Fredericksburg Parent

26 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • June 2021 WRITTEN BY EMILY FREEHLING The fi rst fi ve years of a child's life lay the founda on for academic success. Making high-quality preschool programs available to all of Virginia's youngest learners is the focus of recent bi-par san legisla on passed by the General Assembly. The new legisla on places all programs serving children ages 0 to 5—from home- based care providers to public preschools—under the state Department of Educa- on, with funding for a new Superintendent of Early Childhood posi on. This "birth-to-12th-grade" approach is evidence of the state's recogni on that be er support is needed for Virginia's youngest learners and those who educate them, said Jenna Conway, Virginia's fi rst Chief School Readiness Offi cer. Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam created Conway's posi on as part of their focus on early childhood. That interest stems from both their professional backgrounds—he's a pediatric neurologist, and she's a former pediatric occupa onal therapist—and sta s cs about kindergarten readiness in the commonwealth. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. The Virginia Department of Educa on reported in January that literacy tests from fall 2020 showed a 10% jump in the number of kindergartners and fi rst-graders tes ng below benchmark reading levels. "That was a real red fl ag for us, so we have been really think- ing about what that means for our youngest learners, both those who are currently in kindergarten, and those who may have missed out on preschool," Conway said. The state saw Head Start and Virginia Preschool Ini a ve enrollments drop last year as many parents opted to keep children home due to the pandemic. One way that the state is trying to respond to this is by off ering a fi rst-ever waiver that will allow school divisions to allow children who are age-eligible for kindergarten to par cipate in a year of the Virginia Preschool Ini a ve if they missed preschool because of COVID-19. This is part of a greater recogni on that the years before kindergarten are so crucial. To improve kindergarten readiness for the long-term, Conway said the state is focusing on two areas: access and quality. Assessments by the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program in fall 2019 showed that FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD Viginia is taking big steps to help its youngest learners of the state's kindergarteners were unprepared for kindergarten in one or more of the cri cal areas of 44% literacy, social skills, math or self-regulation. Smart Beginnings Rappahannock Area presents:

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