The Fairfax County School Readiness Collaborative was started as a result of a grant received by the Office for Children from the Virginia Department of Social Services as part of the “Investing in Virginia’s Children” initiative. The collaborative brings together, for the first time, the Office for Children, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County Head Start, the Northern Virginia Community College, and Fairfax Futures to improve the quality of child care so that children enter school with the skills they need to succeed.
The collaborative provides a common understanding of what young children
should know when they enter kindergarten, and gives child care
professionals the knowledge and skills they need to design early learning
programs that set the stage for children's success in school. These goals
are being accomplished through these project activities:
-
The
development of early learning
guidelines
for children from birth through age five
that align with the FCPS Program of Studies so that early childhood
professionals can be guided by clear expectations about how young
children learn and how caregivers can support their development.
-
A
School Readiness Certificat
e gives early
childhood professionals knowledge and skills they need to create
high-quality learning programs that help children make successful
transitions to school.
-
Neighborhood School Readiness Teams
have been
created to build relationships, communication channels, and plan
experiences between child care programs and schools so that children
and their families experience smooth transitions to kindergarten. The
teams will pilot sample transition forms to help educators and
parents share written information about a child’s early learning
experience with the new kindergarten teacher. Teams include principals,
kindergarten and Head Start teachers, child care center directors, and
family child care providers in four neighborhoods:
-
- Annandale Terrace, Annandale
- Freedom Hill, Vienna
- Hollin Meadows, Alexandria
-
Lake Anne, Reston
-
Fairfax County School Readiness Collaborative
Office for Children
12011 Government Center Parkway, Suite 920
Fairfax, VA 22035
702-324-8267
This project was supported by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) Grant # 93.575, with funds made available to Virginia from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.