With a focus on ensuring equitable access to high quality learning environments, the Region 6 Comprehensive Center (RC6) continues to develop resources and provide leadership and mentoring for teachers and administrators in early childhood education. This is achieved through the development of documents that encourage the continuous improvement of policies and strategies in early learning, and the Preschool-3rd Grade Distinguished Leadership Institute (Preschool-3rd Grade DLI). The RC6 team also presents at conferences and other meetings to share information and provide thought leadership to a broad audience.
The RC6 Early Learning team, led by Carla Garrett, Early Childhood Specialist, has worked over the past several years to develop a comprehensive series of documents in support of equitable access to high quality early learning environments. The team produced a white paper titled Children Come First: Ensuring School Policies, Practices, and Strategies Lead to Positive 3rd Grade Outcomes. Additionally, the team wrote a summary of the white paper and 11 briefs as part of the “Children Come First” series that encourage the continuous improvement of policies and strategies in early childhood education and offer a deeper dive into various topics covered in the original white paper.
Capturing the Opportunity: How ESSA Can Elevate Our Youngest Learners is another white paper published by the RC6 Early Learning team. This document highlights ways in which ESSA funds can be used to ensure equitable access to high quality early learning environments, such as Head Start, state funded pre-kindergarten, childcare centers, and more.
A Professional Learning Model for Improving Early Childhood Learning Experiences
The Preschool-3rd Grade DLI is an innovative professional development model that focuses on the development and implementation of early learning recommendations. The Preschool-3rd Grade DLI addresses the High Leverage Problem (HLP 3) of ensuring equitable student access to high quality early learning environments, effective teachers, and principals. This is achieved through providing knowledge and support to teachers and early learning leaders in North Carolina. The foundation for the syllabus is the white paper, Children Come First: Ensuring School Policies, Practices, and Strategies Lead to Positive 3rd Grade Outcomes.
The Preschool-3rd Grade DLI is a facilitated community of practitioners where teachers and other education leaders share strategies get the opportunity to participate in the process. The DLI offers a hybrid experience, with face-to-face and virtual meetings. It also offers both asynchronous and synchronous teaching, which enables broader participation by educators. The Preschool-3rd Grade DLI was developed using best practices, and includes ensuring alignment of policies, curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. There is a focus on ensuring that equity is central when collaborating with early learning partners in professional development.
Background of the Preschool-3rd Grade Distinguished Leadership Institute
In 2022, the RC6 assembled a North Carolina team of early childhood experts and practitioners at the state, local, and school levels who advocated best practices in early childhood education. These experts and practitioners determined the need for a statewide collaborative that focused on early learning. The challenge became to ensure that policies, practices, and strategies for the youngest learners aligned with research about what is essential to their successful development and learning. The statewide collaborative included thirteen Early Childhood program leaders across the state, one leader from State Education Agency (SEA), and three expert facilitators. This group met monthly to share ideas, experiences, and strategies and begin developing resources to share with early childhood educators.
The RC6 provided support as Cohorts I and II participated in a P-3 Leadership Certificate program (through the National P-3 Center at the University of Colorado Denver), and then provided additional support as the cohort members developed next steps for their local communities. In Cohort I, there were 13 early learning participants. Cohort II added an additional 22 early learning participants. The initial two cohorts were in place while the SERVE Preschool-3rd Grade DLI was developed.
Garrett led efforts for the first North Carolina P-3 (Pre-K through 3rd grade) Leadership Certificate Program, which developed into the SERVE Preschool-3rd Grade DLI. The program was designed to address the issue of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality early learning environments in North Carolina schools by providing support to teachers and early learning leaders across the state.
Where the Preschool-3rd Grade Distinguished Leadership Institute is Today, with a Look to the Future
In March 2024, the Comprehensive Center Network led by the National Comprehensive Center held a convening in Washington, D.C. titled “Meeting the Moment: How State Leaders are Using Innovation for Impact.” Garrett, along with fellow panelists Melissa Eddy, Assistant Director, Federal Programs at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), and Nicole Pait, Pre-K-5 ELA Director, Richmond County Schools, presented on the topic “Equitable Access to High Quality Learning Environments: A Focus on Preschool-3rd Grade.” The presenters spoke about the high leverage problem that RC6 is addressing – improving equitable early school experiences in North Carolina. Learn more about the presentation in the blog post.
The Preschool-3rd Grade DLI Cohort III recently concluded with 22 educators receiving certificates for completing the 10-month program. Learn more about the model in the blog post. Cohort IV is planned for Fall, 2024, with an anticipated 35 participants. The program’s distinguishing factor lies in building relationships that connect cohorts and educator teams. The program continues to grow with participants from across the State of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast.
The purpose of this white paper is to address the challenge of ensuring equitable student access to high quality early learning environments.
Read the accompanying briefs in the “Children Come First” series at https://region6cc.uncg.edu/resources (Sort by the Early Childhood tag at the top.)
Capturing the Opportunity: How ESSA Can Elevate Our Youngest Learners
This document highlights ways in which ESSA can help fund services for low-income children, children from multilingual households, children experiencing housing insecurity, and provides additional resources to support the social and emotional well-being of children.
To access all RC6 white papers and briefs on Early Childhood, visit https://region6cc.uncg.edu/resources (Sort by the Early Childhood tag at the top.)
