Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project was parents and other primary caregivers, child care providers caring for 0-6-year-old children, and community leaders from the American Indian communities on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ. Changes/Problems:In our initial project narrative, we proposed to develop Intergenerational Community Literacy Events that would feature culturally responsive activities to promote literacy and allow elders to teach Native Languages. We did not develop these community events. Instead, we developed online literacy resources (early literacy handouts, quick tip videos, and storytime videos). We made this change following the guidance of our community advisory boards and in an attempt to adapt our plan to the COVID pandemic. The communities where we delivered this programming were some of the most hard hit in the country by the COVID pandemic and both suffered significant loss especially among elderly community members making in-person intergenerational events not possible. The online literacy materials we did develop were widely used by parents and early care and education teachers in the target communities during and after the COVID pandemic. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Across the five years, this project provided training and professional development for four Human Development and Family Science undergraduate students. Two students received training on developing community-based programming to promote early literacy in American Indian communities from the project director, Dr. Speirs, during semester-long independent study projects. These students regularly met with the program director and received feedback, instruction, and mentorship. One of these students helped to develop Drop-In Literacy Events. Her training informed her work following graduation as she completed a master's degree in Elementary Education at Arizona State University. The other student helped to develop one-page early literacy handouts. She presented a poster about this work at the Frances McClelland Institute Spring 2021 Student Poster Showcase at the University of Arizona. Two additional Human Development and Family Science students received training on program evaluation during two different semesters from Terrace Ewinghill, a member of the evaluation team. Both students received training on data entry, using REDCap to store and manage data, creating reports from evaluation data, and presenting evaluation data. This project also provided several opportunities for team members to receive training and professional development at workshops and conferences. In September 2021, several members of the project team attended a workshop titled "Co-Decolonizing Research Methods: Toward Research Sustaining Indigenous and 'Other' Community Engaged Ways of Knowing" that was part of the American Educational Research Association's Virtual Research Learning Series. This workshop provided useful insights into working with our communities in meaningful ways. In August 2022, several members of the project team attended a Tribal Connections Event sponsored by First Things First, Arizona's Early Childhood Development and Health Board. This event provided professional development around working with Arizona's tribal communities on issues concerning young children and early literacy which was directly applicable to our work. In February 2023, three members of the project team attended an online workshop presented by the American Evaluation Association titled "Culturally Responsive Focus Groups" which helped us think about how to use focus groups to collect data for our program evaluation. In April 2023, the instructional specialist for the San Carlos Apache region attended the Celebrate the Young Child Conference in Phoenix, AZ where she attended workshops on child development and early literacy. In May 2024, the two instructional specialists attended an online training titled "Empowering People in the Workplace" which provided instruction around how to create a culture of mutual respect in the workplace. This leadership training helped our staff members as they worked collaboratively with other Extension staff and took on additional leadership roles on our project. In June 2024, the project director attended an online workshop titled "Introduction to R for Data Analysis" during which she learned how to use R, a statistical analysis package, which was useful in analyzing and presenting the evaluation data from this project. In August 2024, members of our team attended the annual University of Arizona Cooperative Extension conference in Tucson, AZ. Attending this conference allowed them to network with Extension professionals from across the state and attend sessions that provided professional development on community-based programming. During all five years, members of our team attended the annual CYFAR Professional Development Event. This meeting provided useful information about all aspects of program development and evaluation for our project and allowed us to network with other CYFAR grantees and meet with our CYFAR coach in person. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have disseminated the results of our program to communities of interest through presentations to our advisory boards in each community and other community groups, attending outreach events in the communities, posting evaluation reports on our program websites, and circulating an annual program newsletter. We met with the advisory boards regularly and provided them with updates on our work which they then disseminated to their networks. We also presented the findings from our program to other community groups focused on improving early literacy. For example, we presented our evaluation data to the San Carlos Apache First Things First Regional Partnership Council in January, 2024. First Things First is Arizona's Early Childhood Development and Health Board, and their regional partnership councils are groups of volunteers from each region of the state who assess needs in their region and determine which strategies should be funded to address these needs. Additionally, as part of the process of securing and renewing tribal approval for the collection of evaluation data, we had the opportunity to present our program to tribal leaders. In San Carlos, we presented the program to the tribe's Education Committee and the Tribal Council. In Sanders, we presented the program to each of the Chapter Houses for the four communities where we are working. There was significant interest in and support for our program among tribal leaders in both communities. In addition to these oral presentations, we posted written evaluation reports and the findings from our ripple effects mapping sessions on our program websites. We also circulated an annual program newsletter to stakeholders and program champions in the target communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement This project is a comprehensive, community-based and sustainable program to promote early literacy in two rural communities in Arizona: the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ and the San Carlos Apache tribal lands. Early literacy skills are important building blocks for learning to read, which is crucial for school achievement, graduation, and finding meaningful employment. In Arizona there is a pressing need for early literacy programming, especially among American Indian communities. This five-year project helped parents and early care and education professionals caring for 0-6-year-old children learn about and expand their use of early literacy practices. The programs were embraced by the communities and we secured multiple sources of funding to sustain these programs beyond the initial CYFAR funding. This program has 2 goals and associated objectives. We accomplished these goals through 6 kinds of programming. All programming was developed in collaboration with our community advisory boards to ensure it is culturally appropriate. 