Ready Start EBR

Ready Start Network Blueprint Summary

 Vision: Ready Start EBR is known for delivering access to high quality care and education to ensure that all children are ready for Kindergarten.

Mission: Increase the number of children in our network who reach kindergarten on time and on level.

Introduction

 The East Baton Rouge Parish Early Childhood Community Network is made up of a diverse group of education providers (partners), in the City of Baton Rouge and the City of Baker. In addition to our education providers, we have existing partnerships with community organizations that provide support programs and resources to our network. Our 151 sites and community partners have worked together to implement the five key strategies identified by Act 3 of the 2012 legislature to ensure that more children enter kindergarten ready to succeed. The most recent data available (2018-2019), shows that our network served 5,458 publicly funded children (not including infants), and has earned a Proficient rating and climbing since the start of Early Childhood Performance Profile ratings began in 2015. Additionally, in 2018-19, 73.5% of our 151 sites were reported at the proficient level or above, which includes seven sites that scored in “Excellent” category. We serve 90-100% of the 4 year old at risk population in our area, but only 11-29% of the Birth to three year olds. The data reveals have we have an access problem in our Birth to three year old population that needs to be addressed. 

Since 2018-19, we have increased the number of students we serve in high quality sites at each age level in the Birth to age three range, but we seek to increase this service number even more with the Ready Start initiative. Ready Start EBR will increase quality and access for the Birth to three aged children through a number of strategies. The 2018-2019 data from LDE shows that there is an at risk cohort of 3,298 at each age level. For the three year old age group, we are only serving 1,252 (38%) of that cohort. Further, only 1,065 of those three year olds seated in a program are actually seated in a “high quality” site. This leaves a service quality gap of 187, which is greater than the gaps that exist in the infant, one, and two year old age groups. For this reason and others, we are addressing the quality and access gap at the three year old age range first. 

Strategic Plan

 Goal 1: Create a broader coalition of early childhood stakeholders with a shared decision making structure that generates additional funding.  

 Goal 2: Increase quality of sites through increased professional development and strategic coaching cycle. 

 Goal 3: Increase access through opening additional seats at high quality sites. 

 Goal 4: Use fundraising to provide support to programs that have assisted Ready Start EBR through seat expansion.