Inspire Shasta, Episode 10: Foundations That Last: The Power of Early Childhood Education

Episode Summary:
In this enriching episode of Inspire Shasta, hosts Maggie Joyce and Jenn Cobb are joined by two passionate advocates for early childhood development: Rea McFadden, Director of Early Childhood Workforce Development at the Shasta County Office of Education, and Amanda Keefer, Program Director with Shasta Head Start.

Together, they explore the transformative power of early childhood education—what programs exist in Shasta County, how parents can choose the right fit for their family, and the long-term impact of quality preschool experiences. From school readiness and family empowerment to health screenings and access to supportive services, this episode is packed with wisdom for anyone raising, teaching, or supporting young children.

🌱 Topics Covered:

• Options for early learning in Shasta County: preschool, transitional kindergarten, private and community-based care
• Choosing the right environment based on child needs, family values, and readiness
• The wide-reaching benefits of quality early education: academic, social-emotional, and lifelong
• Financial support through subsidies and eligibility beyond income thresholds
• The role of Help Me Grow Shasta in connecting families to resources
• Navigating the first days of preschool and helping children transition with confidence
• Importance of play-based learning and language-rich environments
• Screen time challenges and shifting post-pandemic developmental needs
• Collaborations that connect families to dental, vision, hearing, and developmental support

💡 Key Quotes:

“All children are ready for preschool—it’s just about finding the right environment where they can thrive.” – Rea McFadden
“We want to give families the tools so when they leave our program, they know how to advocate for their child and themselves.” – Amanda Keefer
“Preschool is prevention. It’s where we set the foundation, not just for school—but for life.” – Maggie Joyce

🧰 Resources & Tools Mentioned:

• Shasta Head Start and California State Preschool Programs
• SCOE Early Childhood Services
• Help Me Grow Shasta
• Quality Counts North State
• Local Child Care Planning Council
• Vision and hearing screenings via Lions Club and UCSF
• Developmental support through Far Northern Regional Center and First 5 Shasta

🗣️ Final Thoughts:

Early childhood education is more than ABCs—it’s where children begin to build social skills, emotional regulation, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. With a wide range of choices and a strong network of community support, Shasta County families have powerful tools at their fingertips. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or educator, this conversation offers the guidance and inspiration to give every child a strong start.

🔗 Learn more:

• Shasta Head Start
• SCOE Early Childhood Services
• Help Me Grow Shasta

🎙️ Subscribe to Inspire Shasta on your favorite podcast platform and follow along as we highlight the people and programs uplifting our community’s next generation.

Transcript

Inspire Shasta Episode 10: Early Childhood Education

Maggie Joyce: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Inspire Shasta podcast. Today we're honored to be joined by two incredible guests, Rea McFadden, director of Early Childhood Workforce Development at the Shasta County Office of Education. And Amanda Keefer, program director with Shasta Head Start.

Together, they will bring a wealth of knowledge and passion for supporting young children and families in our community. Thank you both for being here. 

Amanda Keefer: Thank you for having us. Yeah. Thank you for having us. Uh, so to get started 

Jenn Cobb: here at Inspire Shasta, we have a signature question that we ask all of our guests.

So for both of you, if you could go back to any grade in school for a day, which would it be and why? And I'll let you guys roshambo on. I'll start. Okay. 

Amanda Keefer: So I had to think about this. I went to school in Shasta County my whole life, and I went to a lot of different schools. Kind of bounced around for a while, but one of the memories that really stuck with me is I went to Rother Elementary in first grade.

Nice. And I had this teacher, um, Mr. Henning, and [00:01:00] he kind of looked like Santa Claus. He was like, had like white hair and a beard and but he always read to us. Yeah. And so I just remember like, you know, sitting at my desk and the teachers just kinda moving through the room reading to us. But he would, he was reading Fantastic Mr.

Fox. 

Wow. 

Amanda Keefer: Which now I'm kind of think is maybe a little risque for a first grader because now there's some language in there that maybe would not be considered appropriate. But it was very exciting. Yeah. Like, fantastic Mr. Foxes on these adventures. And he was just, he read in this exciting way that. I just remember being in that moment and I was like, wouldn't that be nice to just go back and sit and have somebody read stories to you?

Maggie Joyce: I know as adults we don't ever get that. I guess an audio book would be the closest thing you'd have to. Yeah. But yeah, story time would be great. Adult story time. Yeah. I love that he engaged, he made the book Engage, he engaged you with the reading of the book. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: He was very animated [00:02:00] and I know when they made Fantastic Mr.

Fox into a movie. Yeah. I was like, oh, I have to see that movie. And yeah, it's just kind of a little wild. 

Jenn Cobb: That's amazing. I love that. 

Rea McFadden: Well, I, Amanda and I were talking about the questions and I gave an example and I was debating on whether or not I was gonna share that example, but I'll go ahead and share it anyway.

So when I was in the fourth grade, Mr. Beach was my fourth grade teacher, and we had, excuse me, it was fifth grade. He was my fifth grade teacher. And when we were, we had reading time, so kind of a similar story. And we were responsible for bringing our book to school every day. And if you didn't have a book, he typically had like a little book library, so you would have to like check out for that day, a book for the book library and read it.

So I think that I left my book at home on a bad teacher day because he then assigned me a book to read for free reading, which was the Yearling. And I don't know if you [00:03:00] guys have seen this book, but it's like, I don't know, at fifth grade, I thought it was like a thousand pages. It wasn't, but it felt like it.

It was like a really thick book. And I was like, there's no way I'm gonna read this book. So I didn't. And we also had to do a book report. So I had my friend Tammy do my book report for me. Oh my. So if I had the opportunity to go back, I would just read the book. Read the book and do the report. Yeah.

That's, that's my story. 

Maggie Joyce: I mean, that's your, uh, next year's goal is to read the book and do the report as an adult, I guess. I guess I could still do that. Yeah. That's interesting. Fifth grade Wonder Ion, I wonder. Yeah. I wonder if there's something in that book that he, he thought would connect to you and that's why he wanted to read you to read it.

Rea McFadden: I don't know. Maybe if I read it now, I would understand the connection. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: I think there's a little bit of that that age range too. I can think. I always was a reader when I was young. 

Mm-hmm. 

Amanda Keefer: But I would not do book reports. And I remember being about that same age and I was, I, that was like one thing I had [00:04:00] a really bad grade in because I had read a lot of books, but I just never did the reports.

I was like, I don't wanna retell this story to somebody else. I already read the book. Yeah. And my parents are like, how can you be getting a D in book reports you've read? A book every couple days. Just don't wanna do it. I just like to read. 

Rea McFadden: Yeah. I didn't quite hit my reading stride until I was like in the sixth grade, so it kind of came a little bit later, but I did become, become a reader at that point.

Mm-hmm. I was not a reader. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. I've become an adult reader. Like I think, uh, you read a lot in college and it's not necessarily choice reading, right? Mm-hmm. And then after that, now I really enjoy reading to read. And so, but I think I didn't read much when I was younger. Mm-hmm. And I loved a diorama book report where you could put something in a shoebox.

I thought that was a lot of fun when they gave you choice. Yeah. Well, thank you guys for sharing that with us. Um, today we're here to talk about early childhood education and the services in Shasta County. Um, and so [00:05:00] this question is really for both of you. So either one of you, you can both answer or, um, one of you can take the lead on it.

But what are the options for families in Shasta County? What do they have for their children before they enter kindergarten? And what should families be looking for when they're making those decisions? 

Amanda Keefer: So I'm gonna let Ria kind of start because she has a lot of knowledge about the broad spectrum and obviously I have a Head Start perspective.

I'm pretty versed in the other options as well, but I'll let you kind of start. 

Rea McFadden: Okay. So the options for families. There are many, many options for children going into what we consider preschool. Preschool can be called a lot of different things. And some of the words that you might hear are nursery, school, daycare, childcare, early learning and care.