1. Early Literacy Handouts and Quick Tip Videos that provide caregivers with easy, inexpensive, and fun ways to promote early literacy. 2. Storytime Videos that feature culturally appropriate children's books and information about early literacy practices. 3. Drop-In Family Literacy Events for families with 0-6-year-old children that include a hands-on literacy activity and suggestions for how to use the activity at home. 4. A multisession Family Literacy Program for parents and primary caregivers of preschoolers to promote the use of early literacy practices. 5. Professional Development Workshops for early care and education (ECE) professionals. 6. A multisession Care Provider Literacy Program for ECE professionals to promote the use of early literacy practices. Goal 1, Objectives 1-3 Major Activities Completed To address the first goal, we created and maintained 2 program websites (one tailored to each community), developed 15 early literacy handouts, 15 quick tip videos, 8 storytime videos, 2 fact sheets for parents, 35 drop-in literacy events, and a 6-session family literacy program. Between 4/2021 and 8/2024, we held 134 drop-in family literacy events and 2 multisession family literacy programs. Our team members also came to be seen as resources on early literacy and were often invited to participate in events put together by other organizations (e.g., the office of the First Lady of the Navajo Nation and the San Carlos Apache Language Preservation office). Data Collected For the drop-in events, we collected participant demographics and satisfaction data. For the multisession family literacy program, we collected participants' use of early literacy practices and participant satisfaction. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results Our programs for families were well-attended by members of the target communities, had high satisfaction ratings, and seemed to improve attendees' use of early literacy practices. We distributed over 300 books and numerous other early literacy supplies. The 134 drop-in literacy events were attended by 198 adults and 416 children. Almost all attendees (94%) lived in the target communities and 92% of the adults identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. 98% reported liking the event and 95% wanted to attend another event. The two multisession family literacy programs were attended by six adults; four attended all six sessions and completed the evaluation measures. Three quarters of the adults identified as American Indian/Alaska Native. At the end of the program, all attendees reported that they would use nine early literacy practices more often after attending the program. All parents reported that the programming was interesting, important, and enjoyable. 67% felt the program was a little challenging which suggests that it was worthwhile. GOAL 2, Objectives 1-2 Major Activities Completed To address goal 2, we developed 7 professional development workshops, a multisession care provider literacy program, and 2 handouts for ECE professionals. We offered the multisession care provider program 11 times, held 7 professional development workshops, and met 55 times with the advisory boards (one in each community). Data collected We collected participant demographics and satisfaction data for the professional development workshops. For the multisession care provider literacy program, we collected participant demographics, behavior change, and participant satisfaction. We also conducted two ripple effects mapping sessions (structured focus groups that elicit positive program impacts through individual and group reflection; Chazdon et al., 2017) with local stakeholders and advisory board members to understand how our programs enhanced community capacity to provide high quality culturally responsive early literacy programming. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results The multisession care provider literacy program and professional development workshops were well attended, participants were satisfied, and these programs seem to lead to behavior change. The 7 professional development workshops for ECE professionals were attended by 352 people between 4/2021 and 7/2024. 58% lived in target communities and the majority of the remaining attendees lived in neighboring towns. These workshops appear to have facilitated knowledge gain and behavior change. Almost all of the attendees who provided evaluation data (n=229), rated the workshops' learning objectives as extremely or very valuable. 96% indicated that they would use the information gained often or sometimes in their work and 55% reported that it would have been hard or very hard to learn these topics elsewhere, underscoring the workshops' unique value. The 11 multisession care provider literacy programs were attended by 102 people between 1/2023 and 6/2024. 95% of participants identified as Native American/Alaska Native. Over 90% of the participants reported using early literacy practices (e.g., using songs to teach words, using environmental text to promote vocabulary development) more often after the program than before. 87% reported that the program was interesting and all reported that they would recommend the program to others who work with young children and that the program was worth their time. During the ripple effects mapping sessions, local stakeholders and advisory board members reported that our programs enhanced community capacity to support early literacy programming by providing early literacy resources that highlighted Navajo and Apache culture and language and providing resources, training, and ideas that ECE teachers could use in their classrooms. Participants also noted several elements of our programs that were key to program success: collaborating with local organizations (e.g., Head Start, local librarians), providing online programming that allowed for connection and learning during COVID, and working closely with community advisory boards. During the five-year grant period, despite significant challenges during the COVID pandemic, we developed a high-quality culturally responsive early literacy program for two native communities in Arizona. One marker of our success is that we have been able to secure continued funding for our early literacy programming for families in both communities through grants from First Things First, Arizona's Early Childhood Development and Health Board. Additionally, our multisession care provider literacy program was made mandatory training for all Head Start teachers in San Carlos and the Head Start grantee in San Carlos contracted our team to continue providing the multisession program. Our programs will continue to have a meaningful impact on the early literacy practices used by parents, caregivers, and teachers in San Carlos and on the Navajo Nation past the initial CYFAR funding and well into the future.