Welcome Summer Champions

1. Welcome Summer Champions

2. The Inspiring Summer Co-Chairs Shelly Masur President, Redwood City School Board Gina Quiney Legislative Aide, Office of County Supervisor Carole Groom

3. Agenda • The goals for today • Explain The Big Lift • Explore your role • Brainstorm how to improve quality and increase access • Create a network

4. Introducing The Big Lift Erica Wood Vice President, Silicon Valley Community Foundation A lead sponsor of The Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council

5. San Mateo County “The Big Lift” Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council

6. Proud to call San Mateo County home • One of most prosperous counties (top 1%) in the country • A world leader in technology and innovation • Stepped up to provide universal healthcare coverage for children But many children struggle in school

7. The facts • 42% of county 3rd graders, 3000 children, are not reading proficiently • 60%+ for Latino, African American, and Pacific Islander children • Source: Dataquest • Those behind tend to stay behind • 88% of dropouts could not read proficiently by 3rd grade • Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Longitudinal Study of Youth Why this matters: Before 3rd grade, children learn to read. After 3rd grade, they must read to learn.

8. The cost 42% of the county’s kids will struggle academically or may drop out They are likely to be under-employed or unemployed throughout their lives • The cost? • Lower productivity and competitiveness • Lower tax revenue and higher social costs • More crime and spending on prisons

9. Costs will grow State population growth: 2010-30 • Key trends: • Fewer children • Fewer people moving here • Surging numbers of retirees • Will trigger crises in: • Workforce replacement • Shrinking tax base • Source: Pitkin-Myers California Generational Projections Implication: We must educate every child because our future depends on it 65+

10. Why can’t the kids read? • Many assume it is the schools’ fault, but: • 50% of our children are not ready for kindergarten • Lack critical academic, social and emotional skills • Source: School Readiness and Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Santa Clara and San Mateo County Students • Key insight: There is no system from birth to 4.

11. Our education system has not changed • We compete globally, but the U.S. has a patchwork non-system from birth to 4, • when critical learning must take place. • U.S. ranked 26th in preschool participation • 3300 county kids who qualify don’t have access • 60% of county parents now work full-time Sources: OECD; : School Readiness and Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Santa Clara and San Mateo County Students • Key insight: If we were designing the school system today, it would start at age 3.

12. The opportunity gap 100% academic progress Children who attended quality preschool Children from higher & middle income families opportunity gap Children who did not attend quality preschool 50% Opportunity gap Children from lower income families time 3rd grade - Reading at grade level Kindergarten - Ready for school 12th grade – % graduate from high school Birth Kindergarten 3rd

13. A systems response to a systems problem • Quality preschool for all 3 and 4 year-olds • All-day kindergarten, currently optional, should be standard • And children’s reading progress must be sustained by: • Addressing chronic absences • Providing quality summer programs

14. The ROI on the right start Research shows investment in early education returns more than $8 for every dollar spent

15. San Mateo County responds • Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council (PPLC) • 80 organizations,a multi-sector collaborative • Focused on collective action to improve 3rd grade reading

16. Our collaborative is strong & growing 50 members The Big Lift Supporters 30 members 135 members 80 orgs. Now: 500 By 2015: 25K 4 active workgroups 250 now By 2015: 25K

17. The Big Lift Plan The Big Lift Plan Overall Goal: Go from 58% reading at grade level by 3rd grade to 80% by 2020 Overall Strategy: Pursue a “big lift” on educational outcomes via collaboration Make big system policy change Provide quality preschool for underserved 3- and 4-year-olds Sustain progress through Greater readiness Goal: Increase kids ready for kindergarten from 50% to 80% Inspiring summers Goal: 80% of kids reading below level attend a quality enrichment programs • Better attendance • Goal: Reduce chronic absence by 50%

18. What the PPLC collaborative will do • Develop an awareness campaign on importance of reading well by 3rd grade • Conven community leaders to work together on this initiative • starting in communities that need them most 1 Develop an awareness campaign 2 Convene 3 Spread promising initiatives,

19. Results to date • At The Big Lift convening, 100 top SMC leaders said they would publicly support us • 50 of them volunteered to be our Strategic Advisors • Board of Supervisors allocated $10 million in Measure A funds • Contingent on developing detailed plans and raising matching funds • Now working on the preschool model and raising matching funds • Also working on sustainable long-term public funding options

