Access

Introduction

Access means all children, regardless of their race, gender, or economic status, should have equitable opportunities to participate in high quality educational programs and extracurricular activities and to be supported by caring adults helping them reach their full potential. Moreover, "a culturally responsive, asset-based approach emphasizes the importance of leveraging out-of-school practices" to provide a holistic education to students (Wright et. al, 2016). In other words, students need access to to be connected with opportunities and resources in and out of school. Unfortunately, many students and their families face barriers to participate in opportunities or gain access to resources outside of school. I found this to be especially true when I began teaching in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. My Pre-Kindergarten students were missing out on experiences of going to places and thus were not building deep schema, or background knowledge, that students need to be successful in school. 

In this section, I will demonstrate how I researched and analyzed opportunities for my students and their families and then created myriad resources and planned activities to academically benefit my students and their families. Specifically, I built partnerships with families to help them establish robust, literacy rich environments in their homes. Additionally, I provided a window into non-traditional STEM related career fields, in a virtual setting, that aligned with our learning objectives.

Family Engagement and Partnership to Support Early Childhood Literacy

Early literacy development starts at home and plays a significant role in children's overall success in school. Reading is the foundation to all subjects.  However, it’s about more than just knowing how to read. Students also have to enjoy reading. Myriad scholars discuss the crucial element of motivation to read as a factor in reading success (Malloy et. al, 2013; ReadingRockets, 2014; Afflerbach, 2018). In fact, Afflerbach (2018) specifically says that “reading development and success are influenced by motivation, prior reading experience, and self-efficacy” (p. 25). Students who are unmotivated to read, or feel they are not good readers, will struggle throughout their learning journey, and possibly in life. Early childhood is a vital time period to begin building a love of reading by surrounding children with books and with adults who also value reading. 

Unfortunately, “literacy gaps in children from different socioeconomic backgrounds exist before formal schooling begins” (American Psychological Association, 2017). Two factors that affect early literacy achievement are (1) parent/caregiver lack of awareness of how to develop their child's early literacy and (2) having limited access to sufficient reading materials. Providing students with their own library cards, information about the library, and knowledge of how to check out books, will increase their access to a variety of books and educational materials. Additionally, providing detailed information to families about how to build a home library through free book programs will set students and families up to read together for years to come. 

I knew from working with my students on Zoom and conversations with families that their access to books and reading materials were limited. Moreover, with libraries being closed to public use during the pandemic, it was even more crucial that I help families find an affordable way to create or expand their at home libraries. In doing research on how to engage families in expanding their knowledge of early literacy and access to appropriate reading materials, I found the idea of expanding student's personal libraries had potential for long-term impact. This meant it could have meaningful impact beyond the initial receiving of books. And, for students with younger siblings, access to books could provide benefits to more than just the students in my class. Rather than a one off book donation, I wanted to empower families to know how to access books on their own for years to come. There are myriad resources available, but many families miss out simply because they don't know about them. I provided access by doing the research, scheduling guest speakers, sharing information formally and informally, and creating a newsletter and website for my students and families. I distributed these to my students and then followed up with families to see if they were successfully able to expand their libraries. 

Research and Planning Access Opportunities

Family Engagement Project: Virtual Library Tour and Library Card Registration

Promotion Phase

Once the virtual library tour was scheduled, I needed to spread the word to my students and their families to ensure as many students as possible would attend. I reminded students daily on Zoom in the week leading up to the tour. I also sent messages via Remind App to let families know when it was coming up. Finally, I posted a link to the library registration form on Google Classroom. Samples of the message and library registration form are pictured below.

Implementation Phase

On the day of the virtual library tour, 14 out of 18 students attended and participated. Students were engaged during the tour and read aloud. Moreover, families were present and many expressed interest in obtaining a library card once they heard about all the amazing services offered by the library. Most families did not realize the library still provided so many opportunities, such as "take and make" craftivities, despite buildings still unopen to the public.  Bringing this resource to light also strengthened the meaningful connections I was working to build with my student's families. 

Family Engagement in Classroom Over Time: Building Home Libraries

Promotion Phase

Using the Remind App, I sent information about both resources- Imagination Library and Maryland Book Bank- to my students' families. I encouraged families to enroll in the program and offered support in book pick ups if needed, to make the programs truly accessible. I picked up a box of books for a family that lacked transportation. I know from conversations and surveys that multiple families enrolled in the Imagination Library. 

Implementation Phase

Now that they had more books, it was vital that families knew how to utilize this resource to the academic benefit of their children. I used our online learning platform, Seesaw, to create assignments that not only provided information about how to effectively read with children, but also required family participation beyond what is traditionally expected. In other words, the assignments were more for the grown up than for the student. I wanted families to practice asking the right kind of questions to best support their child's early literacy skills. 

As a parent myself, I know first hand how challenging it can be to sort through endless amount of information trying to find the best teacher-approved, high-quality resources to support our children. I did the time-consuming research so that my student's families could have access to these high quality resources without having to spend their own time sifting through the options. Moreover, they could reference this resource beyond our school year together.

Click the "early literacy website" button above to browse more resources. I created this website as a way to share all of my teacher-recommended websites, apps, games, podcasts, and books so that parents/caregivers could also have access to information they may have otherwise not known about. 

