TheAppleseedProjectAninnovative,highlyscalableearlychildhoodliteracyprogram

ABSTRACT

TheAppleseedProjectseekstodramaticallyreduceremediationduringearlygradesbyprovidingcarefullycurated,tablet-deliveredlearningappstoparents/guardiansofat-riskchildrenfrombirthtofouryearsofage.Theappswillbetargetedtoenrichboththeparent/guardianandchild,beginningwithprenatalprogrammingandextendingthroughpre-kindergarten.Trackingusagehelpstoensurethatthechild’slearningcapabilitiesmeetexpectations,andprovidesanindicatorofwhenadditionalresourcesareneeded.Theprogramisdesignedtobescalable–soaschildrengrow,theyneveroutgrowAppleseed.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWearegratefulfortheguidance,supportandassistanceofthefollowingthoughtleadersandcontributors:TracyZimmerman,ExecutiveDirectoroftheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation;RebeccaS.Lewis,NCLiteracyResources;Dr.DavidKoppenhaveroftheAppalachianUniversityReadingEducationandSpecialEducationDepartment;JasonWalser;AttorneyJenniferFlynn;DariCaldwell,RN,Ph.D.,FACHE,PresidentofNovantRowanHospital;Dr.LynnMoody,SuperintendentoftheRowan-SalisburySchoolSystem;EmilyRoden,founderofReadyRosie;JennieSherrill,FamiliesFirstofNorthCarolina;AmyBrown,ExecutiveDirectorofSmartStart;AttorneyGlennKetner;FredStanback;GwinBarr,ChairoftheRowanCountyCrosbyScholars;Dr.WayneC.Koontz, SalisburyPediatricAssociates;Rev.TimothyBates,pastor,CalvaryandCameronPresbyterianchurches;Salisbury,NorthCarolinaMayorKarenAlexander;CityCouncilorDavidPost,Salisbury,NorthCarolina;RepresentativeHarryWarrenofthe77thDistrictofNorthCarolina;PatsyRendleman;GerryTrammelHurley;JohnPruitt,NorthCarolinaDept.ofInstruction;LeshaHerbin,NikiSashingtonofSRCAA,Inc.HeadStart/EarlyHeadStart;ErikLipscomb,GCS;A.F.Hutchinson;ToniaAldridge,AppleEducation.

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Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifignored,theycanonlyhopetosurvive.Thrivingisoutofthequestion.Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifnurtured,theyembodyourfuture.Achildislikeanappleseed.Ifnurtured,theybloom.

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EXECUTIVESUMMARYTheCurrentSituationFordecades,well-educatedparentsintheUnitedStateshaveinvestedinearlychildhoodenrichment.Theirdeterminationtogivetheirchildrenadvantagesinschoolandlifehasledtotheexplosivedevelopmentofearlychildhoodliteracytoolsandresources.Therearenoshortageoftoys,games,andmobiledevicestoengagetheseluckylittleones.Butwhataboutthemorethan24millionchildrenunderage6yearsoldwholivebelowthepovertylevel?That’sapproximately48percentofthetotalchildpopulationwhodon’thaveaccesstotechnologythatcangivethemthesameadvantagesthatchildreninmiddle-andupper-middleclassfamilieshavewithineasyreach.Intheirlandmark2003study,TheEarlyCatastrophe,The30MillionWordGapByAge3,researchersHartandRisleyfoundthat,“Infouryears,theaveragechildinaprofessionalfamilywouldaccumulateexperiencewithalmost45millionwords,anaveragechildinaworking-classfamily26millionwords,andanaveragechildinawelfarefamily13millionwords.”Manychildreninlow-socioeconomicstatus(SES)familiesbegintheirreadingreadinessinpre-Kandkindergarten.Thisdelaydoesn’tsimplyputthemwellbehindtheirmoreprivilegedclassmates–itsetsthemuptofail.Childrenwhostartoutbehindtheirpeersinreadingreadinesstendtostaybehind,andthatgapwidensovertime.Childrenwhoaren’treadingwellbytheendofthirdgradearefourtimesmorelikelytodropoutofhighschool.Everyhighschooldropoutcoststhenationanestimated$260,000inlostearnings,taxesandproductivity.Delaysineducationalinterventioncanbedirectlylinkedtothehighcostofremediation.Theecostscontinuetorisethroughoutastudent’sjourneythroughelementary,highschool,andiftheymakeit,tocollege.Thecostofprovidingremedialcourseworkforstudentswhoarepoorlypreparedforthefreshmancollegecurriculumisapproximately$7billionannually.TheProjectTheAppleseedProjectisbasedonthesecentralideas:

• Literacyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatinga

positivelearningenvironmentforthechild

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• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechild

TheAppleseedProjectgrantsfreeaccesstoearlychildhoodenrichmenttechnologytolow-SESmothers,parents/guardians,andchildren4andunderinSalisbury,NorthCarolina.TheProjectprovidesamobiletouchscreendevice(KindleFire)tomothersthatisloadedwithaselectionofcarefullycuratedappsdesignedtoengagethemother,regardlessofherownabilitytoread,andprovidemuch-neededliteracyskillbuildingtoolstoherchild.Thetabletisbeinggiventomotherstogivethemachancetolearnhowtouseit,andhelpthemenrichtheirownlearningskillsthroughgamification.Withtheirchild,mothersandparents/guardiansusethetablettointeractwiththem.Theappsareinfinitelyscalabletoensurethatusersneveroutgrowthemandthatage-appropriatelearningcontinuesthrougheachdevelopmentalstage.ThereisnorequirementforInternetaccess,andnocosttofamiliesforanyaspectoftheprogram.Ourmaingoalsareto:

• increasethesuccessrateofthird-gradeliteracytestsandexceedthestateaverageinreadingproficiency

• doublethereadingproficiencyrateswithinSalisburyelementaryschools• positionSalisburytoleadthenationinreadingproficiencyforchildrenfromlow-

socioeconomicstatusenvironmentsDeliveryandFundingTheAppleseedisbeingmadeavailablethroughtheWileyLashHeadStartCenterandtheWOTFlemingHeadStartCenterinSalisbury,NC.Wearealsoworkingcloselywithcommunitychildandfamilyservicesproviders,particularlywithFamiliesFirstandSmartStartRowan,toidentifythemosteffectivechannelsforoutreach.Researchersapproximateanannual7to10%ROIonpre-Kinitiativesoveran18-yearperiod.Weestimatethatforeverydollarinvested,theAppleseedProjectwillreturn$10intheformofreducedremediationcostsandthereducedcostofothereducationalservices.TheAlcornfamilywillfundtheinitialpilotprogram.

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CurrentProjectStatusInMay2016,workingwiththeWileyLashHeadStartCenterinSalisbury,NC,wedistributed55Appleseedtabletsloadedwith60appsande-bookstoeverychildwhowillbereturningtotheHeadStartprogramnextyear,aswellastoanadditionalsevenchildrenwhoaregraduatingthisyear.Appleseedprojectadministratorscontactedparticipatingparentsandaskedsevenbriefquestionsabouttheirexperiencewiththetabletstodate.Weaskedthemaboutwhattheylikedanddidn’tlike,theirpreferencesforapps,andtheirusagepatterns.Theresultswereextraordinary.Welearnedthat:

• Tabletsareusedsevendaysaweek• Timespentwiththetabletrangesfrom20minutesto2-3hoursperday• Tabletusageappearstoacceleratelearning

Parentspointedtospecificimprovementsintheirchildren’slearningskills,including:

• Increasedcomprehension• Betterspeechenunciation• Improvedconcentrationskills• Strongermemorization• Greaterdesiretolearn,andkeeplearning

(Foraroundupofparents’feedbackintheirownwords,pleaseseeAppendixB.)AsaresultoftheinitialsuccessoftheLashHeadStartCenter,wehaveexpandedtheprojecttotheWOTFlemingHeadStartCenter,alsoinSalisbury,NC.WebelievetheAppleseedProjectwillleveltheplayingfieldforlowSESchildren,andbeatoolforrealandlastingenrichment.

