Ready Schools

The ESC of Cuyahoga County is collaborating with Starting Point to create a Ready Schools Network in Cuyahoga County. The foundation for the work of the Ready Schools Network is based on the Strong Beginnings, Smooth Transitions, Continuous Learning publication from the Ohio Department of Education.

The purpose of the Cuyahoga County Ready Schools Network is to provide tools and resources to facilitate the collaboration between administrators and educators in early childhood settings and early elementary settings. As described in the Strong Beginnings document, the Ready School concept is a shift—moving responsibility for successful transitions away from only preparing children just before they come to school to a shared goal. The concept suggests that the responsibility for successful transition lies within systems that bridge the divide as children move from home or preschool to the formal expectations of school.

Ready Schools means schools are:

Ready to respond to the diverse learning needs of all the children they receive;
Ready to look beyond “risk factors” and build upon the social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills of all children as they make the transition from home or preschool to kindergarten and then adjust to school life;
Ready to make a decisive difference in every child’s life.

Members of Starting Point’s Transition Committee are serving as the Ready Schools advisory committee to develop the structure of the Ready Schools Network. Resources and upcoming Network meeting dates will be posted in early 2012. To learn more about participating in the Ready Schools Network, please contact Jennifer Dodd, Coordinator of Research and Planning, at Jennifer.Dodd@esc-cc.org.