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ashley Dixon-Kleiber, A., Bawden, M., Speirs, K.E., Arias, J., Thomas, M., Benally, S., Ewinghill, T., & Gildersleeve, R. (2024). Celebrating Indigenous Cultures in ECE through Early Literacy Programs. Workshop presented at the Native American Child and Family Conference, Albuquerque, NM, March 18-21.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Bawden, M., Ashley Dixon-Kleiber, A., Speirs, K.E., Arias, J., Thomas, M., & Benally, S., (2024). Indigenous Cultures, Family & Community Engagement, and Early Literacy. Workshop presented at Candelens Celebrate the Young Child Conference, Phoenix, AZ, March 23, 2024.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for the fourth year was parents and child care providers caring for 0-6-year-old children and community leaders from the American Indian communities on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ. Changes/Problems:In July 2022 the staff member who was delivering the program in Sanders had to leave her position to deal with unexpected family matters. We were not able to replace her until December 2022. While searching for her replacement, we were not able to offer programming or advertise the program. After hiring a new staff member, we encountered significant challenges in increasing awareness about the program among the community. However, we have begun to partner with other community organizations to offer programming, which seems to have increased the number of people participating in our programing. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project team attended the 2023 CYFAR Professional Development Event in June 2023 in Phoenix, AZ. This meeting provided useful information about program development and evaluation and allowed us to network with other CYFAR grantees and meet with our CYFAR coach in person. Three members of the project team attended an online workshop presented by the American Evaluation Association titled Culturally Responsive Focus Groups which helped us think about how to use focus groups to collect data for our program evaluation. The instructional specialist for the San Carlos Apache region attended the Celebrate the Young Child Conference in Phoenix, AZ in April 2023 to attend workshops on child development and early literacy. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our results were disseminated to the communities of interest through the community advisory boards, our program websites, social media, and program newsletters. We meet with the advisory boards regularly and provide updates which they disseminate to their networks. We post announcements and educational materials on our program websites and social media. We also circulated a program newsletter to community stakeholders and program champions. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Year 5 activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 1 and associated objectives: At least 12 Drop-In Family Literacy Events will be offered. At least 5 Family Literacy Program sessions will be offered. Year 5 activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 2 and associated objectives: Continue to meet regularly with the advisory boards in both communities. Provide at least one professional development workshop for ECE providers and teachers. The topic for this workshop will be selected in collaboration with the advisory boards. At least 4 Care Provider Literacy Program sessions will be offered.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project is a comprehensive, community-based and sustainable program to promote young children's early literacy in two rural American Indian communities in Arizona: the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ and the San Carlos Apache tribal lands. Early literacy skills are important building blocks for learning to read, which is crucial for school achievement, graduation, and finding meaningful employment. In Arizona there is a pressing need for early literacy programming, especially among American Indian communities. This five-year project helps parents and early care and education professionals caring for 0-6-year-old children learn about and expand their use of early literacy practices with the young children they care for. This program has 2 goals and associated objectives. We will accomplish the goals through 6 kinds of programming: 1. Early Literacy Handouts and Quick Tip Videos that provide caregivers with easy, inexpensive, and fun ways to promote early literacy. 2. Storytime Videos that feature culturally appropriate children's books and information about early literacy practices. 3. Drop-In Family Literacy Events for families with 0-6-year-old children that include a hands-on literacy activity and suggestions for how to use the activity at home. 4. A multisession Family Literacy Program for parents and primary caregivers of preschoolers to promote the use of early literacy practices. 5. A multisession Care Provider Literacy Program for childcare providers caring for preschool-aged children to promote the use of early literacy practices. 6. Professional Development Workshops on topics related to early literacy for early care and education professionals. Goal 1, Objectives 1-3 Major Activities During year four, we offered 44 Drop-In Family Literacy Events. The multisession Family Literacy Program was offered once and one of our team members was invited to participate in the Navajo Nation Early Childhood Speaker Series sponsored by Navajo Project I-Launch. She was part of a panel that provided ideas for how Navajo families can promote their children's learning during the summer. We received conditional approval from the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board to collect data on the Navajo Nation. Data Collected For the Drop-In Literacy Events, we are collecting participant demographics and satisfaction data. For the Family Literacy Program, we are collecting information about participants' use of early literacy practices and participant satisfaction. Summary Statistics & Discussion of Results We offered 44 Drop-In Literacy Events during year four. Twelve of the events were attended by families, including 30 adults and 31 children. Of the participants who responded to the evaluation survey (14 adults), all participants lived in the target communities, 93% of the adults and 93% of the children identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, and just over half had never attended an event before. We distributed 34 books during these events. All of the respondents reported that they liked the event and would like to attend another one. Given that one of the goals of the Drop-In Literacy Events is to promote the multisession programs, it is encouraging that many participants are interested in attending another event. We held a multisession Family Literacy Program in San Carlos. Four adults attended all six sessions and completed the evaluation measures. Half of the adults identified as American Indian/Alaska Native. All children were six or younger. At the end of the session, all parents reported that they would talk, sing, play, tell stories, and read with their young children more often than before the session. All parents also reported that they would look at pictures in a book, point out letters or words on signs, say and explain a new word, and ask their children questions