But really we're talking about preschool. And those are the options that children have before they enter kindergarten. And to define preschool, we're really talking about that three to five year period of time before a child starts kindergarten. And the options that children or that [00:06:00] families have for their children are, is really about the setting, meaning where the child is receiving those services.

So where they can receive those services are places like childcare centers. And childcare centers can differ based on the style and philosophy of the preschool. And we've talked about like Montessori is a style and philosophy that we actually have here in Shasta County. And there are different locations that pre that centers can have.

So they might be on a preschool campus, it might be a community-based preschool, like something like the YMCA. And there's also private means it's owned by a specific person. There's also family childcares, family, friend, and neighbor, which is also occurring in a home, like a family childcare, but it's more of an informal setting and typically unlicensed.

And also families have the choice of being home, meaning that they don't enroll their child in a preschool. And in those circumstances, we would recommend that they do that The children attend some type of group where they can be [00:07:00] with their peers and learn from their peers and their places. Like the, the li the Library and Writing Recreation has opportunities for children at that age range too.

And Amanda will probably stop talk about the first stop kindergarten book. That First five publishes. And then transitional kindergarten is also an option now, and that's more of a recent option. It's, it's been available for a. Several years. My daughter is 16 years old, and transitional kindergarten was an option when she was that age.

She wasn't age eligible. But the age eligibility has changed over the years. And transitional kindergarten is offered through districts and it's a part of the public school system. So that's an option for all children who are four years old as of September 1st when they're four. And most of the other settings that I've talked about, so childcare centers, family, childcare friend, family friend and neighbor, they may have a fee for service.

And there's also subsidized programs that can, for income eligible families that [00:08:00] they could use to qualify and help pay for those costs. 

Maggie Joyce: So it sounds to me like there's a really wide range of different service providers for preschool. And so really when a family is looking. For preschool for their kiddo.

It's really what aligns with the family needs. And so that's great that there's a lot of choice because there might be a family that thinks that Montessori is, is aligns with their values and their needs and what they want for their kiddo. And there might be another family that says, you know, I want more of an in-home, um, style preschool that matches more with the what I agree and want my child to be receiving.

And so that's nice that there is choice throughout the county. 

Rea McFadden: There are lots of choices and I think that there's that style and philosophy like you're referring to with, families and their values and things, but also the family knows the child the best. 

Yeah, true. 

Rea McFadden: So they know where that child is gonna be successful and that gives families really the power to pick for their child.

Maggie Joyce: I love that. Amanda, do you have anything to add 

Amanda Keefer: to that question? Um, yeah, just like Rio was saying that some things are subsidized. [00:09:00] So Shasta Head Start is a federally funded program. We also receive state subsidies as well. So our program is. Free to the families. They, there's no fee for them.

But they do have to meet eligibility requirements. And so that's somewhat limiting in a way because only certain people are gonna be eligible. But that's what's nice. We do have the other subsidized programs like state preschool or, um, alternative payment programs that people can connect through SCOE to get those subsidies.

And they have a broader range of eligibility. So there's a lot of opportunity mm-hmm. To help people cover the cost that is there because it is a, is expensive, right? To have your child in care. Especially if you need that additional piece of not just preschool for a couple hours a day or a couple days a week, but you need that extended childcare and there's a lot of costs there that, that can be prohibitive for families.

Because even [00:10:00] if you're working, full time at minimum wage, yeah. You don't have a lot of extra money to spend on that, in addition. So those opportunities are there and that's really helpful. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And sometimes those eligibility lines, right, they're like a hard stop. Mm-hmm. And it's like, well, I'm just above, and that above puts me to where I, I can't do what I need.

Yeah. Um, and so knowing that there are options out there for a range, um, is really nice. And so I would assume that people that are listening, if they're looking to get their kiddo in and they need some sort of assistance, that they could go to either one of the websites for Shasta County Office of Ed, early Childhood Services or Head Start and see what those eligibility requirements are.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And the one thing that I always send people to, because a lot of people that I talk to, they know I work at Head Start and they're like, oh, how do I get into Head Start? And then I talk through kind of their scenario, what's happening with them income wise and in their family. And they don't qualify for Head Start.

And so I send a lot of people to help me grow. So they help me grow [00:11:00] Shasta. Is kind of a one stop. Like if you have questions about child development or care and you're not sure what you really want or you know what's gonna work for you, that's a a one stop for anybody. So whatever your income level is, if your children are young, they're gonna help direct you to what works for you and ask you about what you're looking for.

All of those pieces and kind of help direct people. 

Rea McFadden: Excellent. And you had mentioned income eligibility. So there are many other ways that families can be income eligible or eligible for the subsidy program that isn't income based. 

Maggie Joyce: Okay? Mm-hmm. So 

Rea McFadden: if a family is receiving any governmental assistance, there's what they call categorical eligibility.

Mm-hmm. 

Rea McFadden: And that can open the door for families to receive subsidized childcare, some things at Head Start. And then we also Calif have California state preschool programs that we implement. SCOE, ECS, and they [00:12:00] would be, it would open the door for the eligibility there and also for the alternative payment program, which is where the family chooses, where they wanna receive services, and then the subsidy helps pay for their childcare.

Sometimes all of the childcare, the family may have a family fee, but it's a, it's a great option for families and more families are eligible than, than what they may think based on their income if they were to just look at the income eligibility. 

Maggie Joyce: Okay. Excellent. Such great information. Mm-hmm. Because I think sometimes people just assume that something isn't available for them, and so knowing that there are places to go to get help some, like, help me grow like a connector, to be able to connect to the place that's appropriate is fantastic.

How do you, how do parents, what is something that a parent should look for to know that their child is ready for a preschool type of environment? Because sometimes age doesn't necessarily determine that that child might be ready. And it maybe it's also like they want a specific environment and that might not fit until a certain age.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And I think that's like [00:13:00] knowing your child and knowing what you're comfortable with. Also because the settings are so variable and like we're describing like family childcare, home is, it's at somebody's house, so it might feel more comfortable, like you're bringing your child just to a friend's house kind of, instead of walking into a big school campus where there's kids everywhere or there's like multiple age groups and it can be somewhat intimidating, especially like some children are really slow to warm and mm-hmm.

They might be a little overwhelmed by some of that. Yeah. And other kids are like. Get me out there, I wanna make friends. They're like, what are we doing today? Yeah. And some 

Maggie Joyce: parents are overwhelmed, right? Like, if you have never had this experience before and you're letting your kiddo out into the wild Yes.

Poor helicopter 

parents. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And, and you're not always a match to, like, you might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but your child's ready to go and it's like, wait, I'm not ready for you to go. 

Maggie Joyce: I'm just gonna sit over here in the corner and wait. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Oh yeah. So I think it depends, but just really looking to [00:14:00] see, you know, how are they wanting to engage more with other people, either peers or even, other adults?

Because those are really important relationships too. 'cause that's part of looking to see is that a good fit, is that your child is able to, you know, go to another adult because it's not mom and dad or even, you know, sometimes if you have family, friend and neighbor, then it can be like your auntie or somebody.

Yeah. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: But it's new adults, they have to get to know those people. So are they comfortable to say, how are you, you're gonna go tell Miss Maggie that you need to go potty. Yeah. You know, or you're hungry. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: So being able to have some communication is helpful, but not a requirement. 

Yeah.

And 

Amanda Keefer: a lot of preschools now too, I think one of the big things people worry about is like potty training. Mm-hmm. That's a big thing. And some places may still say that they can't accommodate children who are not fully potty trained, Uhhuh, um, but a lot of places do now. And so that doesn't restrict you, you know, that that's not necessarily one of the measures anymore as it kind of [00:15:00] used to be.

Right. 

