Hawkins County Schools’ PreK Included in State-Wide Vanderbilt Study
Two of the four pre-k classrooms in the Hawkins County School System have been chosen to participate in a statewide Pre-K Effectiveness Study. The study, funded by a grant from the US Department of Education Institute of Education Science, is being conducted by the Peabody Research Institute (PRI) at Vanderbilt University.
“The purpose of the study is to determine the long term effects of the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K program, “ explained Kimberly Cassidy, director of Early Childhood Programs for the Hawkins County School System. “We have two classrooms with considerable waiting lists. Mt. Carmel Elementary School Pre-K and Hawkins County Schools’ Early Childhood Learning Center on Colonial Road have been identified as participants due to the waiting lists. The academic performance of children who have and who have not participated in a TN Pre-K from the preschool year through at least 3rd grade will be tracked. According to the information we received from Vanderbilt, the data will be studied in a five-year statewide scientifically rigorous study of the effectiveness of Pre-K for improving children’s readiness for kindergarten and their achievement in the later grades,” Cassidy said.
According to the Peabody Research Institute, it was prompted to conduct the study, in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Education, because there are no strong studies of the benefits of state pre-kindergarten programs that look at their effects beyond the beginning of kindergarten. “We know the positive effects these pre-k experiences have on our students. Many times we see students who require special education services, which they receive in the pre-k program, and are able to test out of services before they start kindergarten. Not only does this save the school system, and taxpayers, money in long-term special needs instruction, it also allows the child to begin kindergarten with the skills needed to perform at the same level as other typically developing students,” Cassidy said. “The program also teaches social skills that kindergarten teachers may have to spend the first six weeks teaching instead of diving right into the curriculum. We don’t often think about standing in a line or being able to sit on a circle rug for 10 minutes of instruction as a skill. But if a teacher has a classroom with 20 students and only 2 are able to line up or sit for the entire instruction time, it’s a problem that interferes with quality instruction time,” she said.
The Hawkins County School System has four Pre-Kindergarten classrooms across the county serving 80 students. Mt. Carmel Elementary Pre-K, Mooresburg Elementary Pre-K, and the Hawkins County Schools’ Early Childhood Center, which houses two classes, each serve 20 students ages 3 and 4-years old.
What Every Citizen Should Know About Early Childhood
Early Childhood has received a lot of press during the last few years, mainly due to the emphasis Governor Phil Bredeson has placed upon it’s importance to the economic future of Tennessee. In fact, his implementation of Early Childhood Education, also known as the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K Program, is what Governor Bredeson wants as his legacy. Why would a Harvard graduate with a degree in physics want Early Childhood to be his legacy instead of his many other accomplishments during his tenure?
At an early childhood meeting in Nashville a few years ago, Bobbi Lussier, Executive Director of the Office of Early Learning for the Tennessee Department of Education, introduced Governor Bredeson to the attendees by explaining how he became interested in early childhood. She told a story about how Governor Bredeson, who was familiar with the early childhood pilot program the state had been administering for almost five years, called a group of education professionals together and asked them to compile information on the benefits of early childhood education for him to review. Lussier, who was one of those in the group, remembered that when the governor received the information, he told them he would review it and get back to them. She joked that, “ with his mind for physics,” he combed through the information and came back to the group with more questions and a much better understanding of the importance of early childhood education. Shortly after, he was successful in receiving overwhelming bi-partison support and passed the Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Act of 2005. This Act increased the state’s investment and access to Tennessee students.
Hawkins County was fortunate to have a school board, school director and school administrators who were willing to put in the extra work and expand the early childhood program already in place serving 40 students, ages 3 and 4. In 2005, two classrooms were added as a direct result of the Act of 2005, which offer services to an additional 40 Hawkins County students in Mooresburg and Mt. Carmel Elementary Schools.
What Bredeson reviewed that made him such a huge proponent of Early Childhood Education was several studies, one of which is known as the HighScope Educational Research Foundation’s Perry Preschool Program. This study, conducted over four decades by the late David P. Weikart, identified 123 young African American children living in poverty and assessed to be at high risk of school failure in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Researchers randomly assigned 58 of the children to a high-quality early care and education setting. The other students received no preschool program.