more often after the session than they did before the session. In the post-survey, all parents reported that the programming was interesting, important, and enjoyable. Two thirds felt the program was "a little challenging" which indicates that it was worthwhile. Goal 2, Objectives 1-3 Major Activities During year four, we offered the multisession Care Provider Literacy Program three times, and one professional development workshop for early care and education professionals. We also met five times with each community advisory board. Data Collected For the multisession Care Provider Literacy Program, we are collecting participant demographics, behavior change and participant satisfaction data. For the professional development workshops, we are collecting participant demographics and satisfaction data. Summary Statistics & Discussion of Results We offered the Care Provider Literacy Program three times during year four. Twenty-six early care and education (ECE) professionals attended these three seven-session programs. All but one participant identified as Native American/Alaska Native. Seventeen worked at school-based ECE sites and nine at tribal Head Start centers. All or nearly all of the participants reported that they use the following early literacy practices more often after the program than before: using songs to teach words or sounds; playing games and other activities to promote longer conversations; using words and letters in the environment (e.g., signs) to promote vocabulary development; and helping children identify, say, and write the letters in their names. Additionally, 94% reported that the program was interesting, 88% reported that they would recommend the program to others who work with young children, and 81% said the program was worth their time. Although these data are very preliminary and based on a small sample, they suggest that this program can lead to behavior change and participants are satisfied with the program. We held a professional development workshop for early care and education professionals in August 2023 that was attended by 31 people. Of the 27 attendees who provided data, 96% reported having experience working in ECE and 85% were from the target communities. These numbers suggest that we reached our target population in terms of geography and occupation. This workshop seems to have facilitated knowledge and behavior changes. 90% of the 31 attendees completed an evaluation survey. All of these respondents felt that the workshop was very or extremely valuable for learning about new children's books and that they would use what they learned often or sometimes in their work. Additionally, 96% felt the workshop was very or extremely valuable for learning how to find children's books written by or about indigenous people, and 68% felt that it would be hard or very hard to learn about the topics covered in the workshop if they had not attended the workshop. Key Outcomes or Accomplishments We have developed and are delivering an early literacy program for two native communities in Arizona. Our preliminary evaluation data suggests that this program is seen as valuable by members of the target communities and can lead to knowledge gained and behavior change.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Bawden, M., Speirs, K.E., Arias, J., Notah, N., Walsh, M., Dixon, A., Dominguez, V., & Carlson, C. (2023). Intentional Community Relationship Building to Support Successful Extension Programming. Poster presented at the Joint Council of Extension Professionals Extension Leadership Conference, Kansas City, MO, February 7-9.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this third year was parents and child care providers of children 0-6 years old and community leaders from the American Indian communities on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ. Changes/Problems:In July 2022 the staff member who was delivering the program in Sanders had to quit her position to deal with unexpected family matters. We are currently searching for her replacement. However, we are unable to offer multi-session programs in the Sanders community until we can hire her replacement. We will offer a professional development workshop in Sanders in October 2022 lead by another staff person and the staff member who delivers the program in San Carlos will offer online Drop-In Literacy Events for the Sanders community in order to continue offering some programming until we can find a replacement. This will likely impact our rate of expenditure. Our rate of expenditure has also been slowed due to COVID-related restrictions on travel and in-person meetings. These restrictions meant our in-state and out-of-state travel were greatly reduced and the amount we spent to deliver programming and hold advisory board meetings online was less than what we planned to spend to deliver programming and hold meetings in-person. Evaluation data collection has also deviated from our original plan due to delays in receiving tribal approval to collect these data. We are able to deliver programming and collect participant demographic and satisfaction data with existing MOUs between the University of Arizona and the tribes, but will not be able to collect the CYFAR Common Measures or other evaluation data related to our program outcomes on the Navajo Nation until we have tribal approval. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several members of the project team attended and presented at a Tribal Connections Event sponsored by First Things First, Arizona's Early Childhood Development and Health Board. This event was held in August 2022 and provided professional development around working with Arizona's tribal communities on issues concerning young children and early literacy. Members of the project team also attended the 2022 Children, Youth, and Families at Risk 2022 Professional Development Event in June 2022 in Chicago. This meeting provided useful information about all aspects of program development and evaluation for our project and allowed us to network with other CYFAR grantees and meet our CYFAR coach in person. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The work that we did during year three was disseminated to the communities of interest through the advisory boards in each community, our program websites, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Facebook pages, and a program newsletter. We meet with the advisory boards regularly and provide them with updates on our work which they then disseminate to their networks. We post announcements and educational materials on our program websites and the Facebook pages. We also circulated a program newsletter to our stakeholders and champions in the communities where we are delivering the programming. Finally, as part of the process of securing tribal approval for the collection of evaluation data, we had the opportunity to present our program to tribal leaders. In San Carlos, we presented the program to the tribe's Education Committee and the Tribal Council. In Sanders, we presented the program to each of the Chapter houses for the four communities where we are working. There was significant interest in and support for our program among tribal leaders in both communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Year four activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 1 and the three associated objectives: Secure approval to collect evaluation data from the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board. At least 12 Drop-In Family Literacy Events will be offered. At least 5 Family Literacy Program sessions will be offered. At least 4 Care Provider Literacy Program session will be offered. Year four activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 2 and the two associated objectives: Continue to meet regularly with the advisory boards in both communities. Provide at least one professional development workshop for ECE providers and teachers. The topic for this workshop will be selected in collaboration with the advisory boards.