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Attend the Public Input Meeting, Thursday, December 2nd, 7:00–8:30 p.m. at the Blandin Foundation Atrium, 100 North Pokegama Ave in Grand Rapids, or provide input from now through Wednesday, December 8th through an online survey available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QRISConsultation.

The Minnesota Department of Education and Department of Human Services seek public input on draft quality rating and improvement system standards and indicators for early childhood programs

Minnesota’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment data show that fewer than half of Minnesota children are fully prepared for kindergarten, especially in the developmental areas of mathematical thinking, language, and literacy.

Children in poverty and in families where English is not the primary language spoken are at highest risk of entering kindergarten already behind other children, and may spend their entire school experience trying to catch up…sometimes without success.

However, decades of research shows that children who attend high quality early childhood programs are much better prepared to enter school and be successful, graduate on time, and go on to higher education.

Minnesota has been working on a quality rating and improvement system so that children across the state can benefit from high quality early care and learning programs and be better prepared for kindergarten.

The 2009 state Legislature directed the Minnesota Department of Education and Department of Human Services to develop common program standards and indicators for a statewide voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS).

Since then, the departments have been developing standards and indicators based on best practice, research, the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation’s Parent Aware QRIS pilot and evaluation, and the draft was reviewed by a panel of national experts.

The standards and indicators are designed to apply to licensed family child care, child care centers, school-based pre-K programs, and Head Start programs, providing both private and public programs with a clear pathway to quality.

Before presenting the common standards and QRIS indicators to the Legislature in 2011, the departments invite your feedback on the draft standards and indicators at one of these workshops.

Additional Public Input Meetings Across the State:

Thursday, November 18th, 5:15–6:45 p.m., Alexandria, MN
Tuesday, November 23rd, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Maplewood, MN
Monday, November 29th, 7:00-8:30 p.m., North Mankato, MN

All workshops are the same, and participants will be actively involved in learning about the draft standards and indicators and contributing ideas, insights, and perspectives. No RSVP is required, but sending an email to QRISRSVP@gmail.com will help us plan for room size and materials.

We also invite feedback through an online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QRISConsultation between Wednesday 17 November and Wednesday 8 December; please forward the survey link to others in your organization or in the early education community.

If you would like to review the drafts standards and indicators prior to attending an input meeting, you may do so by visiting the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QRISConsultation.

The Department of Education and Department of Human Services will carefully consider the input received from these and other workshops throughout the state and from the online survey as they prepare their final recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature by March 2011.

On behalf of Minnesota’s young children, families, and early childhood providers, we encourage you to participate in this process to support our state’s commitment to ensuring that all children are fully prepared for kindergarten.

Eileen Nelson
Early Childhood Education Specialist
Minnesota Department of Education
Eileen.Nelson@state.mn.us

Deb Swenson-Klatt
Director, Child Development Services
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Deb.Swenson-Klatt@state.mn.us

Working as a parent educator for Early Childhood Family Education, I often get parents asking discipline questions. They want to know what to do to get their child to behave. Teaching children about behavior is what discipline is all about. You begin when your child is an infant. The way you respond to your baby helps teach him/her the long-term goal of self-control or self-discipline.

Discipline is necessary to stop misbehavior, but there’s no “right way” to discipline a child. There are several strategies that work well. Which you choose, and when you choose them, will depend on your child’s personality, your personality, and the specific set of circumstances.

The following strategies can help you be more effective in disciplining your child:

1. Catch your child being good. Look for teachable moments when your child is behaving well and tell him/her so. Praise can be a very effective discipline tool.

2. Anticipate difficult situations. Prepare your child ahead of time for a visit to the doctor’s office or the store, deciding upon limits, rewards and the discipline you will use if misbehavior occurs.

3. Let your child suffer the natural and logical consequences of the misbehavior. One of the more important lessons of life is that all actions have consequences. After being warned not to pull the cat’s tail, your child does it anyway and the cat scratches the child’s hand.  

4. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Define the rules and follow through with them. When you don’t, you send mixed messages that make it difficult for your child to know what is expected.