Amanda Keefer: Um, but it may depend on the setting. Yeah. But just being interested in getting out and being with peers and, you know, maybe you might notice your child's kind of working on some of that, and maybe they're a little bit challenged by being with other kiddos. Mm-hmm. That might mean they're ready to go.

Be with some different children. 'cause they're gonna have those opportunities. I was just in a classroom yesterday and all the kids are different. Yeah. You know, so they have those opportunities to kind of make a little friend that is like them. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Or meet somebody who's not like them and try something new.

Yeah. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: And learn all of the social things. Right. Yeah. Like, I think, I remember when my kiddos weren't going to preschool, and it's like, the most important part at a, at the beginning stages, like the 3-year-old age, is really just socializing with the peers, knowing how to stand in line. Mm-hmm. Sit in a circle, follow directions, you know, cleaning up all of those social skills that you get in the early stages of preschool are so valuable because it's just the foundation to, [00:16:00] to growth.

Right. As a human. 

Rea McFadden: Yeah. Yeah. And I would add that knowing if your child is ready for preschool or not, I would say that all children are ready for preschool and that the intent of preschool is to get children ready for kindergarten, which is, I feel like. What you're saying. Yeah. So I think that it's available for all children and you just wanna make sure that it's the right environment for your child.

Yeah. And they're gonna be successful. And I think one of the things to consider, and we, we were talking about this yesterday, is that some programs are longer than others. And some programs in Shasta County, all of our transitional kindergarten classrooms are full day programs. 

Maggie Joyce: There's no half day anymore.

Rea McFadden: Not that I'm, I do not think that there is one Okay. In my conversations with people who support those teachers, that we don't have one in Shasta County and, and a child. So saying that, going back to my definition of preschool, preschool is for those children in that three to five age range. So that means that transitional kindergarten is preschool.

We don't call it [00:17:00] preschool, but it is preschool. And going from home, say to a full day program is a huge transition for a child. And I've talked to families and they've talked about that teachers and school districts have allowed them. To kind of work up to that full day. 

Mm-hmm. 

Rea McFadden: And maybe some children might not be successful at that full day at all, and that there are other environments where that child could be successful in like a head start or a state preschool part day program.

So there are other options. And just to keep, keep that in mind. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And I can think, like, I'd imagine that, um, sometimes when you're choosing a preschool, it's like, if it's not working, maybe there's that apprehension to like make a change. Um, but knowing that it's okay to make a change that. For the betterment of the fit of your kiddo needs to stay in the back of a parent's mind, right?

Because like, I made this decision, I've set all of these things up and it just turns out that maybe this full day program isn't the [00:18:00] best and we need to do a half day. And so if that's an option to be able to know that's an option and, and be okay with choosing that because your child just might not be ready for that full day, I think is something that is important for parents to, to know is a, a option.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that there's alternatives and, and it's hard to navigate all of it in the first place, but then when you encounter that and you're like thinking you're going to do one thing with your child, okay, I'm gonna drop 'em off, they're gonna be there all day, you know, maybe you're gonna go back to work right?

Or something like that, and it's not really working out that you have to navigate that then. And that can be challenging. And that's where some of these other programs can be helpful, like subsidies and stuff like that, because. Maybe you do need to engage somebody who's gonna pick your child up from that half day program.

Mm-hmm. Because having the half day plus a family friend, neighbor kind of option is what's the balance you need? Yeah. And I remember doing that with one of my children [00:19:00] where they went to a part day preschool, but then, you know, I had, I had the grandmas and all the people who I could try to find who could help me balance that.

And then they, you know, would pick them up at halfway through the day and they could go just chill out at grandma's for the afternoon. And that was, that's what worked for them. And it, and we were able to work that out. 

Rea McFadden: Yeah. You had your tribe. 

Amanda Keefer: Yes. Yeah, I do have a tribe. That was 

Jenn Cobb: so important. Um, do either of you have any like hacks or nuggets of wisdom for parents in knowing how to get their child ready for preschool?

You kind of touched on this a little bit in the last question, but 

Amanda Keefer: I think just visiting with them, like visiting the location you're gonna go to before you fully select it. Visiting with your child. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: So they're getting that opportunity to see what is, where are we going? 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Um, and it's not a surprise.

Yeah. Um, so visiting and, you know, if you can do that a couple of times, it's nice so that they get familiar and [00:20:00] they've maybe met those teachers and had that opportunity to have some experience of kind of orient them and then Yeah. It's like dosing 

Maggie Joyce: the environment a little bit. Yeah. I love that. I've never thought about it like that.

Amanda Keefer: Um. Yeah, they're, it's new to them. Yeah. So they, they might be more apt to be like, do not leave me. I don't know where we are. I don't know these people. So they've had a chance to be introduced. Yeah. And then just talking to them about that of like, oh, this is what our routine's gonna be. And, and of course, having quality routines in your day and night is so important for children.

'cause they, you know, they need to get a good night's sleep so that they show up rested. Um, some programs provide things like breakfast, so maybe you don't need to give them a meal before they go. Sometimes you do. So, you know, making sure they're all their basic needs are met, that they're fed and they're rested and they're ready to go into that setting is pretty important.

That makes sense. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And [00:21:00] just letting you know, like I said, letting 'em know and letting 'em know that you're gonna leave, because this is a lot of kids' first time 

Yeah. Leaving 

Amanda Keefer: and they're like. Wait, I don't let mom leave my side. Yeah. We're we're buddies. Yeah. We, it's all day. It's really front loading 

Maggie Joyce: what the, what the experience is gonna be like.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And letting 'em know like, you're gonna return, I'm gonna come back. You're gonna stay here with your teacher and I'm gonna come back in a little while and I'm gonna get you and I'm gonna find out what you did today. You know, I'm being excited about it. Yeah. And that's why that piece of like what you're comfortable with is so important.

Because if you're not comfortable or you start to doubt in what's happening, your child feels that. Mm-hmm. And they're kind of like, well I don't think my mom likes the teacher so much. You know, they're like, if you don't like her, why would I stay here and hang out with her? You know? That's interesting.

Yeah. So you gotta have some confidence, especially in the beginning when you're just gonna feel a little uncertain. Yeah. 'cause you're leaving your child for the first time with strangers. Really. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: So just having some confidence in trying to share that with [00:22:00] your child. This is gonna be fun. I'm gonna come back.

This isn't forever. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And telling yourself that a many in a different lifetime. I al, I was a preschool teacher for several years and I remember, you know, there was a lot of kiddos that didn't want mom to leave and would hold onto legs and cry. Mm-hmm. And like, you know, we would gently ease them into the classroom and let mom or dad know that they'll, that they'll be okay.

And the reality is, is they were okay. Mm-hmm. You know, and, and even if that happens day in and day out, just knowing that, having some peace of mind to know that like your child is okay, and actually it's better for both of you, for them to be able to be, without you learning, um, on their own. And then knowing they that you return to pick them up is also very important.

So yeah, 

Rea McFadden: establishing that routine of, you know, being dropped off, being picked up, but also don't discount the child's willingness to go into the environment. If typically what we see in classrooms is that children over time. Stop responding in that way. Yeah. Mm-hmm. [00:23:00] There's a lot of apprehension and stress in those initial days, and typically the sooner the parent leaves, the more, the faster the child recovers.

So sometimes it's like, okay, they're, they're really gonna be okay. The sooner you leave, the sooner the child's gonna calm down. So move along, mom, move along dad. But also, if the child doesn't over time, stop that stress that it continues to be a stressful situation for the child, then that's, I think the perfect time to be reevaluate.

Is this the right place? Mm-hmm. And is there something, you know, worst case scenario was something happening that's triggering my child when I'm gone. But I think that those are the opportunities where parents should be maybe clued in that this, maybe we need to reevaluate what we've decided and 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah.

Good 

Rea McFadden: point. And talk about that. 