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement Early literacy skills are important building blocks for learning to read, which then is crucial for school achievement, graduation, and finding meaningful employment. In Arizona there is a pressing need for early literacy programming, especially among American Indian communities. This project is a comprehensive, community-based and sustainable program to promote young children's early literacy in two rural American Indian communities in Arizona. The two communities are the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ (Nahata'Dziil, Wide Ruins, Pine Springs (Oak Springs), and Houck Chapters) and the San Carlos Apache tribal lands. We are using research-based components and culturally responsive programing to increase the amount of time caregivers spend reading with young children, improve the quality of shared book reading interactions, and increase the use of non-book reading activities that promote early literacy. We also provide professional development workshops for early childhood teachers to enhance community capacity to sustain high quality culturally responsive early literacy programming. During the third year of our five-year performance period, we had several accomplishments. We developed a six-session Family Literacy Program for parents and other primary caregivers of young children and a seven-session Care Provider Literacy Program for early childhood teachers. These programs help adults increase their use of early literacy practices. We also held two professional development workshops for early childhood teachers. Almost all workshop participants reported that they would use the information they learned during the workshops often or sometimes. GOAL 1, Objectives 1-3 1) Major activities During year three, we continued to post educational materials to our program websites and held 38 Drop-In Family Literacy Events. We developed a Family Literacy Program and Care Provider Literacy Program and developed an evaluation plan for each program. We pilot tested the Family Literacy Program in San Carlos twice and in Sanders once. We received tribal approval to collect data in San Carlos and are in the process of securing approval from the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board. 2) Data collected We are collecting engagement data for our online materials. For the Drop-In Literacy Events, we are collecting participant demographics and satisfaction data. For the Family Literacy Program and Care Provider Literacy Program, we are collecting information about participants' use of early literacy practices, level of engagement in the programming, rating of program quality, and level of participation. 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results We had good engagement with our online materials. For the program in San Carlos, the program website had 816 unique views between 9/1/21 and 8/29/22. During the same reporting period, each of the 32 Facebook posts received an average of 159 unique views and 8 likes, comments or shares. Videos posted to YouTube and Facebook received 1,144 views. This level of engagement is better than the reach for materials posted by other Extension programs for the same community. For the program in the Navajo communities near Sanders, AZ, the program website had 547 unique views between 9/1/21 and 8/29/22. During the same reporting period, each of the 34 Facebook posts received an average of 144 unique views and 5 likes, comments or shares. Videos posted to YouTube and Facebook received 1,307 views. This level of engagement is better than the reach for materials posted by the other Extension programs in the same community. We held 38 Drop-In Literacy Events during year three that were attended by 339 adults and 323 children. All participants lived in the target communities and 94% of the adults and 92% of the children identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. We distributed 52 books. Ninety-eight percent of participants reported that they liked the event and 81% reported that they would like to attend another event. Given that one of the goals of the Drop-In Literacy Events is to promote the multisession programs, it is encouraging that many participants are interested in attending another event. After receiving tribal approval to do so, we held a multisession Family Literacy Program where we collected evaluation data in San Carlos. Two families (two adults and four children) attended all six sessions. All lived in the target communities and one adult identified as American Indian/Alaska Native and one identified as Asian or Pacific Islander. All children were six or younger. Both parents reported using ten of 12 early literacy practices (e.g., talking, singing, reading with their children, and asking questions while reading) more often after attending the program. Both parents reported that the program was very important and interesting, program staff always treated participants fairly, and they learned about community resources. Although this is preliminary data from a small sample, these results are encouraging and suggest our programming may help parents read more often with their young children, improve the quality of shared book reading interactions, and increase the use of non-book reading early literacy activities. 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized We also added Margine Bawden as a Co-Director. Margine is an Extension agent with 11 years of experience managing programs for the Navajo Nation. GOAL 2, Objectives 1-2 1) Major activities During year three, we met six times with each community advisory board. We also provided two professional development workshops for early childhood teachers in the target communities. We have begun to collaborate with Apache Language Preservation to produce videos that caregivers can use to teach the Apache language to young children. We have produced one video together that teaches the first 12 numbers in Apache. 2) Data collected For the professional development workshops, we are collecting participant demographics and satisfaction data. 