SLRC LOGOMini-Grant Program 1996

Vallejo City Unified School District


Vallejo Even Start Project

Project Name: Vallejo Even Start Project
Funded Agency: Vallejo City Unified School District
Project Address: 1140 Capitol Street, Vallejo, CA 94590
Contact Person: Helene Wardlaw, Even Start -- Joe Ryan, Red Rock Associates
Phone Number: (707) 556-8808 Fax Number: (707) 556-8812
E-mail address: N/A
RRC Partner

Background

Beginning in 1991, Vallejo City Unified School District has been the recipient of two federally funded Even Start - Family Literacy grants. The Even Start program addresses the literacy needs of 697 parents and over 1100 children ages infant through 7 years of age.


Collaborating Partners and Agencies

The Vallejo Even Start (VES) program is a joint effort of Vallejo Adult School programs (ABE, ESL, Stepping Stones Cooperative, Grandparents Support Group), six Vallejo Child Development Centers/CDC (State Preschool and Child Care programs), Vallejo Bilingual Department, nine K-5 elementary schools, Sonoma State and U.C. Cooperative Extension Universities.


Description of the Project

The Vallejo Even Start (VES) program has developed three exemplary programs based on teacher recommendations and research: Read Aloud, Home Activities and Family Literacy Staff In-service.

READ ALOUD

The Read Aloud program is a weekly, take-home book program modeled after author Jim Tralease's The New Read Aloud Handbook and Becoming a Nation of Readers.. VES Child Development Centers provide age and language appropriate books to all parents and are rotated weekly. Since 1994, over ninety-two percent of VES’s preschool children and parents have participated in this weekly book exchange program in which parents are expected to read to their child three times each week and log their activity.

HOME ACTIVITIES

The Home Activities program is modeled after Shirley Raines and Robert J. Canady's Story Stretchers series . Story Stretchers suggests multiple ways for teachers and parents to extend the themes and content of children's books through activities (i.e. drama, art, songs, manipulatives, etc.). Eighty-five Stepping Stones parents and 52 Home Visitor parents participants were given specific home activities and materials to use with their child, enriching their literacy skills.

STAFF IN-SERVICE

Staff development is an essential component and priority of the Even Start Program. For change to take place and be institutionalized, the program consistently provides support to the Even Start, Child Development, Stepping Stones and Home Visitor staff. Specialists in social services, nutrition, hygiene, adult training, reading, and family literacy have continuously provided additional skills and techniques based on the goals of the Even Start program, for the staff.
The SLRC Mini Grant allowed the Even Start Project to expand these initial successes to additional Child Development, Adult School, Bilingual, Home Visitor and K-5 elementary staff, parents and children.

Project Budget

Teacher Stipends $2400. attend in-services, construct new home activity kits
VES support $1400. coordinate SLRC grant program among district's programs (in-kind)
CDC $2500. CDC staff monitoring book program (in-kind)
Training $2250. provide outside consultant in-service training and staff development
Presenter Stipends $ 500.workshop presenters
Library Materials $2080.
$1080.		 SLRC funds for books and materials for Home Activities & Read Aloud
VES funds for books and materials for Home Activities and Read Aloud
Equipment $ 800. in-kind for facilities, equipment, duplicating materials
TOTAL $12,210 ($7663 from SLRC grant)


How the SLRC Grant Benefited the Project

The SLRC Mini-Grant award has allowed VES to accomplish the following:

  • expand the Read Aloud program to 8 kindergartens & 3 first grade feeder classes whose children previously participated in VES's Read Aloud program
  • increase use of children's literature to teach parenting/literacy skills using Dr. Carole Talan's model
  • offer 8 monthly in-service workshops in family literacy to all K-5 elementary school staffs, child development staff, bilingual department staff and Even Start staff with 185 participants
  • incorporate Mary Sue Ammon's, Ph.D., "Leamos Juntos" home activities model in the Child Development, Even Start, Stepping Stones, and Home Visitor home activities program
  • establish a "Reading Readiness Strand" for Child Development Department's student assessment
  • integrate Story Stretchers in the Home Visitor, Child Development and Stepping Stones curriculum
  • introduce and encourage the use of "story plays" as demonstrated by Dr. Patricia Nourot, Sonoma State University
  • establish a partnership with Sonoma State University Early Child Development Department and begin discussions to establish a satellite ECE certificate program for Vallejo CDC staff there.


    Success of the Project

  • A renewed enthusiasm and excitement by district staff about literacy and the support VES staff can offer parents and children around their literacy needs.
  • The sharing and integrating of VES's family literacy efforts with Adult School, K-5 elementary schools and Child Development Centers by cooperatively offering staff in- services to all.
  • The inclusion of Sonoma State and U.C. Cooperative Extension as providers of staff in-service.


    Anecdotes

    Many CDC teachers shared their enthusiasm at how easy is was for them to plan curriculum now that they were incorporating the Story Stretcher suggestions in to their weekly plans.

    Several staff are now considering enrolling in Sonoma State University's ECE certificate and improving their career opportunities.

    Home Activities are now a new dimension that many CDC staff are developing, sharing and integrating in their curriculum at six CDC sites.



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