Students were studied the same groups of children every year from age 3 to age 11, and again at ages 14, 15, 19, and 27. When the children reached age 40, researchers found that more of the group who received high-quality early education graduated from high school than the non-program group. They also found that the group that received high-quality early education on average outperformed the non-program group on various intellectual and language tests during their early childhood years, on school achievement tests between ages 9 and 14, and on literacy tests at ages 19 and 27.
The study also showed an economic impact, as more of the group who received high-quality early education than the non-program group were employed at age 40, had median annual earnings more than $5,000 higher than the other group, owned their own homes and had a savings account. The study, overall, documented a return to society of more than $16 for every tax dollar invested in the early care and education program, due to savings in “band-aid” programs, such as alternative school, juvenile court expenses, public assistance enrollment, increased high school graduation and earning potential.
Results such as these are the reason that every citizen should be a proponent of early childhood education and seek out the best education possible for their child, beginning as early as age three, but sooner if possible. Not only do Tennesseans’ tax dollars fund these programs, they also offer children opportunities to be successful in preschool, kindergarten and beyond, all while contributing to a better society.
Kimberly Cassidy is the Director of Early Childhood Programs for the Hawkins County School System.
When Does A Stuttering Problem Require Therapy?
At least once per week, I am asked by a parent if I think their child needs speech therapy for stuttering. While that’s a good question, and one that all parents with young children need to ask if they suspect a child has a disfluency problem, I can only offer advice and direction. I’m certainly not a speech therapist, nor do I want to be. However, there are many factors that need to be considered before jumping on the therapist band wagon.
According to The Stuttering Foundation, (www.stuttering.org) if your child occasionally repeats syllables or words once or twice, li-li-like this, he is more than likely a normally disfluent child. Disfluency is just a fancy way to say that the child has difficulty expressing himself and may use fillers such as “uh”, “er”, and “um”. This type of disfluency is common between the ages of one and one-half and five years, and it tends to come and go. It’s a safe bet that the child is learning how to use new language and the stuttering will disappear for a few weeks and then come back for a week or so. My son has done this since second grade and he’s now in seventh grade. I can tell when he’s going to have a growth spurt by the amount of stuttering he does when we are conversing. His third grade teacher had the speech therapist at the school observe him one day and the therapist agreed that it was a normal disfluency and nothing to be concerned about.
There are situations where the stuttering is considered milder. The stutterer repeats sounds more than twice, li-li-li-li-like this. According to Dr. Edward G. Conture of Vanderbilt University, and Dr. Barry Guitar of the University of Vermont, the child may struggle and suffer tension evident in the facial muscles, especially around the mouth, and the pitch of the voice may rise with repetitions. Milder stuttering occurs more often than not and may or may not require speech therapy.
A child with more severe stuttering, which is considered more than 10% of his speech, changing of words and using extra sounds to get started, will profit from having therapy with a specialist in stuttering, according to Conture and Guitar. There are also certain risk factors that may place a child at higher risk for stuttering. Family history, age at onset, time since onset, gender and other speech and language factors are all factors to look into. If there is another family member who stutters well into adulthood, there may be an increased risk for a child to develop stuttering. Conture and Guitar state that a child who begins stuttering before age 3 ½ is more likely to outgrow stuttering. They also note that between 75% and 80% of all children who begin stuttering will stop within 12 to 24 months without speech therapy. Girls are more likely than boys to outgrow stuttering and a child who has additional speech problems may be more apt to stutter longer without intervention.
If a child exhibits the examples for normal disfluency or milder stuttering, there are seven ways Conture and Guitar recommend helping the child. They are:
1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently;
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child;
3. Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her message and not to how she’s talking;
4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child;
5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening;
6. Observe the way you interact with your child. Increase times that give your child the message that your are listening and try to decrease criticisms, rapid speech patterns, interruptions and questions;
7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as he is.