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results We held two professional development workshops for early childhood teachers during year three. The first was titled, "Native Book Sharing Workshop." All 69 of the attendees were located in the target communities and 93% reported having experience working in early care and education. These numbers suggest that we reached our target population in terms of geography and occupation. These workshop seems to have facilitated knowledge and behavior changes. Most participants (80%) completed an evaluation survey and almost all of them (≥ 95%) felt that the workshop was very or extremely valuable for learning about children's books by and about native people and how to use oral storytelling in an early childhood classroom or center. All participants said the information learned during the workshop would be useful in their work sometimes or often and over half indicated that it would be hard to learn about the topics covered during this workshop from another source. The second professional development session, "Creating Engaging Videos for Early Literacy Programs Using Just a Smartphone" and was limited to 15 attendees to allow for hands-on instruction. All 11 participants worked in San Carlos or a nearby community. All participants completed an evaluation survey and ≥ 82% reported that they felt the workshop was very useful for learning how to create engaging videos. Just under half of the participants (45%) felt the information covered in the workshop would be hard to find elsewhere and 91% reported that they would use the information they learned in their work often or sometimes. 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized During year three, we continued to engage with our advisory boards and held professional development workshops for early childhood teachers that seem to impact their knowledge and behavior.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Dixon-Kleiber, A., Bawden, M., Carlson, C., & Speirs, K.E. (2022). Celebrating Indigenous cultures in ECE through young childrens books. Session presented at the First Things First Early Childhood Summit and the First Things First Tribal Connections Event, Online Virtual Sessions, August 19 and 23.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Speirs, K.E. (2021). Sustainable Community Project to Promote Early Language and Literacy Development. Poster presentation at the Tribal Leaders Summit, Research Engagement Showcase sponsored by the University of Arizonas Office of the Senior Vice President for Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement, Tucson, AZ. October 22.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for thesecond year was parents and child care providers of children 0-6 years old and community leaders from the American Indian communities on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ. Changes/Problems:We have experienced COVID-related delays and changes that have impacted our rate of expenditure. Initially we planned to employ two part time instructional specialists for all of year two to deliver programming. However, hiring was delayed due to a university hiring freeze resulting from budgetary restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We were able to hire an instructional specialist in San Carlos in November 2020. However, we were delayed until March 1, 2021 in hiring an instructional specialist in Sanders because we selected a candidate who lives outside of Arizona which necessitated that we complete additional paperwork and administrative reviews. The person we hired lives on the part of the Navajo Nation that shares geography with New Mexico. Our rate of expenditure has also been slowed due to COVID-related restrictions on travel and in-person meetings. These restrictions meant our in-state and out-of-state travel were greatly reduced and the amount we spent to deliver programming online was less than what we planned to spend to deliver programming in-person. The pandemic also necessitated changes to the programming we are developing and delivering and changes to our proposed timeline. Most significantly, we redesigned all programming so that it could be delivered online and added three program components (one-page handouts, quick tip videos, and storytime videos). Additionally, the process of securing tribal approval for our evaluation data collection has been slowed by COVID-related shut downs in both communities. We anticipate further delays even as the tribes begin to reopen as they will likely prioritize dealing with the fallout from the pandemic. It should also be noted that although we are eagerly anticipating an end to the pandemic, as of the end of August 2021, both tribes seem to be considering reinstating work-from-home orders for tribal officials and restricting in-person meetings and events as the number of COVID cases rises in Arizona generally and in these communities in particular, largely due to the Delta variant. We plan to use the money we did not spent on travel and in-person programming to get more literacy-related resources to the communities and hold additional professional development workshops. Despite these changes and challenges, the most significant deviation from our original plan is the delay in receiving tribal approval for evaluation data collection. We are able to deliver programming and collect participant demographic and satisfaction data with existing MOUs between the University of Arizona and the tribes, but will not be able to collect the CYFAR Common Measures or other evaluation data related to our program outcomes until we have tribal approval. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Speirs, the project director, provided training activities for Grace Murray, an undergraduate Family Studies and Human Development student at the University of Arizona. During the spring 2021 semester, Dr. Speirs provided Grace with training in developing community-based programming to promote early literacy in American Indian communities. Grace applied this training as she helped to develop one-page early literacy handouts. She and Dr. Speirs met weekly and Dr. Speirs provided regular feedback on her work and mentorship. Grace presented a poster about this work at the Frances McClelland Institute Spring Student Poster Showcase at the University of Arizona in April 2021. In September 2021, several members of the project team attended a workshop titled "Co-Decolonizing Research Methods: Toward Research Sustaining Indigenous and 'Other' Community Engaged Ways of Knowing" that was part of the American Educational Research Association's Virtual Research Learning Series. This workshop provided useful insights into working with our communities in meaningful ways. Most of the project team attended the 2021 Children, Youth, and Families at Risk 2021 Professional Development Event which was held online in June 2021. This meeting provided useful information about all aspects of program development and evaluation for our project and allowed us to network with other CYFAR grantees. We were also invited to present during a panel discussion titled "Forming Meaningful Partnerships with Vulnerable Groups." How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The work that we did during year two was disseminated to the communities of interest through the advisory boards in each community, our program websites and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Facebook pages. We meet with the advisory boards regularly and provide them with updates on our work which they then disseminate to their networks. We post announcements and educational materials on our program websites and the Facebook pages. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Year three activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 1 and the three associated objectives: Pilot test the Family Literacy Program and the Care Provider Literacy Program and make necessary revisions. Continue to refine evaluation data collection procedures and systems. Present the project to tribal leaders for approval. Apply for and receive IRB approval for evaluation data collection from the tribes and the University of Arizona. At least 12 Drop-In Family Literacy Events will be offered. At least 2 Family Literacy Program sessions will be offered. Year three activities that we plan to use to accomplish Goal 2 and the two associated objectives: Continue to meet regularly with the advisory boards in both communities. Provide at least one professional development workshop for ECE providers and teachers. The topic for this workshop will be selected in collaboration with the advisory boards.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement Early literacy skills are important building blocks for learning to read, which in turn is crucial for school achievement, graduation and finding meaningful employment. In Arizona there is a pressing need for early literacy programming, especially among American Indian communities. This project is a comprehensive, community-based and sustainable program to promote young children's early literacy in two rural American Indian communities in Arizona. The two communities are the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ (Nahata'Dziil, Wide Ruins, Pine Springs, and Houck Chapters) and the San Carlos Apache tribal lands. We are using research-based components and culturally responsive programing to increase the amount of time caregivers spend reading with young children, improve the quality of shared book reading interactions, and increase the use of non-book reading activities that promote early literacy. We also provide professional development to early care and education (ECE) providers to enhance community capacity to sustain high quality culturally responsive early literacy programming. During the second year of our five-year performance period, we had several accomplishments. Both community sites were particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result had mandatory stay-at-home orders, curfews, and restrictions on in-person meetings or events. In response, we shifted our program delivery from in-person to online. We developed websites for each program (https://extension.arizona.edu/gowa and https://extension.arizona.edu/navajobabycollege), several online materials (e.g., handouts and videos), and early literacy events for parents and other caregivers. We also held an online professional development workshop for Navajo ECE providers titled "Navajo Cultural Perspectives on Child Development and Teaching." This workshop was attended by 228 participants, 94% of whom reported that they would use what they learned during the workshop in their work with children and families. We continued to meet regularly with our community advisory boards to ensure that our programming is culturally responsive. This program has 2 goals and associated objectives. We will accomplish the goals through 6 kinds of programming: 1. Early Literacy Handouts and Quick Tip Videos that provide caregivers with easy, inexpensive, and fun ways to promote early literacy. 2. Storytime Videos that feature culturally appropriate children's books and information about early literacy practices. 3. Drop-In Family Literacy Events for families with 0-6-year-old children that include a hands-on literacy activity and suggestions for how to use the activity at home. 4. A multisession Family Literacy Program for parents and primary caregivers of preschoolers to promote reading and non-book reading early literacy practices. 5. A multisession Care Provider Literacy Program for childcare providers caring for preschool-aged children to promote reading and non-book reading early literacy practices. 6. Intergenerational Community Literacy Events that feature culturally responsive activities that celebrate literacy and allow elders to teach Native Languages. GOAL 1, Objectives 1-3. 1) Major activities During year two, we developed websites for both program sites; posted 14 Early Literacy Handouts, 14 Quick Tip Videos, and 8 Storytime videos on the websites; developed 9 online Drop-In Literacy Events (we developed 20 in-person Drop-In Literacy Events during year one); and developed the Family Literacy Program and the Care Provider Literacy Program both of which will be pilot tested in year three. These materials and programs were developed in collaboration with the community advisory boards. In San Carlos we began delivering the Drop-In Literacy Events and recruiting participants to pilot test the Family Literacy Program in September 2021. 2) Data collected We are collecting engagement data for our online materials. For the Drop-In Literacy Events we are collecting participant demographics and satisfaction data. 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results The website for the San Carlos program had 204 unique views between March 2, 2021 when it was launched and May 24, 2021. During the same time period, our Facebook posts were viewed by an average of 214 unique viewers and received an average of 20 likes, comments or shares. This level of engagement is better than the reach for materials posted by the other Extension programs in San Carlos and Gila county which suggests the community is engaging with our online content. Meaningful engagement analytics are not yet available for the Navajo Nation program because these materials were only posted on June 1, 2021. We have offered 2 online and 1 in-person Drop-In Literacy Events in San Carlos. Thirty families, 52 adults, and 17 children attended these events. All participants lived in the target communities, and all adults and children identified as American Indian, except for one child who was identified as Latino. Eighty-one percent of the child participants were 0-6 years old. Thirty-nine children's books were distributed. Ninety-four percent of participants reported that they liked the event and 81% reported that they would like to attend another event. Given that one of the goals of the Drop-In Literacy Events is to promote the multisession programs, it is encouraging that many participants are interested in attending another event. 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized In addition to the accomplishments listed above we also hired one instructional specialist for each community site, provided training and orientation to the instructional specialists, hired consultants to develop the multisession programs, and developed marketing materials. GOAL 2, Objectives 1-2. 1) Major activities During year two, we continued to meet regularly with the advisory boards in each community. We also provided a professional development workshop for ECE providers titled "Navajo Cultural Perspectives on Child Development and Teaching." 2) Data collected For the professional development workshop we collected data to describe participants and their level of satisfaction with the workshop. 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results Three hundred and eight people registered for the workshop and 228 (74%) attended. Almost all attendees (97%) were located in Arizona or New Mexico (the Navajo Nation shares geography with AZ, NM, and UT) and 68% participated from the Navajo Nation. Eighty-five percent reported having experience working in ECE. These numbers suggest that we reached our target population in terms of geography and occupation. When asked if the workshop met its objectives in terms of what participants learned, most reported that it had. Over 90% of attendees felt the workshop was extremely or very valuable in learning about Navajo cultural perspectives on child development and culturally and linguistically responsive teaching approaches for early literacy lessons. Almost 60% thought that it would be hard or very hard to learn about early childhood development or teaching within the Navajo culture outside of this workshop and 94% reported that they would use what they learned during the workshop in their work with children and families. These data suggest that the workshop facilitated knowledge and behavior changes. 