Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 316
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We talk with Elizabeth Nelson about how USD 383 Early Learning keeps working through the summer and why now is the time to apply for preschool. We break down the July 16 in-person application day, what “kindergarten readiness” really looks like, and how one central application connects families to inclusive support.
• Summer learning and year-round enrollment work in USD 383
• July 16 application day details and what families should bring
• How the program supports ages three to five not yet in kindergarten
• Funding options including Head Start, at-risk grants, and fee-paying slots
• Fall-to-spring growth in early literacy, numbers, and social-emotional skills
• One-stop application model that replaces multiple waiting lists
• Head Start’s comprehensive services that support the whole family network
• What a typical preschool day feels like and why routines matter
Get online, fill out an application, and get in contact with us to attend our July 16th application day at 2600 Kimball at College Hill Early Learning Center, and you can find out more at USD383.org
Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_00Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on news radio KMAN. Here we are with the GMCF Community Hour. Segment number two features Elizabeth Nelson, who is the director of learning for the Manhattan Ogden USD 383 School District. It's her first time. I'll be gentle with the questions.
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you for having me today.
SPEAKER_00You're welcome. It's delight to have you here. And you know, summertime is, you know, actually, you know, there's no classes, but it's not like you're not working, right?
SPEAKER_01That's right. We don't stop in USD 383. So we've got summer learning happening for early learning folks. Um, but as that rolls on, we're also actively seeking applications and enrolling kids for next school year. So we the the show must go on.
SPEAKER_00Aaron Powell Does anybody stop in education? It's always a constant, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell I like to think, I like to hope that our teachers do try to take a break and and chill in the summer. But for some of us who are on year-long contracts, yeah, we got to keep things rolling while we hope that we're gonna be able to do it. There's that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's hard to keep teachers from working.
SPEAKER_00It is. It is. Well it's a delight to have you here. So um, you know, we've got um, you know, lots of things going on, obviously.
July 16 Preschool Application Day
SPEAKER_00Bring us up to date on what's happening with the district.
SPEAKER_01Well, in early learning, we are, like I said, we're taking applications every day. So um, we want folks who have children who are um aged three, four, or five that aren't eligible for kindergarten yet to get online, fill out an application um so that we can get in contact with them and get them set up to attend our July 16th application day that's coming up. It's our last in-person application event. So for folks who are interested in maybe taking advantage of a preschool slot this coming fall, we need them to enroll so that they can get in and we can help them through the next pieces.
SPEAKER_00That's like three weeks away.
SPEAKER_01It's coming fast.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Got to put it in your calendar, people.
SPEAKER_01That's right. July 16th. And so go ahead, we have an online application that folks can fill out, um, ask some basic questions, and then we'll follow up. Um, we run a variety of funding streams to fund our early learning program. It's comprehensive services. So a lot of times folks will think um they may not qualify for services. Um, we run the Head Start program, we run an at-risk grant, um, we have fee-paying slots. Um, so we really need people to get those applications in and to come to an event so that we can help figure out how we can um get them enrolled.
SPEAKER_00Where's that at?
SPEAKER_01So that's happening at College Hill, our College Hill Early Learning Center. So at 2600 Kimball is where that application event will take place. Again, families can think it's daunting. We ask for a lot of stuff. We're a federal and state funded program. So sometimes families will get burdened with the logistics. I don't have that piece of paper, or I don't know how to find that. What do you why do you need that? Um, and we are here to help. So, folks, when they come to that event, we can help you track down what you need so that we make sure that that's not a deterrent for getting your kid enrolled in preschool.
SPEAKER_00I think that in our conversation, you said that you had been here for 20 years.
SPEAKER_01I have been with the school district going on 20 years.
SPEAKER_00And I don't know how long about with the learning center for the Aaron.
SPEAKER_01With early learning.
SPEAKER_00So so that is a facility that has had quite a metamorphosis over the last 20, 30 years, hasn't it?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell Indeed. So early learning has really grown in our community. So when you look back to the um all the different phases, and so we Head Start has been in existence for 60 years 60 years. And so we were one of the first six weeks demonstration projects then, and so started out with 15 kids in the basement of First United Methodist Church. Um, and it's really morphed over the years. We've been in at Blue Mont and Lee and till the 2018 bond where the school district um was able to use community support to build the amazing state of the art facilities that we have now.
SPEAKER_00Aaron Powell Does it have the greatest playground ever for a school?
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell We hear that a lot. I think that no one no one denies that.
SPEAKER_00It's got to be an attraction.
SPEAKER_01For sure, for sure. For adults and little people.
SPEAKER_00Oh, for the adults, too.
SPEAKER_01That's right. That's right. It's a playground for all ages.
SPEAKER_00Boy can write, get on.
SPEAKER_01So absolutely come on over.
SPEAKER_00Shane and I can go over down the slide.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00We can swing.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it's excellent. Yes, we've got a big swing. Just your size.
SPEAKER_00Do you? Oh, we do. It's netted. Put that down.
SPEAKER_01It fits about five or six preschoolers, but one you'll you'll fit.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00All right. Are they are they are there swings side by side so we can, you know.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And kids would even give you a push, be a good team player. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_00Okay. All right. Good. Yeah. I think pushing Shane would be a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Now there are some rules as to how high. So that. We want everybody to be safe. Want everybody to be safe.
SPEAKER_00Trevor Burrus Deals off. Okay. All right. Anyway. I'm sorry, I digress. I told you it's just a conversation. You probably gathered from Shane. It just goes from one extreme to the other. Trevor Burrus It keeps me on my toes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So let's
Kindergarten Readiness Gains Over A Year
SPEAKER_00talk about, you know, the impact that you're having on the kids. You know, you've got, you know, two semesters, fall into spring, and that's such a key time of development for youngsters. What are some of the things that uh, you know, some of the the high rewards that you see with these youngsters?