The good news is that if a child is at least three, he may be eligible for free speech services from the local school district. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 mandates that state education agencies and local school districts provide special education services to children ages 3-21 who need them in order to receive a free, appropriate public education. The Hawkins County School System has a Child Find Coordinator who can set up a screening for the child to determine if he or she needs services. Services for a child who is younger than three can be addressed by the Tennessee Early Intervention Services (TEIS). TEIS provides in-home therapy for many intervention services a child may need. It is very important to obtain intervention services as soon as possible. The younger we are able to provide services to children, the more likely we will be able to significantly decrease or eliminate special education services as the child grows. Parents of children ages 3 and older with concerns should call the Hawkins County School System at 423-272-7629 and ask for Dr. Mellissa Reed, Child Find Coordinator, for more information. Parents of children younger than three years old should call TEIS at 615-253-5032 and ask for Linda Hartbarger.
Hawkins County Schools’ Early Childhood Programs
Introduces Smartboard Technology into the PreK Classroom
The Hawkins County Schools’ Early Childhood Programs recently installed Smartboards into the four pre-k classrooms. Smartboards are cutting-edge technology systems that provide valuable resources and interactive literacy activities for students and teachers. “These smartboards allow the teachers to provide tested, research-based strategies and activities which can also be used in an inclusive environment, “ explained Kimberly Cassidy, Ed. S., director of the Hawkins County Schools’ Early Childhood Programs. “An inclusive environment is a classroom that has students who are typically developing as well as students who may have special needs. The smartboard technology allows all children to participate regardless of developmental levels.”
There are many interactive technology boards on the market, according to Cassidy. “Most of the school system has Promethian boards, which is perfect for older children. We chose the TeachSmart Learning System because it is specifically designed for preschoolers and uses the state pre-k standards for the development of the activities. The board enables students to use the touch screen to tell stories, as well as using multiple mediums to reach all types of learners. Not only do they see the subject, they can touch it, talk about it, manipulate it and hear about it all in the same lesson. It uses all of the senses,” Cassidy said. “We are fortunate that the Hawkins County School System is a leader in technology-based instruction in the classroom and supports the addition of the Smartboards for our youngest learners. ”
One of the most unique activities the Smartboard offers is story-telling ability, which is a state standard goal for preschoolers. “Students are able to choose a scene, from Eskimos and igloos to a farm with farm animals. They are able to move the objects around and tell a story, which is recorded by the microphone and headset they are wearing. The story and the video of the objects that were moved are then able to be played back to the class. This is an important skill for preschoolers to have. We can track their progress through out the year and even share the story with the parents at conferences. Children who are shy or talk softly can participate and the class can enjoy the story when it is played back,” Cassidy explained. “This also builds vocabulary, exercises imagination and gives the student experience speaking in front of others with positive feedback. A teacher can introduce interactive art activities, science videos from the internet, music and a plethora of other activities to enhance the classroom experience.“
The Hawkins County Schools’ PreK Program serves 80 children in four classrooms. Mt. Carmel Elementary, Mooresburg Elementary and the Early Childhood Center on Colonial Road in Rogersville each have 20 three- and four-year old students. The classes are funded by State PreK Grants and an Even Start grant, which provides services to families who are attending GED classes, college courses, technology training or other higher education.
Finding the Form of Discipline That Works for Your Child
Discipline is at the forefront of most conversations with parents of young children. Media often bombards parents with conflicting or confusing advice with little guidance as to what is age appropriate or effective. Professionals in early childhood are guided by rules and regulations created by behavior specialists and monitored by licensing evaluators. This is not say that professionals have all the answers just because we have a book that lists what is good and what is not. The fact is, all children respond differently to discipline, whether it be corporal (spanking), redirection or the ever popular Time Out.
I always have to laugh when I watch “Supernanny” on television. Not that she doesn’t have good ideas. She is effective and when she leaves the now peaceful house that was once a mixed bag of chaos, the parents are just pouring their thanks out and even going so far as to call her a savior. The interesting thing is that she doesn’t change the behavior of the child, she changes the reaction of the parent. Supernanny, also called Jo, teaches the parent how to react to the behavior of the child, thereby soliciting a change of behavior in the child.
