to limited number due to hospitals’ contribution.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) - Reduced

Full-Day Kindergarten – Zeroed Out

Children’s Rehabilitative Services - Reduced

Child Protective Services - Reduced

Preschool (State) – Zeroed Out

High Risk Perinatal Services - Reduced

AIMS Intervention/ Dropout Prevention – Zeroed Out

Family Literacy – Zeroed Out Children’s Behavioral Health – Reduced

Adult Education/GED – Zeroed Out

Healthy Families – Zeroed Out

Early Intervention Program - Reduced

Arizona’s Opportunities

• Develop culture/infrastructure that supports early childhood as part of Arizona’s education continuum

• Protect/expand/leverage resources allocated for proven 0-8 practices

• Expand to scale high quality early care and education programs for children and families

• Support capacity building/professional development for birth to 8 educators/ providers

• Leverage support and position AZ to benefit from potential federal/national early learning resources.

Linking and Strengthening Systems

Next Steps – What You Can Do

“If anyone is talking about education,

birth to age 8 should be a part

of the conversation.”

• Educate your colleagues about the importance of birth to 8

• Stay apprised of policies and legislation impacting young children at the federal, state and local level

• Schedule an informational visit with a legislator

• Write, talk and question candidates for office

• Write an opinion piece for the local paper

• Share Your VOICE and INFLUENCE for Arizona’s children

• Department of Economic Security• Maricopa County Department of Public Health• AHCCCS• AZ-Academy of Pediatrics/Best Care for Kids AZ• Arizona Department of Health Services• Children’s Action Alliance• READ ON Arizona• Greater Phoenix Leadership• Bank of America Merill Lynch• First Things First• United Ways (Tucson, Maricopa, Flagstaff, Yuma)• Tucson Unified School District• Univision 33, Telefutura Phoenix• Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Foundation• Balsz School District• Flagstaff Unified School District• Arizona Community Foundation• Helios Education Foundation• Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce• Desert Schools Federal Credit Union

• Arizona Business Education Coalition (ABEC)• EMPACT• DMB Associates Inc.• Raising Special Kids• Family Involvement Center• Southwest Human Development• Winslow and Partners• AZ-NAEYC• Central Arizona College• University of Arizona• Arizona Department of Education/Head Start State

Collaboration• Arizona Child Care Association• Governor’s Office of Education Innovation – AZ Ready• City of Phoenix• State Board for Charter Schools• AZ Hispanic Chamber of Commerce• Expect More Arizona• Association for Supportive Child Care• Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust• Steele Family Foundation

BUILD Arizona Membership

BUILD Arizona is a coalition of children’s champions who are working together to enhance opportunities for all young children in Arizona. We are business leaders, nonprofit executives, public sector representatives, educators, health and other practitioners working toward making and keeping Arizona competitive in the years ahead.