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INTRODUCTION“Themorewedotoensurethatallchildrenhavesimilarcognitivelystimulatingearlychildhoodexperiences,thelesswewillhavetoworryaboutfailingschools.Thisinturnwillenableustoletourschoolsfocusonteachingtheskills—howtosolvecomplexproblems,howtothinkcriticallyandhowtocollaborate—essentialtoagrowingeconomyandalivelydemocracy.”1

--SeanF.Reardon,Ed.D,StanfordUniversitySchoolofEducationEnrichment,inContextWhenwethinkofenrichment,weoftenenvisionalevelplayingfieldasaplatformfromwhichwecangivechildrenaneducationalboost.Yetoverthepasttwodecadestherehavebeennumerousstudiesthatprovewithoutquestionthattheplayingfieldisfarfromlevel.Forchildrenoflowsocioeconomicstatus(SES),howenrichmentisdefinedisverydifferentfromitsdefinitioninhigherSESpopulations.Achild’shomereadingenvironment,includingfactorssuchashowmanybooksareinthehomeandthelevelofSESdistressexperiencedbytheparents/guardians,isdirectlycorrelatedtoliteracy.2Unfortunately,thetoolsofenrichment--books,computersandtutors--areexpensive,andmanyparents/guardiansinlow-SEScommunitiesareunabletoaffordarangeofresourcesthatcanhelpthemcreateapositiveliteracyenvironmentinwhichtheirchildrencanthrive.3ColumbiaUniversityprofessorJaneWaldfogelPhD,co-authorofTooManyChildrenLeftBehind,elucidatedtheissueinarecentWashingtonPostinterview.“There’sbeenalotofattentioninthepastfewdecadesonearlydevelopmentandearlybraindevelopmentandtheimportanceoftheearlyyears.Themoreeducatedandaffluentparentshavereallytakenthistoheart,andtheyhavetheresourcestodosomethingaboutit.Sothere’sbeenanexplosionininvestments,inthingslikecomputersandtoysandallsortsoflearning-relatedenrichmentitems.Therehasalsobeenanincreaseinactivities,liketakingkidstomuseums,toartclasses,tomusicclasses—younameit,”shesaid.“Butthelow-incomefamilieshavenotbeenabletokeeppace.Theyjustdon’thavethatkindofdiscretionaryincometopayforthesekindsofactivities.”4Ina2013follow-uptoalandmarkstudyperformedbytheAnnieE.CaseyFoundationandKidsCountfindsthat“newresearchunderscorestheimportanceofenrichedhomelearningenvironmentsandparentengagementinpreparingchildrenfromlow-incomefamiliestosucceedinschool.Afive-yearstudyofmorethan1,850childrenandtheirmothersfoundthatchildrenwhoselearningenvironmentswereofconsistentlylowqualityweremuchmorelikelytohavelanguageandliteracydelaysbeforekindergarten,whilesupportivehomelearningexperiencescouldhelpclosetheschoolreadinessgap.”5

