Early Math Learning Through Games
Our March First 10 Network Meeting showcased the early math work being done through the York First 10 Partnership and EDC’s Young Mathematicians (YM). YM has more than 55 games that are a fun, developmentally appropriate way to advance math learning for young children both at school and at home. The games are being aligned to district…
Bringing Care and Connection to Early Childhood Education
At our February First 10 Network meeting we were joined by Isabelle Hau, executive director of the Stanford Accelerator of Learning and Lisa Luceno, senior director of Early Childhood Strategy at Briya Public Charter School. A nationally recognized early childhood leader, Isabelle discussed her important new book, Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care…
Campaign for Grade-level Reading Webinar: Maine’s Distinctive Approach to Community Schools from the First 10 Network
State and district leaders from Maine shared the state’s innovative approach to First 10 at a recent Campaign for Grade-Level Reading webinar, First 10 School-Community Partnerships in Action. This webinar was the second in a three-part series of webinars focused on First 10. We learned how state leaders crafted their approach to First 10 and…
Maine’s Distinctive Approach to First 10
Maine began working with First 10 Director David Jacobson in 2018, implementing First 10 practices in 13 schools across the state. This early work led to the creation of a state-level, cross-agency team that promotes connections between early education initiatives. Currently, the Maine Department of Education provides a state level support position and fading funding…
Developing Strong Family-School Partnerships: Begin by Learning From and About Families
Improved levels of academic achievement and healthy social-emotional development for students are among the many benefits of strong family-school partnerships. At the October First 10 Network Meeting, EDC’s Jenny Portillo-Nacu, Senior Team Facilitator for First 10, and Kristen Reed, Managing Director for Young Mathematicians, led a presentation on building strong family-school partnerships. Through strong partnerships…
Building Sturdy Bridges: Prioritizing the Transitions to Kindergarten and First Grade
Each month, First 10 communities from across the U.S. come together to share best practices at First 10 Network Meetings. In September, we were joined by two special guests: Swati Adarkar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy and Early Learning at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and Ralph Smith, Managing Director at the Campaign for…
Practical Ideas for Deepening Family Partnerships
We at First 10 were excited to welcome Dr. Karen Mapp to our May network meeting. Dr. Mapp, a Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and Faculty Director of the Education Policy and Management Master’s Program, developed the widely-used Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships for the U.S. Department…
School-Connected Play & Learns
The First 10 Network launched in 2022 as a way to connect First 10 communities to one another so that they can learn about and build on each other’s innovations and adapt them to meet local needs. At our February network meeting, a panel of on-the-ground experts from the First 10 community—facilitators who lead play…
Getting Started with First 10: Community Partnerships, School Hubs, and Work Currently Underway (Post #3)
The second post in this series showed how First 10 partnerships are funded, how they are advancing equity by using this funding to support urban and rural communities with significant low-income populations, and how some partnerships are combining First 10 with anti-racism efforts. In this post, I discuss how communities get started with First 10….
Alabama Launches a New Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit
Alabama launched its new Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit in December. We have really appreciated the opportunity to partner with Alabama on this important resource. Congrats to Secretary Barbara Cooper (Department of Early Childhood Education), her team, and her colleagues in other agencies. Alabama asks me to convey its thanks to the Rhode Island Department of…