Amanda Keefer: Mm-hmm. And I think that leads you know, some questions about parents and what's your part in this and. It's important to talk to your child's teacher. You know, either they're gonna engage you and say, Hey, how can we make this work a little better? Or as a [00:24:00] parent that you can say, I'm seeing this is like still happening.

'cause you do have to give it time. You have to have confidence in your child. Your child is capable and can probably do this. Yeah. And we'll be okay. But it's okay to talk to those teachers, you know, after that first week or two and, and say, Hey is, you know, what else can we do? Or, you know, is there something I can do?

Is there something that you guys can do to help them settle more? 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah. And we, we talked a little bit about how preschool is really getting them, getting kiddos ready for the, um, other grades and life. And so how does early childhood education impact long-term success in school and life?

Because it really is the foundation, right? 

Amanda Keefer: Mm-hmm. Well, there's a lot of research about that from various studies. And that's the hard thing about early childhood is that you have to look long term, right? Because you might see some impacts right away, some things take time, and then you're looking to see does that continue?

And there's a lot that happens in between when you were four at preschool and when you graduate high school. Um, [00:25:00] that is out of our preschool control. But there is a lot of research that shows that it is beneficial if they're in high quality environments. Then there's these long-term benefits and like you had mentioned before about the social skills that really, those social skills are the things that help carry you through to.

Even if you're not, you know, the straight a honor student, you're able to be at school, be present, you know, complete what you need to do. Yeah. Like sometimes we say C'S get degrees, that's okay. But you have the social skills to continue Yeah. And to be there and to graduate from high school and having those, you know, impulse control and things like that to be able to interact with other people.

And even when you're outta high school, then you're more likely to go to college. You're more likely to avoid some of the negative things like, winding up in the justice system or having these, other negative [00:26:00] issues that are, that happen with some people because you have some social skills.

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: To be able to, you know, have a job and, and have positive interactions with people or avoid, negative situations. Right. 

Rea McFadden: So when. We talk about preschool and specifically high quality preschools. There have been a few specific studies that have been done. There was a Perry Preschool program which monitored children over decades after they were, had been in a high quality preschool.

And then Amanda had mentioned yesterday the Carolina, say the 

Amanda Keefer: A, b, C dairy 

Rea McFadden: project. Fun new word for 

Amanda Keefer: Friday. 

Rea McFadden: I might not 

Amanda Keefer: even be saying it right either. That's okay. 

Rea McFadden: And what we see is improved school readiness. So some of the things that we might see are academic success. So, higher academic achievement, better test scores, improved literacy.

So there's a book called 30 million Word Gaps. So the children that go to high quality preschool will have [00:27:00] more language, they'll have increased educational attainment, so more kids are graduating from high school and also graduating from attending and graduating from college. Amanda had mentioned the social and emotional development.

So we'll have enhanced social skills. They'll interact better with their peers. They're learning to share, take turns, cooperate, resolve, conflict, fostering empathy, communication, teamwork. They'll have better emotional regulation. They'll learn to identify, understand, and manage their emotion with increased self-confidence and self-esteem.

And they'll have increased resilience. So you're seeing them develop coping mechanisms and the ability to recover from setbacks. 

Hmm. 

Rea McFadden: Ultimately, all of these lead up to an economic and societal benefit. So we're, we're seeing children earn higher, earning higher earning potential. Sorry, I'm getting my words.

Words mixed up. So they'll be able to find stable employment and earn higher wages, which what we see is a reduced crime rate. Yeah. Which if they're working, they're [00:28:00] not out. Finding other ways to earn income. Yeah. That might be illegal. Reduced need for social services and, um. We also see what we call intergenerational effects.

So children of children who have attended the high quality preschools, those children are experiencing increased graduation attainment, lower teen pregnancy rates, and less criminal activities. So you're seeing it over generations. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 'cause it sets the foundation to be able to have those conversations and the social skills and overcoming barriers and all of that.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And some of the research I was looking at then I had to dig in and start, I went down a rabbit hole of research with preschool and some of it was also saying about health and nutrition. Like, children are, 

You're healthier, they're less likely to be obese and, you know, have all these negative health outcomes, um, from being in high quality preschools.

Maggie Joyce: [00:29:00] That's a real thing. Like my daughter, she. Loves vegetables. And I, I swear it was because of her preschool teacher, because she would bring in vegetables from her farm and have the kiddos try them, and you could, you know, just a no thank you helping and like, I'm like, we're buying Hickma. Like, okay, okay.

You know, and, and her whole life, she has just been an avid vegetable eater, and I swear it is a hundred percent. Not that we didn't have them in the home, but she came so curious as to what was out there that we weren't cooking all the time. Yeah. And, and it's still today she became a vegetarian for a quick minute.

Rea McFadden: Good for her. I think that ultimately, I think that when we, we talk about often the return on investment and that speaks to a whole different group of people outside our educational community, which gives us an opportunity to really leverage those early years and say the return on investment, the more money you put in this age range.

You have a better outcome. So [00:30:00] they've, we've seen different studies and some of them say it's, it's a one to three return on investment dollar. You'll, you every dollar in, you get $3 out. And we've also seen all the way up to $13 for every dollar in, you're getting $13 out. Wow. Ultimately, we just, with high quality preschool, we end up with higher productive, more productive adults.

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. It's almost like a preventative, uh, you know, a lot of times we operate in the emergency room and like preschool is like prevention too. And then name a barrier, right? Yeah. That's fantastic. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And that's what's happening. It's like this is the early stages. A lot of people hear about brain development.

Yeah. This is when those pathways are being built. And so you're building them on the foundation of, jicama and broccoli. Yeah. And like these things are good and it's okay. And they may venture off and be like, you know. Drinking, you know, mountain Dew and they're in high school and they're, you know, doing that, but they always have that foundation in whatever it is, nutrition or whether or it's language and communication.

Yeah. They have built the foundation in that [00:31:00] way of, you know, having positive interactions and having positive experiences that they can go back to. And so they're just more likely to have that. I was thinking about that of like just butterfly effect in a positive way of you do a little bit here at this age and you can have really broad, um, positive outcomes in the future where if you don't do anything now and you kind of know something's happening that maybe is like, you know, whether it's health, nutrition development, you don't address it.

You let that become the pathway. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Which is. Dysfunctional or not effective. Yeah. But that's what the foundation is and that's the pathway and that, and then you have to try to redirect that when it's already been built. Mm-hmm. It's harder. Yeah. It takes more effort for, you know, the teachers in elementary school and junior high and high school to help those children redirect that pathway.

Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. It's probably are harder on the kiddo, [00:32:00] right? Mm-hmm. I mean, like, especially 'cause like, it, they, they don't really get that choice, right? Like, I would imagine most kids would want to be in a social setting with peers to get to play and learn. And if they're not, if that opportunity hasn't been provided for them and there are concerns as they grow through school, you know, they didn't have a choice of setting that foundation in those early years.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: And we all know what it's like to relearn. Yeah. It's not, it's not easy for adults. It's not easy for kids either. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So true. 

Jenn Cobb: So what are some of the biggest changes that you have seen in the needs of families in Shasta County?

Rea McFadden: Or have 

Jenn Cobb: there not been? 

Rea McFadden: Well, I would say that Amanda and I were talking about this the other day when we met, to kind of go through the questions. And I would say Shasta County as a whole is a, in our experience in our work, is pretty stable. Okay. And the things that we've seen are more with the [00:33:00] children.

So prior to COVID children, all children at any age have what we, we refer to as having behaviors, right? So they might be acting out. And we know that acting out is a way of communication to get their needs met. But what we're seeing now is more children with more behaviors. Since COVID and we don't really know the why.

And what we're also seeing is more speech delays since COVID and we have made some assumptions about masking and children not being able to see the form, like the word. Mm-hmm. The mouth 

Maggie Joyce: formation when you're Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: Yes. And that, that's been a barrier for children. And back to the behaviors about self-regulation, children may not have had the opportunity to be with their peers and it's translating into things that we're seeing in the classrooms.