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MindtheReadinessGapBythetimechildrenfromlow-incomefamiliesarekindergartenage,manyarepoorlypreparedforschool,ifatall.A2012studybytheBrookingsInstitution’sSocialGenomeProjectnotedthatonly48percentofpoorchildrenarereadyforschoolatage5,comparedto75percentofchildrenfromfamilieswithmoderateandhighincome.6AccordingtoCatherineSnow,theHenryLeeShattuckProfessorofEducationattheHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,“bythetimechildrenfrommiddle-incomefamilieswithwell-educatedparentsareinthirdgrade,theyknowabout12,000words.Thirdgradechildrenfromlow-incomefamilieswithundereducatedparentswhodon’ttalktothemverymuchhavevocabulariesofaround4,000words,one-thirdasmanywordsastheirmiddle-incomepeers.”7Thatgaponlyworsenswithtime.Canadianresearchersfoundthat“asstudentsprogressedfromkindergartentogradethree,thoseinthelowerranksofreadingachievementwerelikelytoremainthere.Moreover,ateachsubsequentdatacollectionpointoverafour-yearperiod,thestrugglingreadersfellfurtherbehindtheirgrade-levelreadingpeers.”8End-of-thirdgradereadingproficiencyisthesinglegreatestpredictorofhighschoolgraduationandlatersuccess.Thosewhoreadwellgoontograduate,butthosewhoaren’treadingwellbytheendofthirdgradearefourtimesmorelikelytodropoutofhighschool.Andeverystudentwhodropsoutofhighschoolcoststhenationanestimated$260,000inlostearnings,taxesandproductivity.9Thelocalimpactisstaggering.AccordingtotheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation,themajorityofstudentsattendingelementaryschoolsinSalisburywerenotreadingproficientbytheendofthirdgradein2015.TheRemediationDrainForchildrenoflowSES,theneedforremediationbeginsattheearlieststagesoflearning,anditisaverycostlyneed.STAR3(SchoolTransformationbyRecruiting,Retaining,andRewarding)isaFederalTeacherIncentiveFundgrantawardedtotheWinston-Salem/ForsythCountySchoolDistrict.ResearchbyDr.WayneFoster,formerdirectoroftheSTAR3program,demonstratedthatifaK-3studentshowedlessthan50%gradeproficiency,thatchild’seducatorscouldspendtwiceasmuchtimeteachinggradeappropriatesubjects.Theresult?Nomeasurableimprovement.10Thecostofremediationcontinuestogrowovertime;anincreasingnumberofhighschoolstudentsarewoefullyunpreparedforcollegeandrequireremedialreadingand

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mathematicscourses.A2012studybyresearchersattheNationalBureauofEconomicResearchestimatedthecostofcollege-levelremedialcourseworkintheUnitedStatesatroughly$7billionannually.11TheCostofDelay–andtheBenefitsofEarlyInterventionTheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundationfindsthatthereareonly2,000daysinachild’slifebetweenbirthandschoolage,anditisinthosedaysthatthebrain’sarchitectureforms.“Thesynapsesthatformforvisionandhearingpeakatjustfourmonths.Languageatninemonths.Highercognitivefunctionsatoneyear.Experiencesandenvironmentsdeterminewhichconnectionsgetusedmoreandtherefore,strengthened.Thosethatareusedlessfade.Achild’sinteractionswiththeworlddeterminehowtheseconnections(wiring)areformed,providingeitherastrongorweakfoundationforallfuturehealthandlearning.12At18months,researchersfoundstrikingdifferencesinlanguageprocessingabilityandvocabularybetweeninfantsfromhigher-andlower-SESfamilies.By24monthstherewasasix-monthgapbetweenSESgroupsinprocessingskillscriticaltolanguagedevelopment.13Ifwewaittohelpchildrendevelopreadingskillsuntiltheyreachschoolage–roughly4yearsold–wewilldoomthem.Whenwewaitfouryearstodevelopliteracyskills,weloseagenerationofcontributorstosociety.Nobel-prizewinningeconomistJamesJ.Heckmanwritesextensivelyonthecost-to-benefitratioofearlychildhoodeducationprograms,makingtheconnectionbetweencostsavingandlifesavingforlow-SESchildren.“Earlyinterventionspromoteschooling,reducecrime,fosterworkforceproductivity,promoteadulthealththroughseveralchannelsandreduceteenagepregnancy.Itcanredistributeresourceswithafixedbudgetandimprovechildandsocialwelfare.Theseinterventionsareestimatedtohavehighbenefit-costratiosandratesofreturn,intherangeof6–10%perannumcomparedtothepost-warreturntoequityof5.8%.”14Heckmanlinksdelaysineducationalinterventiontohighremediationcosts,andrightlyso.Asforreturnoninvestment(ROI)forearlychildhoodinitiatives,Heckmanestimatesanannual7to10%ROIonpre-Kinitiativesoveran18-yearperiod.15TheAppleseedConceptOurdesiretomakeagenerationaldifferenceinourcommunitybyincreasingthirdgradereadingproficiencyscoresisattheheartoftheAppleseedProject.PreparingchildrenfromlowSESfamiliestoexcelatend-of-thirdgradereadingproficiencywillnarrowthereadinessgapandreduceremediation.

