Denton a Leader in PreK Innovation and Collaboration
The call for universal PreK is quickly becoming a policy priority well beyond school districts. At all levels of government, the race is on to figure out how to invest in our youngest citizens in order to fix the achievement gap before it begins. And for good reasons. We now know that a person’s academic success is greatly influenced by their first few years of life. The greatest predictor of graduation rates is 3rd grade reading scores. The greatest predictor of 3rd grade reading scores is the quality and quantity of vocabulary a child has in their head when they come their first day of Kindergarten.
I grew up in a family with two educated parents where reading, learning, and discovery were commonplace. The expectation was there from an early age that I would do well in school, go to college, and likely seek an advanced degree. Even with all that, my parents still sent me to Betty Bixler Preschool at the church down the street. But I fully recognize my relatively privileged upbringing.
A growing number of kids are entering Kindergarten without having books in the home. Many kids are raised by parents who have never understood education as a priority – in large part because it was not part of their upbringing. The stress of poverty compounds this situation and we have an epidemic of kids entering school at 5 and already having years of catch-up to do. If education is a key to socio-economic mobility in our country, then justice demands we fix this and give everyone an equal shot at success.
Many know that my wife created an innovative tool to help tackle some of this. Inspired by her days as an elementary school teacher, her work in the educational publishing industry, and role as a mother of three little ones, she created a way to put high quality preK into the hands of parents and caregivers - ReadyRosie. Through daily videos modeling everyday activities in English and Spanish designed to promote greater vocabulary, essential skills, and a love for learning, the kids’ most influential teacher (the parent) is getting the tools they need. And it is designed to be delivered daily free of charge to the families who need it the most.
While so much of the policy emphasis is on building preK centers, we cannot give up on the parents. Regardless of their background, we have to believe that parents ultimately want what is best for their kids. We can unlock the potential in kids by unlocking the potential in their parents.
Developed in Denton with Denton families and first adopted by Denton ISD and available to every family of 0-5 year olds in the district, ReadyRosie is now being utilized by communities throughout Texas and around the nation.
In order to implement this tool and establish a vision for tackling the preK issues in Denton, the Denton PreK Coalition was formed. A collaborative initiative comprised of Denton ISD, United Way of Denton County, UNT, the City of Denton, and many churches, non-profits, and businesses, the Coalition is frequently being referenced and replicated in other communities. It’s another way Denton is pulling together its resources and leveraging its assets and partnerships to lead the nation in creative solutions to tough problems.
In that spirit, I’m excited to partner with 100 UNT students this Saturday to canvass the neighborhoods surrounding the Denton ISD elementary schools with the greatest number of at-risk students. We’ll be putting resources and tools into the hands of parents of young ones. This is all part of UNT’s Big Event where over 2500 volunteers will spend the day serving the needs of our community.
GO HERE to see Superintendent Jamie Wilson’s column on the PreK Coalition.
GO HERE to sign up for your free subscription to ReadyRosie if you live in the Denton ISD district.
GO HERE to see a KERA story on ReadyRosie and their work in another community.