So I don't, I don't know if I can really speak to families, but we definitely have seen some stuff with kids. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And I think it's just [00:34:00] life, you know, societally, it's, it's changed. Yeah. Our communities have changed and it's not Shasta County alone of just how we function with a lot of technology. Yeah. A lot of screen time and a lot of parents are.

They have to work and they may not have other people who can support them. I mean, sometimes we do have families that, you know, they maybe have moved here from another state and they're like, I really don't know anybody here. I don't have They don't 

Maggie Joyce: have their village. Yeah. They don't have 

Amanda Keefer: that village to support them.

So it's like, yeah, if you're having to take care of adult business, you gotta take care of your family. Then you're more likely to, you know, offer your child other things like tablets and things to help distract them and keep them busy so you can take care of, you know, making dinner and things like that and you've worked all day.

So I think we kind of rely on some of those other tools to help keep children occupied and safe. A lot less free 

Maggie Joyce: play. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. A lot less free play. And so, they haven't had those opportunities. Yeah. And then they come into a group, [00:35:00] especially like a, a preschool or a TK group setting. Those group sizes are larger.

Yeah. You know, you don't have 16 preschoolers at home. Hopefully you'll be very tired. And so there it's a lot different setting and then they're trying to manage that and it's like, well, why can't I have all my own things and I just wanna play with that right now? 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Just give it to me. Like, I don't wanna have to, you know, negotiate all this stuff.

Just like all of us, we go out and we do our jobs and if your job is social, you might go home and be like, Ooh, I just wanna be by myself for a while because I had to work hard to interact with people. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And they haven't had those experiences, so how are we helping them know what the boundaries are of how we interact respectfully and enter into play?

Or ask somebody if you can have a turn with something or let them know you don't like that. Yeah. And they maybe just haven't had those experiences. And like Ria said, the language, I've [00:36:00] been with Head Start for over 20 years and I feel like I'm seeing that difference with the children, that their language.

Is maybe not considered to be a delay. Um, not like a diagnosable delay. Underdeveloped, 

Maggie Joyce: maybe. Underdeveloped. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And I'm seeing that as they like a little bit older, I think that they're still don't have a lot of words and so they might get frustrated. And they just, they're not able to communicate what, you know, what's happening in their mind.

They can't get it out in the words. And so it's challenging for them. And there have, we've done some, um, work in the past. It was quite a few years ago, we did some work with Stanford language research her name's Anne Fernald and she came up here and did some studies and looked at kiddos in our area about their language.

And a lot of it was about the importance of not just talking to your child and like directing them, but talking with them. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Like engaging them in the conversations about what's going on so that they're [00:37:00] hearing of a. Variety of language. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And being really kind of immersed in that and how important that is.

Yeah. And sometimes we're busy and so we may not be talking to our young children, but that's just something that also parents can be doing to get their children ready is just be talking to 'em about what you're doing when you're in the grocery store and you're driving down the road and, talk about what you see out the window.

All of those things are just as valuable and they don't cost you anything. 

Rea McFadden: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: They're pretty simple. Yeah, very true. 

Rea McFadden: I wanna build a little bit on the screen time. We were, we had an event recently where we shared with families the how screen time can impact child development. And there was a video that they were showing about how a child, the child was about one years old and the child was dysregulated, so the child was crying and.

They handed the child an [00:38:00] iPhone or a technology device, right. And the child immediately stopped crying. They took it away and the child started crying again. So, I mean, it just goes to show how we can lean into technology to regulate our child's behavior. Yeah. So now, like, let, let's translate that into a classroom.

So in most preschool class classrooms, you're not gonna have technology at hand like that. So if the child's dysregulated or crying or upset, now how are we gonna regulate that behavior? Because maybe at home that's what's being used. So it, it, it can be difficult. Yeah, I would 

Maggie Joyce: imagine. And so with that difficulty, and I'm sure the full day is not full of difficulties, but Amanda, can you walk us through a typical day for a child enrolled in a Shasta Head Start program and what that looks like for families to hear if a family is like.

I wanna get my kid in preschool, but I don't know what to expect and I wanna talk to them about what they can expect. Can you share with [00:39:00] us a little bit about what that looks like? 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. So at Head Start, um, typically children are gonna come in, you know, they're gonna get welcomed by a teacher and, put their things in their cubby and get settled in.

And we usually start the day with maybe a little bit of free play where they're allowed to kind of move about the room and choose what they want to do in different interest areas. So we have, you know, a lot of different types of activities, whether it's, you know, dress up kind, play, because that's what a lot of children wanna do.

They wanna do what adults do. And so they're, you know, pretending to cook or they're building with blocks or a lot of different, sensory activities, Play-Doh, that type of stuff. So they have a lot of choices. And then they're gonna have some breakfast typically, so they sit together and have breakfast, which.

We talk about family style dining and so they sit down together, they pass the food, they serve the themselves. Yeah. Um, which is new for a lot of them. Yeah. You know, because most 

Maggie Joyce: things get open for them. Yes. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And our we're really lucky. It's [00:40:00] one of the things I actually like has changed how I function as a parent with nutrition was we have cooks on site.

So we have a cook who's in the kitchen making homemade foods for them. Um, and it's all, it's not prepackaged kind of type thing. Yeah. And so they get a different opportunity to sit and talk and eat together. And they have modeling of different things. So that's sometimes as a parent, you're kinda like, well, what are they going to eat today?

And so for us, we provide the food. Sometimes it's different than at home. So children might be a little bit wary 'cause they're like, we don't eat that at my house. What's that gonna be like? But they'll have opportunities to eat what they want and pass on some things. Then they're gonna get to either play inside or outside.

We always have, try to have a good amount of outside time. You know, now it's getting a little difficult 'cause it's very hot in Redding, 

Maggie Joyce: so we have to, shade structures can only do so much, right? Yes. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. A lot of misters and a lot of shade structures. So they're gonna have a balance of inside and outside time with opportunities [00:41:00] to have different types of play in both of those settings.

Outside time, if, you know, if we don't have anything to do besides just run in circles, then that's, there's not a lot for them to engage in. So we give them other things too, like the block play and Yeah. Different types of things to do outside. So they're gonna have some free play and they're gonna have some structured activities where more a teacher is directing something and maybe setting up like art activity that's a little more structured and children can kind of come and, you know, do those types of activities and then have free choice as well.

They're gonna probably have some. Larger group time where they do ask children to come together. Potentially. Some children don't wanna come to large groups. That's a little overwhelming for them. So they're not typically like, required to do that. And a lot of times children are kind of on the side, they're on the peripheral and they're, they're over there singing the song, but they're not singing.

Yeah. They're still getting, they're still 

Maggie Joyce: getting though the, the content and the idea. Yeah. They're just not physically ready to be in the space. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And so they're going to, you know, [00:42:00] be reading books and singing songs and, dancing and having all of those opportunities. And then they're gonna always have lunch.

And we do have, so for full day, when you go past lunchtime in licensed care, you have to have some kind of rest time. So some this is difficult for three to five year olds because some of them are really coming out of wanting to rest or needing to rest. 

Yeah. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Others are really crashing. They need to take some downtime.

And so they at least have, have some quiet time where it's like, Hey, we're gonna kind of chill out and, you know, maybe read some books. Children are gonna have the opportunity to lay on their cot and rest. some will sleep, some don't. And so, but they will have that downtime. And then a lot of our preschools go until about 2:30

So then after rest time, they're gonna have more of those opportunities to, you know, play within the classroom, have some structured activities, maybe go back outside when it's not [00:43:00] too hot. And then have their family come and get them. They get a lot of different things because we do try to have a lot of different sensory activities or as they get older, doing more of those things that maybe people think of as preschool that are more like literacy based.