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Thepressureonthesechildrenistremendous,asisthepressureoneducatorstoincreasereadingreadiness.TobuildaframeworkforAppleseedwedugintotherootcausesofpoorscores.Deepdiscussionswithearlychildhoodeducatorsandcommunityleaderskeptusreachingbackfromthirdgradetopre-kindergarten,andwerealizedthatimprovingthosescoresrequiresveryearlyintervention.Weaskedourselves,“Howcanwecreatemeaningfullearningenrichmenttoolsforunder-servedchildren,andhowcanwedemonstratetheireffectiveness?”Byreachingback,weidentifiedthreecentraltenetsthatbecamethefoundationoftheAppleseedProject:

• Literacyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatinga

positivelearningenvironmentforthechild• Aparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotprevent

themfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechild

TargetAudienceInthefive-countyareasurroundingSalisibury,NC,thereareeightHeadStartprogramsservingapproximately1,098childreninthetargetagegroup.At-riskchildren,parents/guardiansinlow-SESenvironments,andchildrenwithdisabilitiesaretheintendedrecipientsofthetechnology.

FromtheNationalCenterforChildrenInPoverty(http://www.nccp.org)DefinitionsofriskfactorsHouseholdswithoutEnglishspeakers:Childreninhouseholdswhereallmembersoverage14yearsspeakanon-EnglishlanguageandarenotproficientinEnglish.Largefamily:Childreninfamilieswithfourormorechildren.Lowparentaleducation:Childrenwhoseparentsbothlackahighschooldegree.Residentialmobility:Childreninfamilieswhohavechangedresidencesoneormoretimesinthelast12months.Single-parent:Childreninfamilieswithoneunmarriedparentinthehousehold.Teenmother:Childrenwhosemotherswereteenagerswhenthechildwasborn.Non-employedparent(s):Childrenwhoseparentshadnoemploymentinthepreviousyear.

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Webelievethatifastudentcompletespre-kindergartensuccessfully,theirneedforremediationdecreasesandtheirchanceofgraduatingincreasessignificantly.Atpresent,weestimatethatforeverydollarinvestedintotheAppleseedProject,wewillget$10backintheformofreducedremediationcostsandthereducedcostofothereducationalservices.

FromtheNationalCenterforChildrenInPoverty(http://www.nccp.org)DefinitionsofeconomichardshipExtremepoverty:Lessthan50%oftheFederalPovertyLevel*Poverty:Lessthan100%oftheFederalPovertyLevelLow-income:Lessthan200%oftheFederalPovertyLevel*Forafamilyofthree,the2012FPLis$20,090.FormoreinformationontheFederalPovertyLevel,goto:https://aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guidelines

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DEVELOPINGAPPLESEED“…theinequalitiesofchildren’scognitiveabilityaresubstantialrightfrom“thestartinggate.”Disadvantagedchildrenstartkindergartenwithsignificantlylowercognitiveskillsthantheirmoreadvantagedcounterparts.Thesesamedisadvantagedchildrenarethenplacedinlow-resourceschools,magnifyingtheinitialinequality.”16

