The Courier March 2016 | Volume 23, Issue 6
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www.the-courier.org | news@isd15.org
Community collaboration supports screening for children Melissa Denning
Early Childhood Screening Manager
Nancy Wallace
Community Education Coordinator
Collaboration is the name of the game because of a partnership grant Independent School District 15 Early Childhood Screening received from the Anoka County Children and Family Council. The grant is a collaborative effort between the St. Francis, Centennial and Forest Lake school districts to identify and screen children. Besides planning, sharing resources and working together, the three districts have a variety of local partners in the way of businesses, agencies and civic groups that assist the grant’s effort of promoting the importance of children participating in Early Childhood Screening shortly after they turn three years of age. One focus of the grant in ISD 15 over the past three years has been to work with childcare centers and homes by offering onsite screening to preschoolers. ISD 15 has been able to create partnerships and travel to childcare centers and homes to provide screening. These sites include: Tinker Tots in-home childcare, ISD 15 Just 4 Kids childcare, Kids Country Childcare Center and most recently Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool and Childcare Center. Dana Hoenigschmidt, owner and director of Kids Country Childcare Center, said, “This year Kids Country was given the unique opportunity to offer preschool screenings through ISD 15 at our center. All required forms were clearly explained and provided for us to give our parents. Because of the convenience, we had 28 families participate. In addition to the convenience, children really benefited because they were able to do the screening in a familiar environment with no separation anxiety from parents. When parents came at their regularly scheduled time to pick up their children, a summary conference was arranged to let them know how their child is doing and to answer any of their questions. This was a wonderful experience for all involved and we hope to partner with the school district to offer this again.” Screening children while in their typical childcare setting has proven to be successful for children and their families. Offering screening in
their natural environment seems to build trust and allows children to feel secure during the screening. Feedback from parents has been very positive. Bridgette Collins, parent, said, “When I came to pick up Taylor, the screening was complete. I was able to meet with the staff that did the screening and get the results. Everyone was very friendly. This worked out great with our busy schedule with kids in sports, swim lessons and two working parents!” Jesse and Amy Spindler echoed that opinion, “It was an amazing experience for us to be able to take advantage of
this onsite at the center where our child was already in her element and we did not have to take the day off of work. ISD 15 Early Childhood came and worked onsite to screen our daughter. We simply had a summary conference scheduled at pick-up time. It was a wonderful experience for Alana as well as for us.” ISD 15 Early Childhood Screening is looking to collaborate with other childcare homes or centers in the district. Contact Melissa Denning for more information about this onsite option at 763-753-7178 or
melissa.denning@isd15.org. Denning says, “Through this screening onsite, not only am I able to meet children and families where they are but I also get to build strong collaborative relationships with the providers. It is a great partnership of sharing information that in the end helps families and children. I believe we have strong collaboration in our district. Through this grant we have been able to collaborate in our community and with two other school districts. Many minds working together allow for endless possibilities!” Early Childhood Screening is a free service offered by school districts to check children’s growth and development. It is required for entrance in public school kindergarten and preschool and is strongly recommended shortly after a child turns three years of age. Children attending private schools or who are homeschooled are also encouraged to participate because it is a quick check of the child’s health and developmental status and can provide resource information to families. Screening checks large and small muscle development, vision and hearing, height and weight, language and communication skills, thinking and reasoning, social and emotional development and other factors that could impact learning. Screening is not a readiness test; it provides a snapshot of the child’s development for their current age at the time of screening. If concerns are identified through the screening process, parents and screening staff decide on the best approach to referrals and resources to better understand and address concerns. For more information about screening, contact the ISD 15 Early Childhood office at 763-753-7187. This community collaboration is an example of ISD 15’s Strategic Plan core value: Our community flourishes when individuals, families and organizations collaborate.
What’s Inside
Piper participates in onsite Early Childhood Screening at Kids Country Child Care in February. She easily transitioned from her classroom and did the screening tasks with confidence. Photo by Melissa Denning
Schools in Action.................................................. 2 School Board Highlights................................11 Community & Business...................................12 Community Education....................................21 Sports & Outdoors.............................................24 Meetings, Events & Benefits.........................26 Life...............................................................................27