Right. Type activ like phonics and Yeah. Yeah. Letters and, and we kind of, but we try to weave that throughout the day so that it's not a thing that you have to come sit down and learn. 

Yeah. You 

Amanda Keefer: learn it through the play of what you're doing, you know? Like if you're playing with bubbles, you are using those sounds, you're like, oh, there's the bubbles and you're, you know, bababa.

Yeah. And oh, your name starts with B also, you know, Brian, your name goes bababa. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Um, you know, or talking pop like little sounds and stuff. Those really support language development and literacy. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. You just layer it throughout the day. Yeah, yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. So it looks like play. And sometimes as a parent, if you're not as, ingrained in child development it might look like, well, they're just playing all day.

[00:44:00] They're learning so much through the play. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Jenn Cobb: Uh, staying in kind of the same headstart space. Sorry. Yeah. But this one's also for Amanda. Your vision is to give children a strong start in life. So what does that look like in practical terms? 

Amanda Keefer: Well, it's, it's those things that we kind of already have talked about Yeah.

Is that you need the foundation and everything. Right. You can't just be like, my name's Amanda, and it starts with a, and I know how to ride in a Right. That's not the only thing you need to be successful. Like we talked about, the long-term outcome is, that children are healthy. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And so they have the health aspect and I've learned so much about health and dental and nutrition and all those things.

Right. And so that's what we're trying to give is that if there's a gap Yeah. Because there's not always a gap. Yeah. And that's why like, it's more of that like tiered intervention mm-hmm. Kind of [00:45:00] a program. Yeah. That there's things that everybody needs. Mm-hmm. And then some. People don't have that, or there's something going on either in their health, in their development, in the nutrition.

And so that's why we do things like we screen for vision hearing, we screen development behavioral, social, emotional 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Of the child. And we look at all of those pieces. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: If there's something else there, we're gonna follow up with the family. Yeah. So that they can get the support they need and understand how important it is that, like we've had quite a few children where maybe they have some dental issues.

There's, you know, they have some cavities and it's like, oh, they're baby teeth. Baby teeth are pretty important still. Right, 

right. 

Amanda Keefer: And if you've ever had a toothache Yeah. Then you know how distracting that can be. It's kind of hard to do anything else. That's one of my things that I'm always like. Having, I've had root canals and things like that.

I'm like, if I have a tooth problem, [00:46:00] I can't function very well. 

Maggie Joyce: Right. Yeah. It's awful. So, 

Amanda Keefer: yeah. And so if you're four and you can't eat your sandwich without pain mm-hmm. How are you supposed to, you know, be enjoying life Yeah. And learning and playing with your friends, and so helping families get those resources and understand the value of getting those things corrected.

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Um, so that the child can feel well. So that's, that's, that piece is like, all those pieces come together and it's what does that child need? Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. It feels like your guys' programs really do help one family at a time. Right? So if there isn't a gap, we're gonna, we provide our structure of our regular environment, but when you are seeing gaps and you, you have things that allow you to see those, right.

If they're not so obvious you're really filling that gap and you're working with the family to best support their, the family and the child. Right. Yeah. Because some of this might be a learning for the family as well. I would imagine. Yeah. You know, because if it's your first kid and maybe there is a a, a delay or a gap, that might be the first [00:47:00] journey that parents will ever walk on.

So you guys are really walking alongside them and helping one family at a time. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. Cool. And they don't like, I don't know, when I was growing up, I remember my mom actually worked first goy, and so she had things like family health insurance and I remember always going to the dentist, so I went every six months and got my teeth cleaned.

And that was something I remember just always doing. But then I started to interact with other people. I'm like, oh, you didn't do that. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: You know, other people might that it's not everybody's norm. Yeah. It's not your norm. And if you're a parent and you're like, okay, well now I have a child, all I have to refer to is what I experienced or maybe other people I know.

And so just trying to help families see that, oh, actually that could be really helpful because maybe. You know, that was hard for you as a child. Yeah. You can give that to your child now. And there's resources. And that's sometimes the challenge too, is getting connected to the resources. What do you need?

Yeah. How do we help you get there? Because I, you know, we do not provide dental services. Mm-hmm. But we can help you [00:48:00] get connected to them so that you can get what you need. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And that's the piece of the meeting the families is there's a program called Strengthening Families and it talks about protective factors.

And the protective factors are really about building the family. Yeah. Because, and that's why I kept thinking about, as I was thinking about all of this is like, what's the outcome? And it's giving those families what they need. Because I only am gonna serve your family and your child for a couple years maybe.

Right. So can I give that family the tools so when they walk away and they go to the next level? They know how to advocate for themselves. They know how to take care of themselves, right? So they can be regulated and deal with the regular life challenges that happen so that they can be there for their child.

Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: Helping the child indirectly helps, excuse me. Helping the parent indirectly helps the child, right? Of course. Yeah. And then you can, you can directly help the child and indirect, indirectly help the child. So helping the family is Yeah. Providing that support for the child as well. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. You [00:49:00] guys are really building a sense of community amongst your families, right?

Because sometimes you don't know who to go to, or you're only drawing from your experience, like you said. And if your experience isn't, um, healthy choices isn't reading to your kiddo at night, it isn't dental care that can be learned through having their child enrolled in either one of your programs, which I love.

I, I think that just makes. A better community, right? A better group of kiddos, a better group of parents, and a better society overall. 

Rea McFadden: And I think one of the things that we're looking at when we're talking about high quality preschools is that parent engagement. 

Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: And as, and the parent engagement is the agency talking with that parent and the teacher talking with that parent and creating a team.

And the team is about establishing goals for the child and the success of that child and what are they gonna do together and independently, right. To support the child. Mm-hmm. 

Maggie Joyce: And we talked about that foundation and how we're providing that for this kiddos. Right. But it also provides a foundation for parents because their child's gonna be going through school for many years.

And so [00:50:00] teaching the parent that it's important to have a convers communication with your school and your teacher and your nurse and your, you know, all the people, the TRA bus driver, anybody like how valuable that is to learn that at these ages because it just transitions with them. And I would imagine.

A lot of your families are repeat customers, right? That they have one kiddo that goes through your program if they have another, it's they, you probably get to see siblings or generations of families. And so you're really changing lives through that community. 

Amanda Keefer: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And that's one of the things I love to see.

Now that I've been at Head Start for so long now I'm seeing that. And I always worked in infant rooms, so like my first children that I worked with, they were babies, so they don't remember you. Right. But you cared for them when they were, you know, so small. And then to see them now, like, graduating high school and to see their parents, like that's what I see them sometimes where I'm out in the community and I'm like, oh, I know that nurse.

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Because her child was in our program. And so she's like, oh, that's [00:51:00] why I know you, you were at the head start. You know? And the parents really are the ones who a lot of times as if you work in preschool 

Yeah. Yeah. That they come back and they're like, 

Amanda Keefer: oh, thank you. You helped me so much. I, when I was.

You know, having to go back to work and transition and you were the one who was like, he's gonna be okay here we're, we can do this. Yeah. You know? And that they're the ones who really remember. Yeah. Yeah.

Jenn Cobb: I was just thinking about like the cool ripple effect that, you know, you've been able to see in the community.

And anyway, inspiring me in my own line, line of work. 

Amanda Keefer: And it is like, it's inspires me when I see those people. Because usually when somebody comes through, you know, when your children are little 

Right. 

Amanda Keefer: You're typically in kind of a transition too, depending on where you're at in your life.

Yeah. 'cause maybe you have children and you're younger and now you're like, oh. I have these little people to take care of. I think I need to go back to school. Mm-hmm. I think I need to figure out how I'm gonna do things a little differently. Yeah. And that's, I had the privilege of working out at Shasta College Head start.

Yeah. And so a lot of our families there at that [00:52:00] location we're going to school. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: So I see a lot of moms that are in nursing programs, dental programs. Mm-hmm. And you know, sometimes they're with a partner, sometimes they're on their own. They're going through life changes too. Yeah. And they're trying to improve themselves.