ValerieE.LeeandDavidT.Burkam,UniversityofMichigan

CreatingaPre-deliveryDeliverableLiteracyshouldbeaneffortthatenrichesthemotheraswellasthechildTheAppleseedtabletmustbefamiliar,intuitive,easytolearnanduse,andfunforthemother,parent/guardianandchildthroughoutthedevelopmentalstagesfrombirthtofouryears.AMarch,2015reportfromtheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesontheUsesofTechnologytoSupportEarlyChildhoodPracticenotesthatthesinglemostcommonbarriertotechnologicaladoptioninearlychildhoodeducationprogramsisalackoftechnologicalliteracyonthepartofthestaff.Wecanassumethatthesechallengesextendtomothersandparent/guardians.“Othercommonbarriersincludedlackofaccesstotechnologyresources,lackofsupportfromadministratorsfortheuseoftechnology,andlackoftimetolearnandusethetechnology.”However,thereportindicatesthatthisbarrierisrapidlybecominglessprevalentwiththewidespreadpersonaluseofmobiledevicessuchastablets.“Byincorporatingtechnologiesthatpractitionersarefamiliarwith,thataredesignedtobeintuitivetouseandthatareuserfriendly,earlychildhoodproduct/programdeveloperscanbestensurethattheirtechnologieswillbeusedwithfidelity.”17Byprovidingamobiletouchscreentablettomothersearlyinthelifeoftheirchild,wegivethemampletimetobecomefamiliarwiththedeviceandtheapps.ChoosingAppropriateAppsAparent/guardian’sinabilitytoreadshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechildWeareworkingwithtechnologyproviderstocarefullycuratescalableapplicationcontentsuitableforallthelifestagesaddressedbyAppleseed.Onesuchprovider,ReadyRosie,“wascreatedtohelpschoolsandcommunitiesdeepenandscaletheirearlychildhoodparentengagementeffortsbyleveragingthepowerofvideomodelingandmobiletechnologytomeetandequipparentswheretheyare.”18

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Thereareseveralkeyconsiderationsthathaveyettobeaddressedasweexplorecontentopportunities:

• Allappsshouldbemutuallybeneficialandengagingfortheparent/guardianandchildateverystage

• Effectivenessmustbemeasurable• Theappsshouldnotrequireaninternetconnection,butmustbeabletosync

updates

ProjectArchitecture

TheanticipatedAppleseedprojectpartnershipsareasfollows:Device:

AmazonKindleFire

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Apps:

Curated/developedbyAppleseedandRowan-SalisburySchoolSystemTargetMarket:

Childrenages0-4ofat-riskmothers,parents/guardiansFunding: AlcornFamily Othercharitableorganizations/foundations StateofNC FederalprogramsDistributionChannels:

TheWileyLashHeadStartProgram,TheWOTFlemingHeadStartProgram,HeadStartofNorthCarolina

DataCaptureandAnalysis:

HeadStartandAppleseedRamp-Up:

ProjectadministratorswillstrivetoexpandtoALLRowanCountyHeadStartlocationsbyearly2017.DeliverySystemTheAppleseedwillbemadeavailabletomothersandfamiliesthroughEarlyHeadStartandHeadStart.Wearealsoworkingcloselywithcommunitychildandfamilyservicesproviders,particularlywithFamiliesFirstandSmartStartRowan,toidentifythemosteffectivechannelsforoutreach.FundingAparent/guardian’sinabilitytoaffordtoolsandresourcesshouldnotpreventthemfromcreatingapositivelearningenvironmentforthechildTheAppleseedconceptspecificallydoesnotrequireInternetconnectivitytomakethedeviceaccessibletothosefamilieswithoutInternetservice.Itwillbedesignedtobeinfinitelyscalable,sothatasthechildgrows,Appleseeddevelopswiththem.There’snoriskofobsolescence.TheAlcornFamilyFoundationwillprovidefundingfortheAppleseedpilotwithrootsinRowanCounty,NorthCarolinaandthesurroundingcountieswherethereare

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appropriateHeadStartprograms.Extendingtheprogramwillrequireadditionalfunding,mostlikelyintheformofagrantand/orgovernmentfunding.ThereareeightHeadStartprogramsinRowanCountyandtheadjoiningcounties,whichprovideeducationalservicesforapproximately1,098childrenunderfive.Thesechildrenandtheirfamiliesrepresentthetargetpopulationfortheproject.ChallengesandQuestionsThereareseveralchallengesandquestionsthatwefeelcanbeansweredwithinputfromourpoolofcontributorsandstakeholders.Theyinclude:

• Inclusion:1)howcanwedevelopthistooltoworkbestforchildrenwith

disabilities?2)howcanwecreatedevicesthatcanbeusedeasilybymothersandparents/guardianswithdisabilities?

