Are Kids Ready for School? Number 1 Question, Des Moines, Iowa

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New Data		"Are all kids ready for school?"
2003		Indicators	New Data Polk County	2002 DataGrowth Chart	Community Goal	Comparison to Nation	Disparities *Action Needed	2002 Grade	New Grade
Problematic. A troubling situation that's getting worse, with little sign of improvement and major obstacles that will make progress difficult		Head Start/Shared Vision/Empowerment Preschool	TBA	50% of eligible children were enrolled	85%	Generally Higher	Some children sit on waiting lists	B	TBA
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		Quality Childcare	19.7% of licensed childcare centers are NAEYC accredited	6.8% of licensed childcare centers were NAEYC accredited	100%	Accreditation rate much higher than national rate of 7%	Majority of children in unregulated care situations	D	D+
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		Affordable & Available Childcare	TBA	7,864 discrepancy between the need and supply of available childcare slots for 0-5 year olds in Polk County	N/A	Worse	The lower the family income, the fewer the options for quality care	D	TBA
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		Parenting/Family Support – Kindergarten Survey	Children demonstrating necessary skills: Frequently/Consistently: 42.7%/25.5% = 68.2% Rarely/Sometimes: 8.9%/22.9% = 31.8%	Children demonstrating necessary skills: Frequently/Consistently: 27.9%/46.8% = 74.7% Rarely/Sometimes: 8.7%/16.5%= 25.2%	90%	N/A)	More parent/child interaction needed across all sectors	I	D
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		Are all kids healthy and well?	Composite Score of indicators from Benchmark question, “Are all kids Healthy and Well?”					C	B-*
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	Review last year's data See the Top Ten Ways to Make a Difference	Are all kids living in a safe and stable home?	Composite Score of indicators from Benchmark question, “Are all kids Living in a safe and stable home?”					D+	D+ /C-
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		* Overall grade subject to change after new data is received and reviewed.

Key Facts Brain development research documents how critical a child’s first five years are to their cognitive, emotional, and social development Failure to provide essential support in early years is associated with both short-term and long-term problems, with major societal and individual costs Research shows every dollar invested in early childhood development results in anywhere from a $2—$10 return on investment Successful early childhood development would reduce need for costly and often unsuccessful compensatory, remediation, maintenance, and public protection services 23,536 Polk County children are in need of childcare because both parents or their only parent works outside the home 39 of 198 licensed childcare centers in Polk County are NAEYC accredited (16 of 107 all day and 23 of 91 part-time programs) NAEYC is the National Association for the Education of Young Children; www.naeyc.org includes a listing of accredited programs Only 68.2 % of kids entering kindergarten frequently or consistently demonstrated the motor, communication, cognitive, self-management and social/emotional skills necessary to be ready to succeed in school		Issues Only 68.2 % of kids entering kindergarten frequently or consistently demonstrated the motor, communication, cognitive, self-management and social/emotional skills necessary to be ready to succeed in school Many new parents also face economic and social stress or are unprepared for parenting due to lack of knowledge or childhood experiences that did not provide them with good parenting models Research shows the number of words spoken to infants and toddlers directly impacts their language development. The Hart & Risley report shows the average "welfare child" experiences 62,000 words per week, compared to a "working-class child's" 125,000 words per week. In addition the "welfare child" listened to 500 words of encouragement and 1,100 negative words per week while the "working-class child" averaged 1,200 words of encouragement and 700 negative words Parents on welfare are mandated to work, but may not have adequate childcare resources Parents are not familiar with child care licensing and accreditation or what to look for when choosing child care and preschool programs Child care is a demanding profession with high stress and low pay Empowerment efforts have targeted inner cities for accreditation and have helped pay the discrepancy between state subsidies vs. current market rate for child care (Iowa only pays 75% of 1998 market rate for child care) Business community is starting to understand and take action around the significance of early childhood development to economic development and child care issues to the workplace. Example: Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Project Destiny

“Number 1 Question: Is it good for the kids?” Is a leading child advocacy movement in Des Moines, Iowa. We strive to provide quality information to our parents, caregivers and community about the critical issues affecting the wellbeing of our children. We encourage volunteerism on behalf of agencies dedicated to improving the life of every child. We enable philanthropy by encouraging donations to organizations committed to helping kids and their families. We strive to see all babies born healthy. It is our goal too to keep kids healthy and well. We think every child should be living in a safe and stable home. We support those who strive to make our neighborhoods safe and supportive for kids. We question whether kids are receiving the mentoring they need to be ready for school and successful at learning. It’s our objective to see that all of our youth are preparing to enter adulthood so that they may live a happy and worthwhile life. Plus, successful kids mean a successful community for all of us in Greater Des Moines. Website by Jordan Creek Web Design.