I have said for years that children act as they are taught. In other words, all behavior is learned. Little Johnny did not enter this world knowing how to kick, hit and punch. He had to be subjected to those actions, either by television, older siblings, parental influence or even neighborhood kids. For this reason, it is extremely important for parents to know what their child is hearing, watching, seeing, etc. and with whom they are experiencing these things. A toddler can and will learn to hit as a response if they are subject to that behavior from parents. If older siblings are rough-housing and constantly fighting, that younger child will see this and learn from it. Most of the time the lesson is not “I don’t want to get in trouble like Mikey for hitting Joey, but “Mikey hit Joey for taking his toy, so I’m going to do the same thing.” Also, the child may not know how to properly play with a certain toy or even another child. Consider if the child has the knowledge to play appropriately. If not, model the behavior that is desired. In other words, play with the child and let him see how to play correctly. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.
As for time out, we use that everyday at the centers, along with thousands of centers across the United States. It is the excepted form of discipline. However, even time out can be ineffective if not done properly. Simply putting a child in a chair or a naughty spot is not effective. The disciplinarian must determine if the child has a physical reason for the behavior. In other words, do they have a disorder, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Autism, that may be contributing to the undesired behavior. If the parent, guardian, grandparent or who ever is watching the child determines that the behavior is just a simple undesired behavior with no special mitigating circumstances, then a reasonable intervention is appropriate. Time out will be effective if it is consistently applied. Dr. James Dobson, noted author and founder of Focus on the Family, calls inconsistent discipline Whimsical Discipline. The rules change all the time. One day the child may get time out for the same thing that is ignored the next day. Or he may get a spanking for hitting his sister today and time out the next. Consistency is key to any discipline. So, if you usually put your child in time out for talking back, keep doing it. The rule is one minute per the age of the child. A four year old will stay in time out for four minutes. If you spank your child when he hits another child or you, there are mixed opinions about the effectiveness of that particular discipline.
There are so many different findings from research concerning spanking. One group says that spanking breeds violence. Another group says “spare the rod and spoil the child,” citing Proverbs 13:24 in the Old Testament of the Bible, as their guide. However, the Bible doesn’t say “spare the rod and spoil the child.” That phrase comes from a 17th century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. The poem likens a love affair to a child and the idea behind the statement was that the absence of periodic spankings in the relationship will spoil it. The Kings James Version of Proverbs 13:24 says “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” A quick internet search of that verse leads to several websites that say that the “rod” discussed in this passage is talking about a staff or large stick with an ornamental piece affixed to the top. Many times in the Bible, the author discusses the “rod” as being the guidance of a group or person and a symbol of power and intelligence. In our situation, the rod would be guidance of a child. One website even said that the word “discipline” in the Bible has never been translated into punishment, only guidance. I’m not an expert on translation, but I find it very interesting that it is quite possible that the entire meaning of the verse has been misinterpreted for decades. With that said, spanking is very prevalent in the Southern States. Some might argue that is true because of the Bible Belt and the belief that Proverbs is telling us to whip our child so they aren’t mean. I’m certainly not saying that spanking is not an effective means of punishment. It can be, if done correctly. However, in this day of lawsuits and there being a fine line between spanking for correction and spanking to release parental frustrations, I suggest avoiding it. In the classroom, we do not use any type of corporal punishment.
When I was growing up, there was no such thing as time out. My parents believed in old fashioned spanking, of which I received on a pretty regular basis. Many years later, I am not violent in any way, nor is my brother, although, he was “spared the rod” much more than me because he basically didn’t get in to very much trouble. I was the poster child for talking in class, and my first memory of school was getting a paddling every day for doing just that. Did it change my behavior? No. I talked every day and accepted the punishment everyday. I didn’t like it, but I wasn’t offered an alternative, either. Now, we have an idea that some children need to be redirected to another activity that will embrace their positive abilities and not try to hinder their personality. Basically, if you put a three-year old in time out, they are not going to sit there and think, “Gee! I shouldn’t have thrown my bowl of cereal on the kitchen floor. My mother is picking up my mess now. I should have asked her to take the bowl, because I was finished. I surely won’t do that again!” He’s thinking, “Man! That Cheerio landed in the living room. Awesome! Next time, I’ll throw my spaghetti and see where it lands!”
Common sense goes a long way, as does promoting positive behaviors by praising the child. Being negative all the time will definitely have an impact on the child’s self-esteem. All children have a gift. It may just take time to find it. When a child is praised and allowed to bloom within boundaries, discipline is usually not a problem. If you have questions you would like answered, please direct them to cassidyk@hck12.net or 423-272-3628.