Early Childhood Center Re-Accredited For Five Years

The Franklin Early Childhood Center (EEC) received word last week that the school passed the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation process, EEC Director Jenny Corduck told the Melrose School Committee at its meeting on Tuesday night.

Corduck said that she and the school's staff began talking about the re-accreditation process two and a half years ago and credited the work of the EEC staff, Melrose Public Schools' Facility Manager Bob Ciampi and the Melrose Park Department in all working to help the school receive its five-year re-accreditation.

Superintendent Joe Casey said that Corduck made light of the accreditation process and that the increased rigor of the NEAYC process led to "a number of communities who decided not to pursue accreditation because it was such a daunting process."

Corduck said she plans to use the accreditation report to pinpoint areas where the ECC can make improvements.

"They're (NEAYC) great at being able to summarize their visit," she said. "We can celebrate the strengths, but it's also really the use of an opportunity as a professional experience and figure out ways we can improve."

One of the ways the ECC plans to improve next year is to implement a program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, Corduck said. The idea for that program came from the goal that the school district take responsibility for picking up programming that addresses the needs of early intervention program students. She added that the ECC has some children coming from early intervention who have cochlear implants.

The ECC's special education administrator, Donna Rosso, investigated "up and down" other top notch programs for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, Corduck said.

"One of the biggest things we've learned is that they need a relatively small class," she said. "Only about eight children, fully integrated, and inviting peer models to join and participate."

The ECC has hired consultant Jane Driscoll, director of Soundworks for Children in Topsfield, which specializes in meeting the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students, Corduck said. Driscoll has been assisting ECC administrators in combing resumes to find both a teacher who has working knowledge of deaf and hard of hearing students, and a general education preschool teacher who will also teach in the new classroom and provide the ECC curriculum to those students. 

With regard to curriculum, School Committee member J.D. LaRock asked how ECC students were performing in the area of reading concepts. Corduck said the ECC's inclusion in the district's adoption of an English Language-Arts program for younger students a few years ago, combined with the ECC's "Lively Letters" program that focuses on phonetic awareness and the school's biannual report cards, have worked in the school's favor.

"The weakness I noticed throughout the three (student evaluation) times this past school year – even as a classroom teacher I could see it — was with math," she said. "There's such a huge focus on ELA and getting kids ready to read that we can't forget about math."

Other new initiatives underway the ECC include the continuation of this year's "Jump Start" program, funded by federal stimulus and Title I funds, that screens students who need early Title I support; the "Stay and Play" after-school program; and a new early bird program that beginning next year will invite parents to drop off their children up to an hour before class is scheduled to begin, Corduck said. ECC staff are also focusing on transitioning children from the ECC to the Melrose elementary schools by preparing the elementary school's staff for the specific needs of the incoming students, and by having those students meet teachers and principals before they even start at their elementary school.

Mayor Rob Dolan spoke glowingly, as a parent of an ECC student, about the communication within the ECC community, the feedback for parents in terms of how their child is doing, and how prepared the teachers are to discuss a child's development with parents.

"The management style at the ECC should be used as a best practice throughout the district," Dolan said. 

Committee member Christine Casatelli noted that she had a child attend the ECC program at the Ripley School, another attend the integrated preschool at the Roosevelt School, and now has a third child at the Franklin ECC, which combined the two previous programs under one roof.

"I have to say every year it improves, it gets better and better," Casatelli said. "It's hard to see how you can improve from here, but you continue you do it ... what can we do to help you make your programming better?"

"I feel so incredibly supported," Corduck responded. "By my colleagues and principals here in Melrose, by the administration and our special education department, to central administration — every single person is looking out for our best interests at the ECC. I feel like we have everything we need. This is where we prevent problems from snowballing and getting worse. It is vitally important and we are incredibly lucky to have an unbelievable staff who work tirelessly to support what goes on in the classroom."