• Usagemeasurementandtracking:Trackingiskeytoensurethetoolisbeing

usedeffectively,andtorevealknowledgegapsthatwecanstepinandsupport.Wearesearchingforthebestwaystomeasureusagedata.

• Datacollection:empiricaldatamaytakeupto7yearstoseetheimpacton

3rdgradereadingscores.

• Developmentofalockabledevice/applicationtoensuredataaccuracy.

• Sync:weneedamethodforupdatingnewcontentthatisconvenientandfast.

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WHYAPPLESEED?“IgrewupinSalisbury.Asaslightlyabove-averageathletewithacar,Itookotherathleteshometotheprojectsandlow-incomeneighborhoods.Invitedintotheirhouses,Isawnobooksorotherreadingmaterialsandthetelevisionwasalwaysonineveryhome.Ialsosawdifficultfamilydynamics.IwouldincorrectlystatetomyfriendsthattheyhadthesameopportunitiesasIdid.Theysaidno.Theywereright.”

--GregAlcorn,Founder,TheAppleseedProject

Achild’sabilitytoreadisrootedinearlybraindevelopment.A2015studypublishedbytheAmericanSocietyofPediatricsproposesthatessentialreadingskills“emergepriortotheonsetoffluentreadingandarerefinedasonecontinuestolearn,suchthatlearningtoreadislikelyafacilitatorandanoutcomeofotherdevelopmentalprocesses,includingbrainmaturation.”19AccordingtotheNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation,beginningdevelopmentallyappropriateliteracyprogramsatanearlyageisthemosteffectivepreventiveactionagainstreadingfailure.“Allofthedomainsofachild’sdevelopment—physical,social-emotional,cognitive,languageandliteracy—areinterrelatedandinterdependent.Youcan’tdoonewithouttheothers.”20

ThemajorityofstudentsattendingelementaryschoolsinSalisburywerenotreadingproficientbytheendofthirdgradein2015,accordingtotheNCDepartmentofPublicInstruction.

SalisburyElementarySchools

StateDole Hurley Isenberg Knollwood Koontz Overton

2015

Endof

Third

Grade

Reading

Proficient

AllStudents 20.5% 41.8% 33.8% 37.1% 43.7% 35.1% 59%

Black 13.9% 29.2% 23.5% 25% 34.1% 23.2% 42.2%

Hispanic 27.3% 23.5% 25% 25.4% 47.6% 38.5% 43.6%

White 25.9% 67.9% 54.5% 57.8% 66.7% 50% 72.3%

Economically

Disadvantaged17.4% 29.7% 27.5% 26.7% 42.5% 22% 44.9%

OurValueProposition

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IncreatingtheAppleseedProject,weaimtodramaticallyimpactthesuccessrateofthird-gradeliteracytestsinSalisbury–andbeyond.OurgoalwiththeAppleseedProjectistoexceedthestateaverageinreadingproficiency,anddoublethereadingproficiencyofSalisburyelementaryschools.WewantSalisburytoleadthenationinreadingproficiencyforchildrenfromlow-SESenvironments.OurAspirationChilddevelopmentisadynamic,interactiveprocessthatisnotpredetermined.Itoccursinthecontextofrelationships,experiencesandenvironments.Poverty,hunger,familydynamicsandstressareallpotentialthreatstolearning.WebelievethattheAppleseedwillhelpamelioratethesethreats,levelingtheplayingfieldforlowSESchildren,andbeatoolforrealandlastingenrichment.

