MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK

For Child Care Providers

Maryland Model for School Readiness

The Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) is an innovative approach to training child care providers in the readiness criteria for public school. This high-quality, highly interactive training is organized along four basic strands: observation; assessment; documentation; and connecting with children, families, schools and instruction. The training consists of eight six-hour training modules hosted over two years. The training modules build upon one another and link observation, assessment, curriculum, and instruction in ways that significantly improve learning environments for young children. This training content, which includes use of the Work Sampling System (WSS), corresponds to content areas specified as the "core of knowledge" required for the Maryland Child Care Credential. Successful completion of the MMSR training, therefore, also qualifies a provider for the Credential. In addition to the training, technical assistance site visits are conducted in order for participants to better incorporate the training into their everyday practice.

The pilot program of MMSR training, funded for 1998-2000 by a grant from the Baltimore Gas & Electric Foundation, included as partners Maryland State Department of Education, Head Start Collaboration Office of OCYF, Villa Julia College, and Maryland Family Network. Maryland Family Network was approached by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to be the lead partner in this effort. MCC and MSDE have worked together on a number of significant issues over the past few years, including the development of a plan for the improvement of the child care field by addressing issues such as career opportunities, defining basic knowledge and skills necessary to help children make the most of their formative years, and recognizing the need to address articulation of coursework between two- and four-year institutions of higher education as well as training successfully completed outside of those institutions by non-traditional students. The other partners, Head Start and Villa Julie College, were also invited to participate in order to make sure (in the case of Head Start) that the pilot included all types of care for children, and to allow (in the case of Villa Julie College) providers of care to take training for college credit if they wished.

The Maryland Model for School readiness pilot represented the first time in the United States that a state department of education worked with an early childhood advocacy group in addressing the needs of the community. Participants in the pilot went through an interactive series of training modules that allowed them to identify and understand the needs of young children, created the opportunity for providers of care to analyze their learning environment and reflect on its impact on children, and offered the tools to help child care providers modify their environment and their classroom practice.

Our experience with the pilot version of MMSR training confirmed that regardless of the level of education, experience, or background in training, child care providers of all types and abilities benefit from this model. Though some presentation is part of the MMSR model, much of the "instruction" is done by way of small group activities and discussions, getting individuals to discuss elements of their programs and appropriateness of practice. Additionally, through use of the training binder as a journal of practice and "homework" assignments, each participant has a very individual experience working through issues.

Results from the original pilot implementation of the program were impressive. Using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) as a pre-training baseline, a mid-point assessment, and an end-of-project assessment, those programs that participated in the full two years of the program gained an average of one full point (on a scale of seven) in the ECERS. This finding is statistically significant at the 95% level.

Maryland Family Network has been granted funding from the Maryland State Department of Human Resources – Child Care Administration to expand the MMSR program to include 200 child care providers in total, and an additional 45 individuals who will be trained as trainers. The impact of this expansion will be forty-eight (48) hours of training that will positively affect 80 family child care providers and 140 child care center staff, with an estimated 1,640 children in their programs benefiting from the results of training.

Additionally, approximately 45 resource center staff and (CCA Approved) trainers will be trained, with those individuals positively affecting an even greater number of child care providers and the children in their care with their implementation of training in the following year.

Maryland Family Network is looking for additional funding for the Maryland Model for School Readiness to implement expansion on a wider scale. This further expansion would include helping successful participants of the trainers’ training to implement their own training at affordable costs to child care providers throughout the state, and expanded assistance to direct providers of care in making linkages with their individual schools and school systems.

For more information on the Maryland Model for School Readiness and the Work Sampling System Domains
For more information see MSDE's Children Entering School Ready to Learn 2001-2002 Report (.pdf )