INTRODUCTION

Camp Fire First Texas has a successful history of strengthening early childhood education and setting children in Fort Worth on a path to academic success. Its work to prepare children for kindergarten began in 2005 with the Camp Fire School Readiness Program (CFSRP), a research-based initiative that strengthens children’s school readiness through improving language and socialemotional skills among children age 0-5 while also enhancing childcare center and teacher quality. CFSRP supports early education programs that feed into the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD).

This year, Camp Fire expanded its work to support early childhood development with the first cohort of the Early Education Apprenticeship Program (EEAP). EEAP facilitates a career and educational pathway for early childhood educators by combining paid, on-the-job learning with coaching from experienced educators and extensive professional development and professional certification over a course of one to two years, as appropriate for each apprentice’s background and circumstances. Each year, CFSRP staff work to collect quality data that inform them of their achievements toward program outcomes in order to understand areas of success and shortfall in the short term. They pair this knowledge with FWISD assessments of CFSRP students from either prekindergarten or kindergarten through third grade. Typical CFSRP program elements and data collection efforts were challenged during the 20192020 and 2020-2021 school years in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In response to these challenges, CFSRP staff focused on supporting center directors, supplemented program assessments with surveys and focus groups to gather feedback, and adjusted their programming accordingly.

Camp Fire’s annual evaluation report provides an opportunity to reflect on challenges and successes in the preceding year, make adjustments to more effectively support children’s education, and have transparent, productive conversations with partners and funders.