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APPENDIXA

CourtesyofNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation

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CourtesyofNorthCarolinaEarlyChildhoodFoundation

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APPENDIXBProjectAppleseedParentalFeedbackCollectedJune15,2016WileyLashHeadStartCenter,Salisbury,NCTeachesearlyhowtomaneuveraroundanelectronic

Learninghowtodothingsinorder,fluency

Educational,ishelpingthemlearn

Atfirsthecouldn'tsaythealphabet,butnowcanuseALLtheletters

Likethematchinggame,islearningshapesandalphabet,letsthemreadmore,thebooksare

nicelengths

Learningcolors,sayingfoodnames

Likesthatalltheappsarepre-installed,nohassle

Thetwinswerebornearlyandspeechwasbehind,nowtheyarecatchingupl

Likesthatthetablettalkstohischild

Helpshimlearn

Keepsherattention

Helpsherlearnwhenshe'sincorrect

Likestrackingletters,tryingtolearntospellwords

Traceslettersandwordsandappliesittoreallife

Playswithituntilthebatteryisdead

Icanhearhersingingwiththetablet

Selfreadsandstarts"tripping"

Keepshimstill/educated

ltisagreathelp,startingtodotheentirealphabetwhereheusedtoskipletters

Writinghis"L"thecorrectwaynow,notbackwards

Sherecitestheappsandknowswhenshe'swrong

It’salleducationandcanhelphimadvancetothenextyear

Nochanceforhimforgettinganythingoverthesummer

Helpshimspeakmoreclearly

Ihaddoubtsatfirst,butnowit'sverypositiveforus

Idon'thavetogotothelibraryforhertolearnnumbers

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13.Fernald,A,MarchmanV.A.,WeislederA.(2013)SESdifferencesinlanguageprocessingskillandvocabularyareevidentat18months.DevelopmentalScience.Mar;16(2):pp.234-248.

14.Retrievedfromhttps://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/pdfs/10yranniversary_Heckmanhandout.pdf15.Retrievedfromhttp://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/Heckman_Moon_etal_2010_NBER_wp16180.pdf16.Lee,V.E.,Burkam,D.T.(2002).Inequalityatthestartinggate:Socialbackgrounddifferencesinachievementaschildrenbeginschool.Washington,DC:EconomicPolicyInstitute.17.Hernandez,M.W.,Estrera,E.,Markovitz,C.E.,Muyskens,P.,Bartley,G.,Bollman,K.,Kelly,G.&Silberglitt,B.(2015).UsesofTechnologytoSupportEarlyChildhoodPractice:ExecutiveSummary,OPREReport2015-38,Washington,DC:OfficeofPlanning,ResearchandEvaluation,AdministrationforChildrenandFamilies,U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.

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18.Retrievedfromhttp://readyrosie.com/about-us-new/19.Houston,S.M.,Lebel,C,KatzirT,Manis,F.R.,Kan,E.,Rodriguez,G.R.,SowellE.R.(2014)Readingskillandstructuralbraindevelopment.Neuroreport.Mar26;25(5):pp.347–352.20.NationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch.(2006)EarlyLiteracy:PolicyandPracticeinthePreschoolYears.Retrievedfromhttp://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/10.pdf.

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ADDITIONALRESOURCES

http://buildthefoundation.org

http://first2000days.org

http://ncliteracy.org

http://www.tapclickread.org

http://families-first.org

http://www.fi.ncsu.edu(TheWilliamandIdaFridayInstituteforEducational

innovation)

http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov(NCStateBoardofEducation)

RowanReadstoNewborns:http://www.wbtv.com/story/30581588/rowan-reads-to-

newborns-aims-to-encourage-reading-at-the-earliest-possible-age

http://readyrosie.com

http://readingrockets.org

ZerotoThree,TheNationalCenterforInfants,ToddlersandFamilies

http://www.zerotothree.org

WestEd.orghttps://www.wested.org/area_of_work/early-childhood-development-

learning/