Community Newsletter

We’re kicking off 2023 with big plans and impactful work! Last year we grew our reach to eight communities, adding Huber Heights. Over 3,500 children attended our partner Preschools.

We’ve expanded our work with families with children from Birth to 3, and we’re working with teachers and families in exciting new ways:

• We’re partnering with the Ohio Department of Education and LENA to encourage conversation through serve-and-return interactions in infant and toddler classrooms. Back-and-forth exchanges with even the youngest children promote early brain development. We formed a Professional Learning Community and, using LENA’s software, discovered that the 35 participating teachers in 15 classrooms spoke, on average, a cumulative 5 million words in the classroom each week!

• We’ve expanded our Play on Purpose initiative to include additional locations and are continuing to scout for more opportunities. POP Spots are familiar places where our partners can provide young children with spaces to learn through play. Learn more here.

• We launched Reaching for Readiness, a new initiative with Help Me Grow Brighter Futures. Preschool Promise Parent Educators visit with families of young children in their homes, helping ensure their infants and toddlers are meeting important developmental milestones and sharing ways to teach children at home, starting at birth. This program uses the Parents as Teachers curriculum.

Keep an eye out for more great news from us this year!

Our January free Book-of-the-Month, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, tells the story of a cheery cat as he works through losing his buttons, using his catchphrase, “Did Pete cry? Goodness no.” As the book progresses, young learners are encouraged to use their math skills to determine how many buttons remain. Pete’s experiences tie in well with the “Core 4” skill of counting and measuring, which is important for Kindergarten readiness.

Our free quarterly Play Kits and weekly text messages also correlate with a Core 4 skill: Counting and Measuring, Talking and Reading, Connecting and Feeling and Solving Problems.

Since we began, our partner Preschools have needed to have 2-Star Step Up To Quality rating under Ohio’s voluntary program that encourages early learning programs to go above and beyond minimum licensing standards. Step Up standards are based on national research identifying criteria that lead to improved outcomes for children.

Starting February 14, our partners will need a 3-Star quality rating. Our coaches work closely with early learning providers to increase their Star Rating, all with the goal of helping children get the best start in their education journey. This does not apply to Family Child Care Providers.

Our applications to join Preschool Promise for the 2023-24 school year will be open on our website soon. Families may sign up at any time, so if you are looking for an application for this school year, don’t hesitate to reach out. Email us at [email protected] or call (937) 329-2700.

The 14th Annual Readiness Summit will take place, in person, at Sinclair College on March 3. Register here for this FREE event, which is always a great learning opportunity.