Jefferson Davis Early Childhood Community Network Kicks Off their Spring Roundup!
The Jefferson Davis Early Childhood and Community Network (ECCN) have scheduled its spring roundup for children age birth to five. Jefferson Davis Parish Schools will hold their annual Pre-K Roundup for the 2017-2018 school year at each community school site. In order for a child to attend Pre-K in August 2017, they need to be 4 years old on or before September 30, 2017. Our district has Universal Pre-K where all four-year-olds are served. Save the Children Head Start will also be conducting their roundup in collaboration with Jeff Davis Parish Schools. They accept three-year-olds. Bright Beginnings of Jennings is a Type III Child Care Center and will also be in attendance at James Ward Elementary. Bright Beginnings accepts infants through three-year-olds. Registration for all sites will be ongoing throughout the year, but we encourage everyone to register during the spring roundup dates. If you are unable to attend your local roundup, please contact the school to set up an appointment to register after the roundup.
In 2012, three acts were passed into law as part of a statewide initiative toward major education reform. Act 3, known as the Early Childhood Education Act, was passed in recognition of the fact that Louisiana’s students must have a strong foundation to ensure their success at all levels of education. The statute calls for the creation of a statewide, integrated early-childhood care and education network which will establish uniform standards of readiness for kindergarten and, through coordination with other state agencies, align all standards for quality early-childhood education.
Jefferson Davis began this initiative in the ECCN Cohort 2 Pilot. The pilot has brought funds into the parish to ensure that all early childhood programs are implementing the same Early Learning and Development Standards for Birth to 5. Additionally, all early child care providers are receiving training for assessing teacher effectiveness using the CLASS instrument and assessing student progress using Teaching Strategies GOLD, an online student portfolio system. Jefferson Davis Parish ECCN has created a unified application process to ensure that parents in our parish have access to high quality early childhood education programs. Our network has brought the JDPSB’s public four-year-old pre-K program in our seven elementary schools, Save the Children Head Start’s three-year-old program in Elton and Jennings, and Brite Beginnings of Jennings Type III child care center together as partners. EarlySteps is also a member of our pilot ECCN and assists families who have children with special needs from birth and works with them until they are three years of age, until they are eligible for other educational programs. We are very proud of our teachers, paraprofessionals and assistant teachers in our network as their scores were exceptionally high in the state for this first practice year based on their CLASS scores using an observation instrument developed to assess classroom quality in toddler classrooms, as well as Pre-K. Although last year’s CLASS scores are only for practice on this year’s performance profiles for the state, all sites and networks will receive a performance profile for next year that will be official and published. This is similar to what schools receive for their school performance scores which are published on the school’s report card.
The state began new requirements this past year for students to enroll in public Pre-K. Remember that all students will be able to be enrolled in Pre-K once all information is provided to the school. The following information is required at the time of registration:
1. Proof of income: (choose whichever ONE below pertains to your family income)
a. SNAP/Food Stamps – must include the child’s name and valid effective dates. (Certified thru ______) Note: If you have this, no other documents are needed for proof of income.
Link to portal: https://cafe-cp.dcfs.la.gov/selfservice/
b. Two (2) consecutive check stubs for EACH PARENT or CAREGIVER IN THE HOUSEHOLD for the current year (within 2 months from the date of filling out this application.) Use tables below to calculate.
c. An official letter from your employer stating all of the following:
i. Where parent/guardian is employed
ii. Hourly rate of pay
iii. The average number of hours parent/guardian works per week.
d. A statement from the Social Security Administration verifying that the child listed on the application is a recipient of SSI benefits, which must be accompanied by two current check stubs.
e. Current foster care placement agreement from DCFS
f. Parents who are homeless or unemployed must submit a letter of support and income documentation from support source.
g. Other: ______May be subject to review. (Note: Tax documentation is allowable only if no other form of income verification documentation exists.)
2. Family Size and Number of Children in the family
3. Birth Certificate – Initial that both items have been verified:
a. Verify child’s date of birth
b. Verify person completing application is the parent listed on the birth certificate. (If person completing application is NOT listed on the birth certificate, court-issued custody papers must be submitted.)
4. Social Security Card (school requirement)
5. Proof of Residence – One of the following:
a. Louisiana driver’s license,
b. State-issued ID card
c. Current utility bill with the parent’s name and address.
d. Current lease or mortgage statement
e. If the parent and child live with a family member or friend, that person is to provide verification with a letter in addition to one of the above items.
f. Homeless
6. Immunizations: Verify that they are up to date.
Below is a schedule of the dates for Pre-K Roundup at each school. Save the Children Head Start will also be in attendance for these dates in a joint roundup process. Brite Beginnings Child Care of Jennings will also have information about their program at Ward Elementary.
Date / Time / School / Phone NumberTuesday, January 31, 2017 / 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. / Welsh Elementary / 337-734-2351
Thursday, February 16, 2017 / 8:30-10:30 a.m. / Fenton Elementary / 337-756-2323
Friday, February 17, 2017 / 9:00-11:00 a.m. / Hathaway High School / 337-824-4452
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 / 8:30 a.m. / Lake Arthur Elementary / 337-774-3323
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 / 8:15-11:00 a.m. / Lacassine High / 337-588-4206
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 / 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. / James Ward Elementary / 337-824-1235
Thursday, February 23, 2017 / 8:30-11:00 a.m. / Elton Elementary / 337-584-2892
Please visit our website for more information at www.jeffersondavis.org and choose Birth to 5 under the “Parents” heading. Applications can be submitted electronically and a print version of the application is available at numerous locations throughout the parish, as well as on the website. Remember that the required information must still be provided to the school, program or child care site at the time of registration.
If you have any questions about enrolling your child in public Pre-K, please call the school that your child will be attending. For other questions about the Early Childhood Community Network, call Arlene Heinen, Jefferson Davis Parish School Board Curriculum Supervisor for PK-2nd grade, or Pam Miller, Jefferson Davis Parish School Board Birth to 5 Coordinator, at 337-824-1834.
Parents may also contact any of the schools above for more information on their public Pre-K program. For more information on Save the Children Head Start, contact Johnnie Belle Chavis at 337-616-9556. For Brite Beginnings Child Care, contact Stephanie Fontenot at 337-824-1234. For more information or questions about children with special needs from birth to 3-years-old, contact EarlySteps Region 5 SPOE at 337-359-8748.