September 2018 – PAT Meeting #3

Notes

Objectives:

• Better Understand the Early Childhood landscape in Brownsville by identifying:
  • PAT program sites
  • The child assessments and screenings administered in Brownsville

• Follow up on/identify next steps for the DTB proposal by creating six month timelines.

Introductions/Gathering:

• Icebreaker:
  • Introduce yourself (name, position) and tell the group about one specific personal or professional goal you want to accomplish in the next six months.

Welcome                                                                        

• Introduction of Dionne Grayman and Jason Ludwig
• Shared three open job positions at CCCNY
  • Mentioned that UB is a connective infrastructure, so PAT members may share job opportunities at their organizations as well
• Renamed “Providers as cross-sector literacy coaches” To “Books for Brownsville” (Still subject to change)
• Shared results of first two PAT evaluation in summary and graph forms
  • PAT Eval Summary
    • PAT gave highest marks for
      • clarity of UB’s objectives
      • a sense that the meeting felt worthwhile
      • the quality of discussion at the PAT meeting
    • while PAT told us we had the most room to improve in
      • identifying and assigning next steps
      • the creation of a shared understanding of the early childhood landscape in Brownsville
    • Scores across all questions improved an average of 12% in August compared to June scores

Breakout Groups

• The PAT split into three breakout groups based on their interests in the sections of the DTB proposal:
  • Language Kits: Stay in the HUB space
  • Family Co-Op: 4th Floor Conference Room
  • Books for Brownsville: 4th Floor desks

• Group assignment:
  • Review progress on next steps from the PAT and FAB
  • Review any materials submitted by partners, e.g. Scholastic
  • Sketch out a 6 month timeline for your subcommittee
    

Learning Landscape/Language Kits Breakout Group

Discussion Notes

• Began by completing Early Childhood landscape survey
• Group reviewed letter of intent for supermarkets in Brownsville
  • Members will email their comments individually to UB
• Discussed FAB’s progress in pitching Learning landscape to local supermarkets
  • Group members wanted to know which FAB members were involved, so that they could coordinate their efforts
• NS asked: What is our ultimate goal for 6 months from now?
  • Members thought that we needed to start with identifying potential sites for Language kit signage
• Members proposed “test runs” of language kits at their home institutions
  • GJ Center, Brookdale Hospital, SCO FirstStep, and Morris Koppelman Center
• Members proposed pitching idea to every supermarket in Brownsville
  • Is there an available map of every supermarket in Brownsville?
• Discussion about the desired design of signs
  • consensus that a unified design across every site would make a stronger impression
  • Discussion about a possible “I-spy” design of signs (i.e. “Can you find five red things in the supermarket?”)
  • Maggie thought that design should emphasize Parent-child interactions, with open ended questions about colors, shapes, and similar topics
• Maggie offered to approach City’s First readers for possibility of collaboration.

• Group agreed on ultimate 6 month goal: To have installed signage in GJ Center, Brookdale Hospital, SCO FirstStep, and Morris Koppelman Center, as well as in as many supermarkets as possible in Brownsville
  • First Step: one member would enquire with her local supermarket about logistics of installing signs
  • Second step: Hold meeting with members of FAB to come to conclusions about theme, design and objective of language kits
    • Possible date for meeting: 9/21/18 (pending on FAB availability)
  • Third Step: approaching City’s First Readers

Family Co-Op Breakout Group       

Participants: Keston Jones, Matthew Morales, Robin Smith; Daria Best; Floaria Ladja; Erasma Monticciolo/Sophia Salmon; Hana Elwell, Rose Anello; Jason Jarvis

Discussion Notes:

• Stakeholders agreed that the process of deciding where Family Co-Op site(s) are located should include a review of local maps but also a focus on which sites would be [prepared to host that have space and staffing considerations already in place
• Stakeholders emphasized the importance of adjusting the Family Co-Op curriculum to fit the cultural practices that families are most comfortable with in Brownsville and agreed that this “curriculum adjustment process” would itself be a capacity building exercise for those involved (both PAT and FAB)
  • In this vein the concept for a Family Co-Op Curriculum Review Committee emerged
• Given Scholastic’s experience in developing and implementing the Family Co-Op model and their stated interest in bringing the model to Brownsville, PAT members urged the backbone team to clarify what concrete commitments and in-kind contributions Scholastic is prepared to make. These commitments and contributions will shape the planning and fundraising process immensely and so is a critical next step

Share Out

We met back in the HUB space as a group and shared out the summaries of our breakout meetings above.

• Family Co-Op Group shared their milestones towards implementation:
  • First step: Obtaining maps from CCCNY for places of interest
  • Second step: Obtaining Grundy County Curriculums
  • Third Step: FAB and PAT adapting curriculum to meet cultural environment of Brownsville
  • Fourth Step: Identifying potential sites for family co-ops
  • Fifth Step: By March-prepare proposals for funding Foundation
• Books for Brownsville Group shared their next steps
  • First Step: In the next three months, researching, reaching out to, and recruiting participants for a roundtable on language and literacy
  • Second Step, In the month following step one, bring together local families to find out their language and literacy practices, as well as ways in which local providers can assist them
  • Third Step: in the month following step two, work with families and providers to develop next steps
• The Learning Landscape/Language Kits group shared their next steps:
  • First Step: Shifra would enquire with her local supermarket about logistics of installing signs
  • Second Step: Hold meeting with members of FAB to come to conclusions about theme, design and objective of language kits
  • Third Step: approaching City’s First Readers (Maggie will take lead)
  • Ultimate 6-month Goal: install signage in GJ Center, Brookdale Hospital, SCO FirstStep, and Morris Koppelman Center, as well as in as many supermarkets as possible in Brownsville

Survey results