What You Will Learn
Early childhood educators will learn about gaps in mathematical learning in young children from low-income backgrounds, compared to their middle-class peers, and how to close these gaps through use of instructional practices, classroom and home math activities, and materials.
Early education program staff will receive technical assistance on how to sustain program-wide support for early math.
Specifically, workshop participants will:
- Receive tools and learn strategies to effectively meet the early mathematical needs of students and families
- Learn enhanced family engagement activities that help parents focus on their child’s mathematical development
- Receive a hands-on approach to learning effective early math instruction through active participation
- Learn how to implement the Pre-K Mathematics Curriculum aligned with the Head Start Framework, the Preschool Learning Foundations, and Common Core State Standards
- Receive assistance in developing sustainability plans through continuous improvement strategies
- Receive training and technical assistance in developing an effective professional development model, including on-site support
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Service Details
Knowledgable WestEd trainers will demonstrate and provide hands-on experience with an early math curriculum, Pre-K Mathematics, which has been found by the U.S. Department of Education to be effective in preparing children for standards-based mathematics in kindergarten (see What Makes This Service Unique, below].
WestEd offers several types of workshops and training:
- One-Day “Deep Dive” Trainings that focus on family engagement through the use of home activities (see below for an example of a Deep Dive activity)
- Two-Day Workshops that focus on the first half of the Pre-K Mathematics curriculum and/or home activities; materials are available in English and Spanish
- Four-Day Curriculum Workshops include training on the entire curriculum
Workshops take place at your designated site(s) and include an in-depth presentation by a professional development team, demonstration of classroom and/or home activities, and participant practice in small groups.
Materials for the curriculum and home activities are provided to you as part of workshop registration. Materials will be provided for all students in your classrooms. In addition, as part of the workshop, we will present research on the effectiveness of the Pre-K Mathematics curriculum.
Coaching is available following workshop completion to support participants’ implementation efforts.
Training and technical assistance in sustaining implementation via continuous improvement methods also are available.
Example of a Deep Dive Activity
What Makes This Service Unique
The Pre-K Mathematics curriculum — the basis for this service — was created by WestEd researchers and developmental psychologists Prentice Starkey and Alice Klein through a rigorous and iterative design process. The curriculum was evaluated in randomized controlled trials and rated as effective by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse.
Through a large validation study funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Investing in Improvement, WestEd developed an effective statewide training network that has been successfully implemented in a variety of early childhood settings, including large state preschool and Head Start programs in urban, suburban, and rural settings.
With federal funding, our team also developed a continuous improvement model to help programs sustain their implementation of Pre-K Mathematics within their local constraints. The math content in Pre-K Mathematics aligns well with state and federal preschool learning guidelines and standards such as the Head Start Framework and the California Preschool Learning Foundations. In addition, it can be used alongside the Creative Curriculum and the Desired Results Developmental Profile.
Visit Early Math Intervention and Early Math Initiative to learn more about these projects that serve as the basis for our workshops.
Cost
Pricing* for workshop participation is as follows:
- $855 a day for 8 or fewer people; $285 for each additional day
- $1,140 a day for 9–16 people; $570 for each additional day
- $1,425 a day for 16–24 people; $855 for each additional day
These figures would increase by $285 for the addition of up to 8 people and would cap at roughly 40 attendees.
Receive these services for free by participating in the research phase of Early Math Initiative! Please contact our team for more information: Darrylon Evans at 310.467.9946 or devans@wested.org; or Alison Paskal at 510.219.7719 or apaskal@wested.org.
*The prices above do not include billing for materials and travel.
Learn More
To learn more about this service, please contact Darrylon Evans at 310.467.9946 or devans@wested.org; or Alison Paskal at 510.219.7719 or apaskal@wested.org.
WestEd put on a fantastic Pre-K Math PD for my teachers to train the parents on how to do math with their child at home. They provided the training and the kits! My teachers exclaimed it was a great training and want them back. My teachers would role play, one as the parent and one as the child and practice the activity. It will be great for in kind, family engagement, and family math night.
WestEd Bulletin
Stay up to date with the latest WestEd news, events, research, and leading voices to support your commitment to improving learning, healthy development, and equity in schools and communities.
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Join WestEd's Early Math Initiative at the 2023 Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting
Events (Archived) / March 23, 2023
Prentice Starkey and Alice Klein from WestEd will present at the Society for Research in Child Development 2023 Biennial Meeting held in Salt Lake City.