Family Engagement Conclusion and Reflection 

I am passionate about early childhood literacy. This is reflected in my on going efforts to provide my students and their families with the tools and knowledge they need to support their literacy learning at home. In my three years as a public school teacher with (almost) a Masters degree in early childhood education, and as a mother to two young children, I have seen the difference that it makes when parents/caregivers know how to effectively support their child's early literacy development. This means having a robust knowledge of beneficial materials, access to community resources, and strategies to use when reading. I spent countless hours researching, reading, and trial-testing a variety of literacy materials- from listening to podcasts to playing learning apps. I wanted to be sure that whatever resources I recommended to my students and their families would truly benefit them. Moreover, I put forth effort beyond my required school duties to make connections with community resources, such as the library. During a time when we were not supposed to leave our house, I found a way to bring community services to my students via Zoom. The access that I provided students through developing partnerships with their families meant more students had more books and better informed adult support at home. 

Non-Traditional STEM Career Exposure

Student Work Samples

In the section below are samples of student work completed during our animals unit. The activities and assignments were scaffolded and became more rigorous as students mastery of our learning objectives grew. For example, you can see that the first activity involves matching mother and baby animals, for mammals and egg laying animals. The second activity is sorting animals into similar groups, a harder skill for pre-kindergarten student. The final example included asks students to observe an animal and answer questions. I wanted students to interact with information in a variety of ways. In doing so, students were becoming more prepared to effectively engage in conversations and discussions about animals with a veterinarian and zookeeper. 

Preparing for a Guest Speaker

This is the thank you email I sent to Dr. XXXX on behalf of our class. I attached pictures that students colored and sent in virtually, to show appreciation for her visit. 

STEM Career Fields at the Zoo 

In addition to hearing from a local veterinarian, I was also able to bring the Zoo to our virtual classroom for a special visit! I sought out this opportunity for my class because I knew it would add a meaningful learning experience for my students. Due to COVID-19 as well as my students socio-economic status, most of my students did not have access to going to the zoo. Additionally, living in an urban landscape, their exposure to animals outside of their homes was limited.  

During this visit, we went on a virtual tour of the zoo and learned about "small but mighty" animals. Students were able to ask questions about the different animals to a real zookeeper. Additionally, students learned ways they could work at a zoo or with animals when they're older. Research shows that African Americans are under-represented in STEM related jobs. Thus, I wanted to be intentional about giving students access to STEM related career fields early in their school journey. Working with animals, in zoo or veterinarian settings (or both) is an opportunity my students now have some background knowledge of and hopefully interest in!

I registered my class for a field trip and to do the program "Small But Mighty" animals. I felt this was the best fit for my small, but mighty pre kindergarten students! I realized this was also a much needed access opportunity for my students since the Zoo was not offering any way for the general public to go to the Zoo. Thus, the only way my students would have access to their services was through a school-based program. 

Though I filled out the registration in March, there was very limited availability. Thankfully I found a date in mid-April that fit within our school schedule. 

I provided daily reminders during class that our zoo field trip was coming up (we had it on our calendar for circle time). I also sent multiple messages to parents leading up to the day of the event. I used our messaging app, Remind, as well as Google Classroom to communicate with families. 

Access Section Conclusion & Reflection

Access is about ensuring that all "students have equal and equitable opportunities to take full advantage of their education" (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2014). Access is how teachers provide gateways to outside opportunities that are relevant and purposeful to enhance student learning. Teachers must not only open doors for their students, they must also ensure that students and are able to effectively navigate the opportunities presented. Moreover, teachers should develop strong family partnerships by actively engaging families in their child's learning over time. 

I chose to highlight ways I provided access to opportunities for my students and their families In the 2020-21 school year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was an unprecedented year in education that changed many ways in which teachers traditionally worked with students and families. Additionally, there were increased barriers to accessing typically available resources. As a teacher, I knew I needed to put in the extra work to assist families in accessing and navigating academically enriching opportunities. I had to get creative to provide my pre-kindergarten students with access to playful, hands-on learning activities. I did this through extensive research, content-creation, and building strong family partnerships. 

As highlighted in my artifacts above, I communicated daily with families. Knowing the vital importance of students developing early literacy skills, I provided myriad resources and materials on early childhood literacy over an extended period of time. I researched opportunities for my students to have more access to at-home libraries. Additionally, since the library was shut down to the public, I brought the library to my students and their families. I also synthesized many hours of research into parent-friendly materials- a newsletter and website. I was able to share these resources with families over multiple school years. Through my efforts, caregivers learned and practiced effective strategies for reading with their child at home. I worked diligently with families to develop partnerships beyond what is traditionally expected. In doing so, I created authentic and meaningful connections with parents. In fact, many of my students who I had in Pre Kindergarten, virtually, are now in my first grade class for the 2022-23 school year. The relationships I have with their families are extremely strong and well established based on mutual trust and respect. 

I provided multiple access opportunities for my students over the course of the 2020-21 school year. Three that I highlighted above include: (1) bringing the library to our classroom virtually and helping families navigate signing up for library cards and participating in virtual programs; (2) welcoming a veterinarian guest speaker to our virtual classroom to illustrate a non-traditional STEM career opportunity directly related to our learning standards; (3) virtual zoo field trip that was the first experience that almost all of my students had with the zoo and also showcased another non-traditional job related to our learning standards. My pre-kindergarten students were able to reflect on learning, at a developmentally appropriate level, from these outside opportunities. 

The opportunities I provided were beyond the scope of my required teaching duties. However, I pursued these outside opportunities because I understand the necessity of providing students with a robust and equitable learning environment.