Wyoming Kids First

Did you know…

That a child’s reading level at the end of third grade is a fairly accurate predictor of whether she will graduate from high school?[1]

That 92 percent of Wyoming children ages one to five are read to at least three times per week?[2]

That you can make a difference in a child’s life by helping him learn to love reading?

This month, have fun reading with the children in your life.

Read Dr. Seuss books to celebrate his birthday on March 2.

Check out new books at the library.

Find literacy-building activities for young children at WY Quality Counts!

Tell us: How will you celebrate literacy in March?

Earlier this year, Wyoming Kids First began research to answer the question: how much does the state of Wyoming spend on programs for young children and early childhood? Gathering data to answer this question was a complicated task due to the number of programs that provide support for young children and their families, their funding sources, and all of the different ways the programs keep records.

Some programs, like WIC, use 100% of their funding to benefit pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and children up to age five. Other programs serve a broader age range—for example, the Children’s Developmental Disability Waiver serves children from birth to age 20. We often had to work with program staff to estimate the percentage of funds that went to children ages birth to five.

Another challenge came in trying to separate out funding sources. Our interest was the amount of state money expended, but many state programs have multiple funding sources, including federal funds. In these cases we also had to work with program staff to break out state versus other funds. This emphasis on state funds also means that programs funded only by other funds were not included in the estimate.

So what was the total amount? Wyoming has a biennial budget, which means that state agencies budget for two years at a time. We estimate that Wyoming spent $362 million on programs for young children in the 2011-2012 biennium. A part of this total is spent on early education, and we estimate that Wyoming spent $2,123 per child on early education in 2011-2012.  By comparison, we estimate that Wyoming spends $21,848 per student on K-12 education per biennium.

Click to read the full report or executive summary. Although this number is only an estimate, it serves as a starting point for dialogues about how and where young children rank in Wyoming’s priorities, and the future of Wyoming itself.

The Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) is one of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in the United States. UCEDDs share the common university goals of teaching, research, and service. The mission of the WIND is to assist individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families by promoting and supporting full community inclusion, community membership, independence, productivity and social participation. WIND provides early intervention activities, training and technical assistance to professionals, research on disability issues and is home to the state assistive technology program and accessible instructional material coordinating center. Visit uwyo.edu/wind to learn more.

We spoke with Laurie Westlake, Academic Professional at WIND and member of the WECP Board of Directors.

How does your work connect to early childhood?

All of it does! I teach pre-service and in-service courses to early childhood education providers, coordinate the Wyoming Lions Early Childhood Vision Project and collaborate with the National InfantSEE program. I monitor the TANF Preschool programs throughout the state and provide technical assistance to the programs as needed. I am also a certified Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observer and trainer. CLASS is a standardized observation tool to assess classroom quality in preschool programs based on teacher-child interactions. Head Start programs are using the CLASS as part of their Federal monitoring requirements and TANF preschools in Wyoming are also using the CLASS as part of their professional development efforts.

My work in early childhood focuses on best practices in early childhood and early childhood special education. I visit classrooms in preschool programs across the state, observing and talking with teachers, education coordinators, and directors. I understand the great work that occurs across Wyoming within a variety of preschool programs and I am proud to be a part of this early childhood system.

How does your work make the lives of children, families and communities better?

I hope in a lot of different ways. I work to make educational opportunities for children better. The training and technical assistance for providers improves the educational environment in the preschool programs, thus improving outcomes for children. I also work to make providers aware of community resources so that families can connect to them. The TANF preschool program offers the opportunity for children to attend preschool who might not otherwise have that opportunity. I facilitate early childhood special education teachers’ experiences within their programs so that they can help families access needed resources within their local communities.

Why is talking about and investing in early childhood important for Wyoming?

At risk of sounding cliché, we know that our children are our future in Wyoming. We also know from research that children who attend preschool are more likely to graduate from high school, which may help them get a good job and hopefully stay in Wyoming. Staying in school and then working could ease the burden on our judicial system. In the long term, investing in early childhood is important for Wyoming economically.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing Wyoming can do for its children?