SPEAKER_01For sure. It's always incredible. Fall to spring, um, some kids come and they're with us for two years, three years, and then we see even greater gains. But even when we only have kiddos for a year, we often see we do um fall benchmark data on kiddos. And so oftentimes what we're finding are we have a lot of kids who come and maybe are showing that they're at risk for some of those kindergarten readiness skills, um, whether that's sound ID, um, knowing numbers, counting, um, as well as social and emotional. A lot of kids come in, maybe they haven't been away from home or they haven't been in a learning environment where they have to follow rules or or push gently or or share toys and all those things. And so what we often see are a lot of kiddos that are at risk in the fall. Um, but as the year progresses by winter, we're seeing significant gains. And by spring, um, more students than not are demonstrating that they have acquired those skills that are necessary to be ready that kindergarten year. And that's super exciting to see for both um us as educators, but also for families who are maybe
One Application For Inclusive Services
SPEAKER_01reluctant and nervous about that kindergarten year. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_00There are certain parameters that you have as far as you know qualifications. Let's talk about that, what that process is like and some of the things that you need to know about the these youngsters and and their parents.
SPEAKER_01Aaron Powell For sure. We've made a lot of changes in USD 383 early learning over the last 10 years. And so a lot of families who move to our community, they're used to processes where you need to hunt down the local head start if you believe you might be income eligible for that program. We have families who think they need to go hunt down the special education program if they have concerns about their kid, maybe has a developmental delay. In USD 383, we have worked hard to provide a comprehensive program to make things easier for families. So there's not 10 different places you need to go check out, apply for, hope to hear back from. That's how things used to work. Um but now it is one central application, you answer the questions, and then we serve your child in one of our inclusive early learning sites, regardless of how they're going to meet a criteria. So if you have a kiddo with a special education need and you're moving to our community, you apply with USD 383 early learning, your child will be served comprehensively. If you believe that you are, if you're living in poverty, if you're looking for head start, um, you fill out one application and then we fill out the paperwork and then we figure out how we can serve you comprehensively. So we really are a one-stop shop. It used to be very difficult and challenging. Families were on a lot of different waiting lists, but we know kids learn best when they are in inclusive environments. Um, research has shown us that. Evidence is is is clear there. Um, and so now again, we do the hard work behind the scenes figuring out how we're going to fund kids, how we're going to get them in a slot. But once children arrive at our slot at our our sites, they're in a classroom being served with high-quality teachers amongst peers, and that's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_00You know, Head Start's been around, I understand, for like 60 years. Let's define the difference between
What Head Start Adds For Families
SPEAKER_00the programs.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Um so Head Start really is a premier uh philosophy when it comes to programming for early childhood. Head Start's been around a long time and they have a long-standing benchmark quality. What I think sets Head Start apart is really their comprehensive service package. There's a strong belief system and support there that children don't just thrive when they come to school and we teach them ABCs and one, two, threes, but children thrive when the family network has their basic needs met. And so when a family's strong, children are strong. Um and so we with our Head Start services provide comprehensive services to families. So connecting them to community supports that they may need, supporting families and getting the medical attention that their children need, providing educational supports for them and knowing what those things are that kids need for ongoing health checks, dental, oral health, while also again providing the on-site educational quality programming for the kids to learn those academic and social and emotional skills they need for success. Our program now as a comprehens as a unified program, we are supporting the whole family network in throughout the totality of our program. So when you come to early childhood, I'd like to think you know that the whole family is going to be supported. We want families to thrive. We want parents to feel confident in their roles as their child's first and most important teacher. Um, and then we want to help get them
A Typical Day And Why It Matters
SPEAKER_01on their road to success with their kid again academically and socially, emotionally.
SPEAKER_00What's a typical day like for a kid there?
SPEAKER_01Well, we have lots of routines in place. I would like to think kids know what to expect, but children bring the unexpected. So we have a lot of fun, a lot of laughs.
SPEAKER_00Um, I've never heard that before.
SPEAKER_01You'd enjoy it a lot. So you know lots lots of fun things. Love it.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Well, I think that it's uh you know, obviously uh what you're doing is uh wonderful for the community, and we want to reinforce, you know, that July 16th day there at uh at the facility on Kemble Avenue, the the street address again.
SPEAKER_012600 Kimball, and that's College Hill Early Learning Center.
SPEAKER_00Trevor Burrus Look for the best playground ever.
SPEAKER_01That's right. And you'll and we'll be there.
SPEAKER_00Gosh. On a scale of one to ten. How rewarding is this gig for you?
SPEAKER_01Ten plus plus every single day.
SPEAKER_00Really?
SPEAKER_01That's right.
SPEAKER_00People need to hear that.
SPEAKER_01That's right. It's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it.
SPEAKER_00Trevor Burrus, Jr. And and I think if they could see the joy that you have talking about it, it's pretty apparent. Good for you.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Good for the school district.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_00All right.
SPEAKER_01Thanks again for having me.
SPEAKER_00Trevor Burrus, Jr.: It is uh she is Elizabeth Nelson, the Director
Address Details Website And Wrap
SPEAKER_00of Learning for the early learning program for the Manhattan Ogden USD3D3 School District. And you can find out more at the uh school's website, USD3d3.org. You can navigate around and find out more about how to get into the early learning program. Dr. Sarah Barrett is coming in next. And uh we're gonna talk about uh the yes fund and some other things as we continue on the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio K M A N.