SCOE’s School Readiness initiatives respond to the changing preschool population in Sonoma County, where over one-third of the children who are entering kindergarten come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. Current birth rates indicate that this population will continue to increase – over half the babies born in the county are from homes where English is not the primary language.

Today, large numbers of students are entering elementary school without the language skills needed to succeed in the public school environment. As early as kindergarten, researchers have estimated that over 16 percent of students struggle with academic content. This is a struggle that will likely continue as these children progress through the grade levels.

For children whose home language is not English, the task of successfully participating in school can be extremely challenging. In response to the critical need in our county, SCOE is partnering with a variety of preschool-focused agencies to ensure that preschool teachers – and parents – capitalize on all opportunities to enhance the language, literacy, and learning skills of preschool students.

California Preschool Instructional Network
The California Preschool Instructional Network (CPIN) was initiated in 2003-04 by the California Department of Education. The purpose of CPIN is to provide professional development and technical assistance to preschool teachers and administrators to ensure that preschool children become prepared learners who can flourish and succeed in elementary school and beyond.

CPIN is organized regionally across the state and SCOE staff serve in a leadership capacity for the North Coast region. Regional staff attend monthly meetings in Sacramento to stay current on research and learn about new training modules that can be offered throughout the counties they serve. Current activities in the North Coast region include:

• Introductory sessions on the new California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1, which is aligned with volume 1 of the state’s Preschool Learning Foundations;
• Full-day trainings on the new Spanish version of the Preschool English Learner Guide; and
• Three-hour workshops on social-emotional guidance, mathematics, language, literacy, and other topics.

Early Learners Summit
This annual conference is an opportunity for early childhood educators from local childcare agencies, preschools, and elementary schools to come together and explore issues related to school readiness and early learning success. Each year, a keynote speaker is featured and topics related to the needs of young children whose home language is not English are highlighted.

Teachers Acquiring Language Learner Knowledge (TALLK)
TALLK, Teachers Acquiring Language Learner Knowledge, provides professional development and one-on-one coaching to help preschool teachers support language development among young children whose home language is not English. The focus of the project is to coach teachers in using strategies that support early learning of home language and English skills. This project was initiated in 2006-07 and is funded by First 5 Sonoma County. More...

Contact

• Pam Turner, Coordinator, School Readiness
  (707) 524-2779,