So to go out there and see and be like, oh. You know, so and so's mom and like I, especially in the medical field. 'cause it's so important for us also to have people in this community who can work in the medical field. Right? Yeah. We need them to see them out there. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: I just see them around and I'm like, that's so awesome that she's like a respiratory therapist now.

And her, her kids are, you know, either I was just thinking of one family. They're like, in the military, one of them's like learning how to do other types of jobs in the community that not even always like, you know, kids that are going to college, but they're getting certificates in certain types of work.

Like, in kind of more public works type things with like, you know, water treatment or, different things working for [00:53:00] City of Reding type of stuff. Yeah. And I'm like, look at them. They're doing so good. And I have a, an adult child now, so I'm like, I'm so proud of what I see my own kids grow into.

Right. And I get to see all those other kiddos and I'm like. Oh, awesome. I'm, you know, see them working in my community and doing good things. Yeah. And that feels amazing. Yeah. It's so special. '

Maggie Joyce: cause our three year olds are our future adults in our community. Right. So you're setting the foundation, which is the word of the day.

Yeah. One of 

Rea McFadden: the programs that we implement at Shasta County Office of Education is associated with CalWORKs. So CalWORKs is the door for them to get subsidized childcare. And we had a family, um, when I was overseeing that program that they were in, we, we refer to it, that subsidy program as the stages.

'cause there's stage one, stage two, stage three, and parents kind of with their children move through that program based on how long they've been in how long they were, how long they've been in this, the stages programs. They kind of graduate through one family, I can't remember what stage [00:54:00] they were in, but they were using that program to go to work and, and go to school.

And then when their. Recertification period came around to re-enroll to make sure they were still income eligible. They were no longer income eligible. So it's, it's kind of a disappointment that they're not receiving those subsidy services, but a celebration. 

Maggie Joyce: Right. But a celebration 

Rea McFadden: because they had bettered themselves and their family and I just can't even imagine what their home life might feel like to no longer be eligible for that program.

But they were significantly over income. But that's one of those things where you can look back at your program and know that you are making a difference in the lives of families in the community. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And the fact that you guys have, uh, this, the, the ability in the community to have a continuum of services.

Right. Because even though they graduated out of that program, maybe there might be another program or it set that foundation for them to value their kid being in preschool. And so they wouldn't want to not have [00:55:00] that. So they've better themselves as a family, but it's also set that trajectory of.

Changing a generation, right? So, or maybe multiple generations or most or multiple generations, like your study show. Mm-hmm. 

Jenn Cobb: Man, so fun. I feel like a lot of times, like you either get to see like the planting of the seed or it growing, but it's not necessarily a flower or you see the flour, but it feels like you're all getting to see like the whole process.

Process. We get a garden. Yes. Yeah. And it's, it's really, really cool. I love this. Kind of switching gears, but what partnerships or community collaborations have been valuable in extending the reach and effectiveness of your services? 

Maggie Joyce: You talked about like you're not a dentist, but you can refer to a dental provider.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. We do have a lot of partnerships and like rhe and I are both part of the local Childcare planning council. I. Which every county has a local childcare planning council, so we have all the different childcare, kind of preschool type people there, but we also have a lot of, a lot of [00:56:00] friends who come to that.

And so some of them are in health and dental. A lot of families go to Shasta Community Health Center for health and dental needs. We have like Hill Country and at, at Shasta Headstart we've had some, we have requirements to try to help families get connected with health and dental and those types of things.

So we have had where, um, hill Country Dental has come to our classroom. So if you're a parent and you know how difficult it is, like the children need all these medical appointments Yeah. Dental appointments and you're like, how am I going to get them to all the things? 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And so then they they will come to the preschool.

That's 

awesome. And 

Amanda Keefer: so the parents, you know, still have to do your paperwork. Yeah. Lot of, a lot of paperwork with these things, but they come to the preschool. 

Wow. 

Amanda Keefer: And so your child's getting their dental screening at least done at while they're at school. Yeah. You don't have to take time off work to go do that.

Mm-hmm. Um, 

Maggie Joyce: or figure out [00:57:00] transportation. Yeah. All the things. 

Amanda Keefer: All the things. And it's kind of fun for the children too because they get to have that experience in a setting they're comfortable in at school. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Instead of like going to the doctor's office, which can be a little intimidating sometimes.

Yeah. So we have a lot of like the health partnerships. We also have the Lions Club. Lions clubs are, um, have a real focus on vision health. And so they come do screenings for us using some fancy technology called a spot screener. That's a lot easier for children. They just have to like look at this camera and it will tell us if they need to be referred further.

We also have, uh, UCSF San Francisco. Mm-hmm. They're doing some preschool hearing research right now. So they're coming to the community and they're not just working with Head starts, they're working with other programs as well to come and do hearing screening with children and using some, also some more advanced technology.

It's called A [00:58:00] OAE and it's just really easy. Mm-hmm. But it gives you a much better reading than just kind of going, oh, can they hear the bell? Do they turn when they hear things? Yeah. It's reading a lot more so, than those children get referred on, you know, to an audiologist. Um, and connecting with those people to who know all about the details of that.

Yeah. To find out more the experts in the area. Yeah. And sometimes they don't. Need that much further, but sometimes they do have more going on. 

Rea McFadden: Yeah. And we have partnerships in the community with um, first Five Shasta. So First Five Shasta, we, Shasta County Office of Education contracts to operate a program and that's the Help Me Grow Shasta program that Amanda had referred to earlier.

And they do a lot of screenings, so it's really a, we call it Child Find, so they do screenings for children to see if there are any delays in the child's development and then they can refer to, so they can get that child additional services if additional services are needed. We also partner with Far North Regional Center.

Both of us, our agencies will partner with [00:59:00] Far Northern kind of the same kind of process to make sure that children's needs are being, being met and assessments. And some children as they get assessed, may need to be, have a formal observation. And those observations can be done by SCOE. And I believe Far Northern Regional Center has observations as well.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: And through, in our partnership with First Five Shasta, we also have quality initiatives to improve the quality in early education. So those zero to five programs, and it's called Quality Counts North State. So then we have other programs through for transitional kindergarten to kind of push into that that school district space to support the teachers in that environment so they can bring in some of that preschool type learning environment, which is not, I think it's, it's kind of a new realm for schools and it, it, they really were kind of coming into that with [01:00:00] that when TK started.

And we're really trying to encourage it to look more like what our programs look like in, in pre our preschool programs. No, I feel like there were other, 

Amanda Keefer: and I think just the districts is the other one, like Far Northern Regional Center. They typically serve your younger children, uh, under three. 

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Keefer: Um, but they do serve some people that are over three years old. And then, so the other part of that is the districts is referring children to their district. And if they need to be observed and assessed to see if there is something more going on, more supports that they need 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: Um, for their development.

And that's really helpful too because like we're saying, what's preschool is to get you ready for Yeah. Going to kindergarten. And so it really helps the districts know this is who's coming your way soon. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Um, is, are really intertwined within the community as well as like all the school districts.

So I imagine it's a really important piece of the work that you do. We collaborate 

Rea McFadden: with school [01:01:00] districts on a, on a different level. So we also have preschools on 

Maggie Joyce: campuses, school campuses. 

Rea McFadden: So we hold contract with. California Department of Education and through that contract we provide direct service in preschools.

And then those preschools are on community, district, community campus districts throughout Shasta County. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And that's what's nice too. There's other districts run their own preschools. So some preschools are like through SCOE Early Childhood Services, but also some districts. 'cause we're broad. Right, right.

Like even in Head Start, we go all the way to MacArthur. 

Wow. 

Amanda Keefer: That's Shasta County. We're a big county. Um, and so we go to the far reaches of this county. And some of those districts also serve themselves by having a state preschool or some other type of preschool on their campus, which is super convenient for families because if you have older children, you're just taking 'em all to one place.

