Poster #179 - A Museum-Head Start Partnership: Professional Development, Family Engagement, and Children’s Kindergarten Readiness Scores

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - School Readiness/Childcare

Integrative Statement

Informal learning settings, such as museums, can play a critical role in facilitating young children’s early experiences and interest in STEM (NRC, 2012). There is an acute need to support early STEM engagement for underrepresented families. Moreover, boosting children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills is important for achievement in school and life (NGSS, 2016). Successful community partnerships between informal learning settings and Head Start are one way to broaden participation, interest, and success in the STEM fields. This is vital, as previous work has shown, that children in Head Start tend to score lower in science and math readiness when compared to their higher SES peers (Brenneman, 2014).

The museum partnered with Head Start to provide family engagement nights (once per month, for 9 months) focused on developing children (and families’) science process skills (e.g., observe, predict, classify, problem solve, examine, use tools, and measurement). Family nights complimented the monthly teacher professional development workshops aimed at promoting hands-on science activities in the classroom and active engagement with STEM content. During family nights, in addition to access to the regular museum exhibits, families moved through 4 specially designed hands-on activity tables focused on promoting the above mentioned STEM skills. Hands-on activities varied each month as they related to current Head Start curriculum and workshop material. Professional development workshops focused on curriculum development, boosting attitudes about teaching science, and supporting instruction with the intention of having a lasting impact on the classroom context and children’s early experiences with STEM content.

The CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) scores for teachers who received monthly professional development at the museum, collapsed across the participation years of 2014-2017, were significantly higher than the national averages as reported by the Office of Head Start, in the same years, ts > 3.53, ps < .05 (Figure 1).

A sample of 147 children were evaluated with COR Advantage measure (HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 2014), pre- and post- the monthly family engagement program at the museum. There was a significant increase from pre to post test in school readiness and STEM skills that were explicitly targeted in the professional development and family nights, Fs > 94.90, ps < .001, η² s > .39 (Figure 2).

Ongoing work is aimed at identifying the critical elements of the family engagement nights and workshops for boosting children’s STEM skills and school readiness. Connections between family conversations and hands-on engagement will be explored.

Authors

• Erin Jant, Binghamton University
  Presenting Author

• Carrie Jubran, Tompkins Community Action
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michelle Kortenaar, Sciencenter
  Non-Presenting Author

• Victoria Fiordalis, Sciencenter
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allison Sribarra, Sciencenter
  Non-Presenting Author