One of the most important things is to find supports and resources that keep families together. Family is a strong cultural part of living in Wyoming. Also, it’s important to provide children and families with opportunities to have early childhood learning experiences in a variety of ways. These experiences will prepare kids for kindergarten and beyond. Whether it’s a formal preschool setting, or providing ways to keep kids in their homes, Head Start, TANF preschools, developmental preschools, private or nonprofit programs, we need to make sure we keep that variety of opportunity open. Also, Wyoming should continue to provide appropriate educational training to providers, which links back to early learning for children.

The Governor’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council released the Wyoming Early Learning Guidelines earlier this year. The play-based Guidelines are for children ages birth to three years, and cover the development of Communication, Sense of Self and Relationships, Curious Minds, and Strong and Healthy Bodies.

“Young children’s learning comes through the discoveries they make through play within the context of caring relationships”, says Betsy Schmick, Executive Director of the State Advisory Council. “The Early Learning Guidelines offer parents, caregivers, early childhood professionals and policy makers a set of guidelines about development and early learning. The document provides information about what to look for as a baby grows and develops and how to nurture natural learning patterns and abilities in everyday activities and routines.”

The Early Learning Guidelines are available online. Also, hard copies, DVDs and play posters can be ordered by contacting Sue Bacon at the Department of Family Services Early Childhood Programs Division.

Heidi Dickerson is the Executive Director of Children and Nutrition Services.

How does your work connect to early childhood?

Children are the focus and centerpiece of all work that is accomplished by Children and Nutrition Services, Inc. Our connection to early childhood is at the core of our mission statement: “Children and Nutrition Services, Inc. is a non-profit Wyoming agency organized to provide, promote and support programs and activities that improve the well-being of young children.” Our organization exists to promote the early care and education of children.

How does your work make the lives of children, families and communities better?

Each day Children and Nutrition Services staff serve children, families and communities through direct services that impact the care and nutrition of children. Our Child Care Finder (CCF) staff members empower parents with resources and referrals to child care providers. Further, CCF supports child care providers through the Early Childhood Professional Development Program and accompanying resources and technical assistance in order that they may offer child care of the highest caliber to the youngest members of our communities.

Children and Nutrition Services also serves as a sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program which ensures a high nutrition standard for nearly 300 child care homes and nearly 4,000 children across the state. The launch of the Parent Engagement Project through the AmeriCorps National Service Program has enabled Children and Nutrition Services to reach parents and raise awareness of quality child care and increase their ability to obtain child care that best serves their children and families.

Further, Children and Nutrition Services is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for Wyoming Kids First of Natrona County and the movement towards a unified system that offers support and resources to children and families where the community need is the greatest. Children and Nutrition Services unite all of these individual programs to provide holistic resources and support for children, families and ultimately communities and our state.

Why is talking about and investing in early childhood important for Wyoming?

We are literally holding the future in our hands. We have the ability to impact children during their early and highly formative years when our efforts have the potential for the highest long-term value. Furthermore, there is an immediate return on investment with a stronger workforce today when they can obtain quality and reliable child care. The State of Wyoming realizes a benefit both today and tomorrow when its citizens invest in early childhood.

What is the most important thing Wyoming can do for its children?

Empower them. As we empower the children of Wyoming through access to strong early learning programs, quality child care, nutrition and safety we are ensuring that the vital building blocks for a bright future are in place and available to every child in Wyoming. Our investment in early childhood today is the beginning of a strong tomorrow for our children.

We have transitioned from our old “News and Media” page to a blog. (Our old news posts are still posted here on the blog.) We hope this will improve our communications and increase interaction with people throughout Wyoming. Check back for Wyoming Kids First updates, early childhood news, information on community resources, interviews with early childhood advocates, and more.

Leave a comment and tell us what you’d like to see on the blog!