You know, one stop so much easier than having to go multiple locations with all your different age [01:02:00] children. Yeah. So there's a lot of good opportunities with, with those sites as well. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. You guys are everywhere. 

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And I think like the partnerships are really important because like at the beginning we talked about, well, what are you looking for?

How do you know everybody's different? Yeah. So like I do the work that I do with Head Start, but that doesn't serve everybody and it's not the right fit for everybody. Mm-hmm. And I totally know that. And I love being in partnership with like the local childcare planning and quality counts, north State and the resources that are out there for like Universal Preschool with the TK partnerships, we all get to learn from each other.

Right. And I think it's so cool because I see the value in other programs as well and what they're doing and it's unique to them. It might not be something that I can incorporate into a Head Start program, um, because there is, you know, there's flexibility and there's restriction in how different types of [01:03:00] programs are run.

Hmm. And so they get to, you know, be Montessori or they get to be family childcare homes, and that's their unique identity and it's, it's really valuable. Yeah. And it serves everybody differently. And I just think the families of Shasta County are very unique and different in their own ways, and they want different things for their children, maybe.

Mm-hmm. But I think ultimately all parents want, we want our children to be healthy and growing and, and we want to feel supported and that people see us as well as a family. Mm-hmm. And by having these different opportunities, we can meet those, how do we meet the broad needs of what is really kind of a small community?

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Well, and, and those partnerships probably allow you to better coordinate services, right. Because it may be a family. It ha has passed an income stage where they can't be in a program anymore or something's not a good fit. But if you have knowledge of what's in the community that you could refer them to, even if it's not your own program, um, because [01:04:00] it's for the betterment of that family and that child, that doesn't happen without the relationships that you build with community partners.

So really we can't, none of us can do any of our work without having those strong relationships. That's the way that I see it. Like that is also the foundation of what you do every day. Um, because not knowing what's in the community only creates a barrier. Yeah. And that's 

Rea McFadden: really what she had mentioned, local childcare planning council.

And that's really where you see that collaboration happening because a lot of these people that we're talking about, these partners, they're at one table in one committee and you'll be talking about a situation maybe with a family or you've come across a barrier. There's a solution in the room.

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: And someone will, will say, oh, I can do X, Y, Z and that can fill that gap. And so you've really got that partnership really to support families and children in the community. And it's. It's one of my favorite places. Yeah. To be. 

Amanda Keefer: And I think that's part of Shasta County and, and anywhere really, but Shasta County, we, we can be very rural.

Yep. And we do have, a lot of people who have their own ways of [01:05:00] wanting to be with their family. And I think one thing that I, what I hope for families is that, you know, that you don't feel isolated because you might want to just stay home with your child until they go to kindergarten. And that's, a wonderful thing.

But I still don't want people to feel isolated in that, of like, oh, I don't have any supports that there are different types of programs or there's, you know, there's ways to be home with your kids and not feel like you're isolated and on your own little island where you can't, you know, you gotta figure it all out yourself.

But even in, and then also in, in being in group care, in childcare settings and preschool settings, sometimes that feels a little isolating. 'cause you're like, I don't. I'm not an expert in this. You know, the teacher, it has their way, they do things that, that people feel that partnership. Yeah. And they feel like there are people who wanna listen and hear their stories.

And that's why I kind of love that, being able to share those stories of the families and get 'em [01:06:00] connected with the right place for them. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Thinking about sharing stories and how we've, we've talked today about all things early childhood education and how really it does set the foundation for life, right?

And for being able to navigate the ups and downs of life. If you could tell every single policymaker one thing about early childhood education and family services, what would it be? 

Rea McFadden: Put the money in the early years. Invest fully in early education. Put the dollars where you're gonna get your best ROI your best return on investment.

Amanda Keefer: Yeah. And that it's worth it. 'cause I think that sometimes that's the challenge is like. Well, how do we get some money over there? 'cause that's gonna cost a lot. But it has the return on investment, it's worth investing early. And in a broad kind of spectrum of opportunities for those services.

But also making sure that they are high quality. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And that it is that, [01:07:00] that that holistic approach is gonna pay off in those places where I think especially like policy makers, politicians, they get a lot of pressure from a lot of places. 

Right. 

Amanda Keefer: And really the investment in early childhood can help you in those other places as well.

Mm-hmm. That full investment here is gonna help you get people to work. It's gonna, that's an upstream investment. Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna help you in those other places where, where you're, you know, they're getting the phone calls, they're getting the emails, they're getting a lot of that right now.

Especially, um, you know, people are active. And this investment can help in those other places. And if they're more aware of that, then they could also be letting those other people know, people who are calling or advocating because they're looking at workforce. Early childhood is a part of that discussion.

Yeah, it should be. Yeah. 

Rea McFadden: And I would add that like locally, one of the conversations that I've read in the news is, is building a new jail, right? [01:08:00] Mm-hmm. How much money is it gonna take and finding that in the budget, and if the solution could be like you're saying downstream or is it upstream? Whichever way?

Upstream. Whichever way. Whichever you way you're looking for the solution. The solution is putting the money in early. Yeah. So why isn't the conversation being happening is how can we prevent that? Maybe we still prevent the need. Maybe we still need to do that, but how can we mirror that and maybe not need it later?

Amanda Keefer: Yeah, yeah. Like you're saying, public safety. Yeah. It's gonna impact. That aspect as well, and we have a lot of conversations about that. 

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: But we could be impacting that earlier. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: It's just been a joy to talk to you guys today. I've, I've learned so much. And I think that that's part of the, the process to changing policies is really learning what early childhood education does for families and the impact it has long term, right?

Mm-hmm. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. Uh, so to wrap this up, we have our closing question. You guys made it to the end. Uh, so at [01:09:00] SCOE, one of our core values focuses on being hopeful and helpful. And so, uh, this question you can pick either or but either what is your hope for the next generation or who has been someone who has been particular particularly, uh, helpful to you in your journey?

Rea McFadden: For me, I would say that going on that return on investment and high quality preschool, my hope that would be that every preschool offered high quality early learning experiences. And every child could attend. 

Maggie Joyce: Mm-hmm. 

Amanda Keefer: She just dropped the mic. Yeah. Um, and I was really thinking about just those differences, like I've been saying.

It's just that there's, we're able to have different opportunities and appreciate those differences in our families and our program types, that there's, because we're not, we're never gonna come to like this full agreement. Like, this is the one thing you do, this is how you do it. There's a variety of ways and [01:10:00] that, that is good.

Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And appreciating that even in, you know, preschool type of settings. And I think that's, there's been a couple people in my life that have helped me with some of that. But I think just like I've been with Head Start for 20 years. I had done some things before that. I worked in private care, so I saw what that looked like and there were people there that did that well, and I worked in, I worked in military care was my first job was with the Marine Corps. 

Wow. And 

Amanda Keefer: so you're taking care of military families and they have really unique needs and they come from all over the country. You know, and they have different interests and values and stuff. And so, um, working with different people who've worked in those kinds of settings and just really were supervisors and leaders that worked with me that were like, yeah, you just, you meet people where they're at and what's important to them.

And it might not be the same thing that I think is important right now, but it's important to them. Yeah. And just getting to know [01:11:00] people. Yeah. And so I think that's what gives me that hope is when you get to know somebody and then you, and you can kind of see like, oh, you value, you meet them in a place where you can value what they value.

And they see that and then they're like, okay, somebody heard me? 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Amanda Keefer: And I can, I can keep going. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah, it feels like you guys really honor that, you know, meeting people where they're at and walking alongside 'em. So I appreciate what you do for our community and for our littles and our families and thank you guys for being here today.

Yeah, thank you you for having us. Yeah, thanks for 

Amanda Keefer: having us. It was nice to be here with you guys.