School Readiness

Preparing children for school begins at birth. That’s why MC-Indy and its partners are working hard to ensure that all families in the Martindale Brightwood and Southeast neighborhoods are given the tools they need early on so that the children can enter school prepared to learn.

Research has told us that children who participate in quality preschool or early learning opportunities have a greater chance in succeeding in kindergarten and beyond. That’s why MC-Indy and its partners support programs that give families and their children these opportunities.

We know that investing in early childhood can have a return on investment anywhere from $2-$17 for every dollar invested. The earlier that we start investing in our young children, the greater the chance we have that they will grow up to be healthy, productive residents.

The Making Connections Indy goal is to improve outcomes for children in the SE and MB neighborhoods by supporting families and building strong neighborhoods. Investing in early childhood is an important part of this!

Bridges to Success

Bridges To Success holds a long-range vision of establishing schools as “lifelong learning centers” and focal points of their communities. They provide established and long standing programs in building partnerships with parents, teachers, and community leaders to provide successful education for all students within the community of Martindale Brightwood and Southeast

Smart Start

The purpose of Ready Communities - Ready Schools is to align partners around the goal of initiating services at IPS 51 and IPS 37 to promote communication, coordination, and quality of services provided to children by the school, childcare providers, and larger community with a focus on transition to school. United Way coordinates with and build on existing community schools models, including, but not limited to, the nationally recognized Bridges to Success model.

Assistance include:

• Provision and promotion of voluntary formal and informal training and coaching for early childhood practitioners and elementary school teachers focused on child development knowledge and program improvement.
• Engagement of the principal and teachers of Schools 37 and 51 in a self-evaluation of their school’s “readiness” for children entering their environment.
• Encouragement of school leadership to promote early educational experiences for future students, and younger siblings of current students.
• Formation of a school-based committee charged with ensuring a positive transition of incoming kindergartners from home- and center-based child care environments.
• Concentration of public awareness campaigns about early childhood development and school readiness in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood that includes information about accessing quality child care and preschool and responsive caregiving.
• Expansion of an existing home visiting program that helps parents in their roles as children’s first teacher, and offers these services to children in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood.
• Understanding the perspectives of parents whose children are about to enter kindergarten
• Communication between parents, caregivers and teachers concerning expectations of school readiness, while helping programs develop strategies for involving parents.
• Involvement of parents of future students as decision-makers in the process of facilitating a positive transition into school.

Quality preschool programs can help parents give their children a good start for kindergarten.

Even Start

Even Start is a parent-child program that helps parents help prepare their preschool aged child for school. Parents participate in adult education classes learning strategies to pass the GED test while their child participates in a quality preschool environment.

Even Start is a federally funded program and is currently offered at School 39 in Southeast. For more information on Even Start, contact Linda Hogan at 226-3975 or hoganl@ips.k12.in.us

Success by Six

A city-wide early childhood initiative that works to ensure that all children from birth to age 6 have the positive and enriching experiences necessary to begin school and being prepared to succeed.

Through Success by Six, parents and caregivers can receive information that will give them tools to be their child’s first and most important teacher.

The Born Learning Campaign provides materials that inspire parents to turn everyday moments into teachable moments.

Parents As FIRST Teachers

Parents as FIRST Teachers is a home-based early childhood education program that trains parent leaders to guide families so they can prepare their children (age 0 to 5) to be successful in school. Parent as FIRST Teachers works together with the Family Investment Center and Healthy Families to ensure education and learning at home.

Play and Learn

Play and Learn Groups were developed in the 1990’s in Hawaii as a way to support parents with young children and to help them be their child’s first and most important teacher. Play and Learn playgroups offer support and resources for families so that they can continue to provide the best learning environments for their children.

In late 2005, Making Connections Indianapolis partnered with Ivy Tech in offering Play and Learn playgroups to neighborhood families.

Playgroups are offered at various locations throughout the neighborhood (Click here for a list of locations). All families with children ages 0-5 are invited to attend.

Play and Learn groups satisfy a need for parents and caregivers to connect with each other to provide children a safe, positive, caring place to truly learn and play. These groups give children the opportunity to learn, to get along with other children and experience developmental activities that they might not have available at home.

Contact Ann Aull at Ivy Tech at 921-4300

School Partners

Making Connections Indianapolis achieves positive goals by working with partners to provide preschool and early childhood development experiences for children in both neighborhoods.

Making Connections School readiness efforts work with the schools of the Martindale Brightwood and Southeast neighborhood.

Each neighborhood has a functioning task force focusing on improving neighborhood schools

Bridges to Success Education Task Force Committee Chair: Phyllis Carr 2nd Friday 10:30 am IPS School 51 317-543-3863.

School Readiness Tips

Get early prenatal care.

Have your child immunized on time

Enroll in a Play and Learn playgroup (click here to find a location)

Read to your child every day

Visit the library with your child every week. Check out the “bunny bag” books and Ready to Learn backpacks (ask your local librarian for these)

Make sure your child gets adequate rest

Make every experience a learning experience! Take your child to the grocery store and have them help you pick out healthy food.

Constantly talk to your child – the more words your child hears, the better prepared they will be!

Go to the Success by Six website to register your child for the Early Reading Program.