20. 42% of our 3rd graders aren’t reading proficiently due to an opportunity gap • The cost of the opportunity gap is high: we needs the skills of every child • We need a systems response to a systems problem • The ROI? Better educational outcomes for all children; greater prosperity

21. It is a big lift, but we can do it

22. Summer learning loss During the summer, many lower income children fall behind in academic skills. • Lose up to 2 months of reading achievement, while their middle class peers make gains • Source: Annie E Casey Foundation • “Opportunity gap” in accessing quality summer programs contributes to achievement gap • Only 18% from low-income households participate • Source: Summer Matters Campaign Achievement Gap

23. Summer learning loss If we provide quality preschool for all SMC 3-and 4-year olds, but don’t provide enriching summers, they may end up losing ground and falling below reading proficiency at 3rd grade 2 years of quality preschool for 3- and 4-year olds Goal: 3rd grade reading proficiency in SMC Quality summer programs for kids K-3 Key insight: These investments in early learning work best in tandem

24. Evidence that summer learning helps • Rand Corporation • Students who attended high-quality summer programs performed better in school • The positive effects last for at least 2 years • Johns Hopkins Univ. • Library reading programs improved reading scores & prevented summer learning loss • Higher scores on reading tests • More books in homes • More summer reading • Greater readiness to learn in the fall • Annie E. Casey Fdn. • Summer experiences during early school years yield higher achievement • Higher placement in college prep track • More high school completion • More attendance at a 4-year college

25. What is happening in San Mateo County Sent a questionnaire, received 10 replies. We need your input… • Many serve low-income students, many do not • Some operate full-day programs that provide a safe space when parents work; some operate shorter hours • Some provide academic support and enrichment, some just enrichment, some just academic support • Some are affiliated with schools, some are not – many districts rely on partners to provide summer programs

26. The big picture • State budget cuts have hit school summer programs hard • Where you live makes a difference in access to quality summer programs • We estimate 6000 SMC children in grades K-3 • lack access to quality summer programs

27. What we propose for San Mateo County Over long-term, raise money to support added quality and access to summer programs • In short term, raise awareness of role of summer learning in children becoming proficient readers • Engage you in enriching your program & working on access • Encourage collaboration to share best practices and find creative solutions

28. Key strategies Goal: Have 80% of children reading below level attend a high quality summer program by 2020. 1 • on importance of summer learningin reading well by 3rdgrade • summer providers and create network to collaborate on summer learning challenge • starting in communities that need them most • Support preschool roll by making sure the children have quality summer experiences in their K-3 years Develop an awareness campaign 2 Convene 3 Spread best practices 4 Support preschool rollout

29. What you do already “Once you can read, you can learn anything” But how do you learn to read? You have to match sounds to letters And you have to learn vocabulary You also need to have context to read well, and context is created by knowledge and experiences… and that’s where all of you come in

30. Defining quality summer programs • 6 signs of a great program: • Broadens children’s horizons: • Exposure to new experiences -- nature walks, museums, games • Includes a wide variety of activities: • Reading, writing, math, science, arts – made fun and engaging • Helps youth build mastery: • Improving in activities they enjoy-- creating a garden • 4. Fosters cooperative learning: Working with friends or in teams • 5. Promotes healthy habits: • Healthy food, physical recreation, outdoor activities • Lasts at least one month: • A long enough time to benefit kids

31. Directions for quality mapping • You have two green dots and two red ones in your folder • Put each of your green dots next to the two quality elements that your program is strongest in • Put each of your red dots next to the quality elements that are most challenging for your program to deliver

32. Brainstorm on improving quality • Brainstorm ways to improve the quality of your programthat don’t involve incremental funding • Example: Improve quality through joint programming, like Park & Rec working withlibraries • Pick one person at each table to write down ideas and report for the group

33. Brainstorm on improving access • Brainstorm ways to improve access to your program that don’t involve incremental funding • Example: Create a list of programs in your area, including emails, so you can refer families on your wait listto other options. • Pick one person at each table to write down ideas and report for the group

34. The Packard Foundation and summers Justina Cross Program Officer for Children, Families, and Communities; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation

35. Are you in? • I will publicly support this initiative • I will meet once or twice a year with this group… • I will look for ways to improve the quality of my program…. • I will explore ways to increase access to my programs… • I will work with other summer providers to support the rollout of quality preschool… • I will fill out the questionnaire so we can map all the SMC resources….

36. It is a big lift, but we can do it