Set up for Success

The principal of Redmond School District’s new Early Learning Center, Desiree Margo, D.Ed., always includes a favorite quote from American children’s rights activist Marian Wright Edelman next to her signature line: “The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.”

Led by Superintendent Mike McIntosh, the school district is investing in the youngest children of our community with the establishment of the Early Learning Center, set to open in Redmond this fall at the Hugh Hartman Campus located on SW Rimrock Way. The redesigned former site of the Redmond Proficiency Academy will now be home to all Redmond public school kindergartners, with the vision for becoming a hub where young children — from birth to age 6 — and their families can have easy access to a wide variety of services supporting early learning and development.

“Early Learning is a critical and much needed investment,” said Margo, who lead the planning effort for the center and who has served in the school district for more than two decades, most recently as the principal of M.A. Lynch Elementary. “The Redmond District is taking the bold step to join other champions across the state to invest our limited resources in new ways to get a new and stronger outcome. There is vast research on the benefits to investing in early learning, yet it takes vision and courage to stop doing what we have always done and invest in new ways.”

When Sherrie Reynolds first learned about the new center she was excited and curious, and also a little skeptical. As the mother of Jacob, 5, who will be entering kindergarten this fall, she had several concerns related to the change. She worried that it would add yet another transition for her son when he moves to a new school for first grade. She has since recognized that the experience will help to build adaptability and resilience in her son.

“We were a military couple before Jacob came along and I knew several children whose families had moved several times. They were so well adjusted and adaptable to change, and I think that’s a critical skill in today’s world,” said Reynolds. “I also worried that he would have to move away from some of his friends when that time comes, but on the plus side he will have friends all over town and for this year, he’ll be exposed to a level of diversity he might not get in a neighborhood school that is limited to one area of town.”

As a human resources payroll specialist for the school district, Reynolds has the advantage of seeing all the behind the scenes work being done on the center, and has been impressed with the high level of thought and planning going into every aspect of the Early Learning Center.

“The dedication and enthusiasm of the center’s staff is amazing,” said Reynolds. “I also find it exciting that Jacob gets to be in the first ever class of Honeybees, the school mascot.”

A review of state kindergarten assessment data sparked the idea for the center, which also happened to address other timely concerns such as alleviating overcrowding in Redmond schools and planning for the repurposing of the Hugh Hartman building.

“We looked at the data and observed that 40 percent of our students, according to this statewide assessment, were entering kindergarten struggling with being ready to learn in the school environment,” said Margo. “Many incoming students had not had any pre-kindergarten opportunities. It was almost like they were behind, and the race was just starting. We started to ask, ‘What if?’ — What if we could get to know our families earlier? What if we could partner with the community agencies that support young families? What if we opened a school completely focused on the early learner? Would more students arrive at kindergarten with increased readiness skills? What if we could increase outcomes for all kindergarten students?”

Superintendent McIntosh took teams to visit established early learning centers around the state, including the Gladstone Center for Children and Families, the Earl Boyles Early Learning Center and the Pendleton Early Learning Center.

“We heard their stories of increased readiness and increased outcomes and we started to both dream and plan,” said Margo.

The vision for the center, said Margo, is that it is a place where young families feel welcome, and where they partner with the center and staff to ensure that their child has the strongest start possible in school and in life. The center is working to expand offerings and to provide access to pre-kindergarten programs and resources, establishing a “one stop shop” for early childhood learning and development that is centrally located and accessible. This is the most exciting aspect of the project for Margo.

“The unique ability to focus all of our resources on the early learner is amazing,” said Margo. “Our entire team can partner with our families and go deep in our understanding of best practices for the early learner, and we can create an environment that ideally suits their learning needs.”

The unique model of the Early Learning Center, often called a “full service community school,” is different from traditional school models in that it includes a strategy for organizing the resources of both the school and the community around the success of the students.

“It is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. It leverages partnerships and adds value far above the cost of the programming, creating a powerful ‘win-win,’” said Margo. “This integrated focus on learning, services, supports and opportunities leads to improved student outcomes, stronger families and healthier communities. Community schools are just an incredible way to leverage resources and have a collective impact.”

Reynolds is also looking forward to this aspect of the new center.

“I think it will provide a sense of community among parents of young children. We’ll all be in the same boat, attending functions together, going through this first year together,” said Reynolds. “I think it is also going to be much easier for families of small children that might need additional resources if they can access them all in one place and not have to drive all over town for them. It might also ensure that they all have access to the same resources regardless of where they live, rather than having different resources at different schools.”

Margo has been inspired by the many ways that the community has come together in support of the center. The Start Making a Reader Today program is creating a team of 100 volunteers to visit the center twice weekly to read with students, and the Deschutes County Library is planning for a toddler story time to take place in the Family and Community Room at the center so that parents can bring their kindergartner to school and stay for story time with their younger children. Understanding that for many families, kindergarten is often the first interaction with the school system, a key element of the vision for the center is to get to know and build relationships with families much earlier, said Margo.

“Through our onsite and community partnerships — partnering with St. Charles Women’s Health, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for example — we hope that we will get to know our moms even while they are pregnant, before their babies are even born. We then want to continue to cultivate these relationships by inviting our families to be a part of our programming and events ideally suited for young families. We believe that these types of opportunities build relationships and trust, both which are key to our students’ success.”

Other community partnerships currently in the works include Healthy Beginnings (will host their free health and behavioral screenings at the center), Family Access Network (working to place an Early Learning Advocate at the center), Foster Grandparent Program (senior citizen volunteers who serve as mentors and support academics), and Redmond High School and Redmond Proficiency Academy (student mentorship opportunities). Other possible partners include Head Start, Early Childhood Special Education, public health entities and other agencies.

Throughout the planning process input was invited from the community and parents. Margo is grateful for the interest and involvement, which she feels helped to guide and strengthen the vision for the center.

“The community and our parents have been amazing,” said Margo. “Their input, questions and concerns have been so helpful in our planning. Change can be hard, and this model is a change for many of our families. That alone can cause a sense of unease, but we know from visiting other similar schools and models that once the school year starts and once all systems are well established, that both our students and our families will see the benefits this intentional focus will have for their child.”

Transportation to the new center was a common concern for many parents, and the district team has devoted a great deal of time to create a transportation plan that supports the needs of students and families. The goal of the plan is to reduce barriers and increase access to transportation, and each family will be contacted by the center team to create an individual transportation plan to ensure children are able to get to school on time and ready to learn.

Approximately 400 kindergartners and 60 pre-kindergartners are expected to enroll in the new center. Families can pick up and drop off registration packets at the Redmond District Office or at the new facility. Each family will receive a follow up phone call from the center’s administrative team.

“I look forward to developing the center’s mission and vision with the center team, our community partners, and our families,” said Margo.

Learn more: http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/about/early-learning-center/; or contact 541-923-5437 or info@redmondschools.org.