5. Use consequences that are appropriate for the child, his/her age, and the misbehavior. A child who writes on the wall with a crayon should not have the crayons taken away forever, only for a day or two. It takes time, energy, and patience to carry out consequences. You need to plan simple but effective ones. Once your child has paid a penalty, life should return to normal.

An important point to remember about discipline is that it must take place within the framework of love and affection. I always reminded my daughters that I disciplined them because I loved them. Discipline is a strong and active message of love used to protect and teach children.

                                                                                                                           Jill Phillips

                                                                                                                       Parent Educator

From Ready 4 K

Last Wednesday, Minnesotans awoke to a vastly different political landscape, with the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate switching to Republican control. With the House welcoming 36 new members, the Senate 24, and the outcome of the gubernatorial election unknown, those working around the legislature have a lot to learn. Thankfully Ready 4 K and our allies have consistently worked with a core group of legislators from both parties, and have meaningful relationships in place with key policy makers.

While we are in the process of finalizing our legislative priorities and strategizing about the upcoming legislative session, action is moving forward on a number of early childhood issues, and your input is needed.  There are several task forces of the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) that will be holding public hearings in the next several weeks to solicit your feedback.

First up is an ECAC-sponsored project to develop a School Readiness Report Card, which will monitor the state’s progress toward having all children ready for kindergarten by the year 2020.  You can give your feedback on the draft Report Card at meetings in St. Paul, Duluth and Rochester or via webinar on November 29.

Monday, November 29, 10-11:30 am
Webinar. Register to participate by clicking here.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 10-11:30 am
Edgewater Conference Center, Lake Superior Room, 2400 London Road, Duluth, MN

There will also be public meetings to review draft proposals about an Office of Early Learning and common program standards that are being developed by DHS and MDE.  Dates and locations will be announced soon and we’ll let you know when those have been confirmed.

Another great opportunity to be involved is through the Citizens League. With funding from the Bush Foundation, the Citizens League is launching a series of 25 community discussions that give Minnesotans an opportunity to weigh in on the state’s budget challenges. Participants will be able to identify their values and priorities, such as taking a balanced approach to budget shortfalls.

Please join Ready 4 K on November 16 to Give to the Max. Give to the Max Day, sponsored by GiveMN.org is a first-of-it’s-kind giving website for nonprofits in Minnesota. Last year’s record-setting Give to the Max Day saw over 38,000 donors log on and give to Minnesota organizations. This year, the goal is 40,000. Ready 4 K is working to inspire 500 donors to be part of that goal.

On November 16, help Ready 4 K reach our goal of 500 donors giving a minimum gift of $20 to support out youngest Minnesotans. Your gift will help us continue to make early care and education a top priority for our state. Your support also means that we will be able to continue to train new grassroots advocates and keep you informed about important progress for early childhood, like the School Readiness Report Card.

On Tuesday, November 2, you can make a difference in Minnesota’s Future by exercising your right to vote and supporting candidates who will support children.  All the seats in the Minnesota Legislature – both House and Senate - are up for election, as well as Governor and constitutional officers: Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Auditor.

You’ve heard it before and you know why it’s so important to vote – too many of our children are arriving at kindergarten not fully prepared for success in school and yet the return on investment from supporting high quality early learning is huge.  Let’s make sure that our elected officials are getting the message too.  Voting for the candidates of  your choice – those who support our youngest citizens – is the way to deliver that message.

Electing public officials who support young children is so important. Did you know…

• 71% of MN voters believe early childhood education should be a top policy priority
• Just over 50% of Minnesota kindergartners are fully prepared for kindergarten
• Investments in high quality early learning, especially for at-risk children, brings a high rate of return to the public – up to $12 for every $1 invested – in the form of better students, a stronger economy, and more responsible, prosperous citizens

For more information on where and how to vote, these resources can help

• If you live in Minnesota and don’t know where to vote, check out the polling place finder.
If you haven’t registered yet, don’t worry!  In Minnesota we have same-day voter registration. You just need to go to your polling place on election day and provide proof of residence.  Visit the Secretary of State website for more information

To get help on Election Day itself, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Volunteer attorneys can help with everything from general questions to potential voting rights violations.

Deliver a message to elected officials with your VOTE on Tuesday – the youngest Minnesotans need your – and their – support.

From Ready 4 K