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized. During year two, we continued to engage with our advisory boards and held a professional development workshop that attracted a large audience.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Dierenfield, C., Speirs, K.E., Urieta, D. (2021). Forming meaningful partnerships with vulnerable groups. Panel presentation at the 2021 Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) 2021 Professional Development Event, online virtual meeting, June 9-11.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this first year was community leaders from the two communities where our programming will be delivered, i.e., American Indian communities on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ. Changes/Problems:Our project has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The two communities where we will deliver our programming (part of the Navajo Nation and the San Carlos Apache Tribal Lands) were particularly hard hit by the pandemic and experienced full closures of tribal agencies and operations, stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, and curfews. Additionally, the University of Arizona restricted all travel and in-person meetings for most of spring and summer 2020. As a result, our work moved online. We conducted our advisory board meetings online and did not travel to Washington, DC for the annual CYFAR meeting as it was moved online. These changes have reduced the amount we spent on travel and materials for the advisory board meetings during year one. In addition to moving all of our activities online, the shut downs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have stalled the process of getting tribal approval for our programming. We anticipate further delays even as the tribes begin to reopen as they will prioritize dealing with the fallout from the pandemic and resulting financial downturn. However, we have not stalled our work. We are continuing to develop programming and working with our advisory board to think through how to offer the planned programming online. We anticipate using the funds we did not spend on travel to develop online programming. Hiring instructional specialists and a consultant has also been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the financial impact of the pandemic, the University of Arizona instituted new hiring procedures and approvals that have lengthened the process of advertising an open position. Despite these additional steps necessary to hire staff, we currently have the positions posted and several well-qualified applicants in our pool. We are optimistic that before the end of 2020 we will have both instructional specialists and the consultant hired. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project director provided training activities for Lauren Lai, an undergraduate Family Studies and Human Development student at the University of Arizona, and Ben Downer, a staff member in the Globe, AZ Cooperative Extension office. During the spring 2020 semester, Dr. Speirs provided Lauren and Ben with training in developing community-based programming to promote early literacy in American Indian communities. Lauren and Ben applied this training as they helped to develop Drop-In Literacy Events and Dr. Speirs provided regular feedback on their work and mentorship. Lauren plans to use this training and experience as she begins a master's degree in Elementary Education at Arizona State University in fall 2020. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The work that we have done during year one has been disseminated to the communities of interest through the advisory boards in each community. We meet with the advisory boards regularly and provide them with updates on our work and progress which they then disseminate to their networks. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Below we list our program's two goals and associated objectives and the activities that we plan to do during year two to accomplish them. GOAL 1: Improve the early literacy practices used by caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) caring for young 0-6-year-old children. OBJECTIVE 1: Caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) will spend more time reading with preschool children. They will increase both the number of days per week and the amount of time per day they spend reading. OBJECTIVE 2: Caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) will engage in more high-quality book reading with preschool children where they use reading techniques that promote early literacy (e.g. asking open-ended questions, defining words). OBJECTIVE 3: Caregivers will engage in more non-book reading practices that promote early literacy (e.g. storytelling, singing, pointing out letters and words on signs). Year two activities to accomplish Goal 1 and associated objectives: Hire one Instructional Specialist (IS) for each of the two community sites to deliver programming. Provide training and orientation for the ISs. Develop online Drop-In Literacy Event programming Recruit participants for the Drop-In Literacy Events Offer Drop-In Literacy Events in each community in-person (if conditions allow) and/or online. Hire one consultant to develop the Family Literacy Program content in collaboration with the advisory board and project director. Pilot test the Family Literacy Program and make necessary revisions. Develop marketing materials for the programs. Continue to develop evaluation methods for the Family Literacy Program and Drop-In Literacy Events Develop evaluation data collection procedures and systems. Conduct focus groups and interviews with advisory board members and other community members and participants as part of formative evaluation efforts. Present the project to tribal leaders for approval. Apply for and receive IRB approval for evaluation data collection from the tribes and the University of Arizona. GOAL 2: Enhance community capacity to sustain high quality early literacy programming that is culturally responsive. OBJECTIVE 1: Community advisory board members and other key informants from the communities will report an increased number of community strengths (e.g. programs, materials, and resources) and a decreased number of challenges for promoting early literacy in their communities. OBJECTIVE 2: Community advisory board members and other key informants from the communities will report positive changes in the nature of programs, materials, and resources for promoting early literacy in their communities. Year two activities to accomplish Goal 2 and associated objectives: Continue to meet regularly with the advisory boards in both communities. Provide professional development for the advisory boards and other community members on topics selected by the advisory boards. Have the advisory boards report on community strengths, challenges, & available programming & materials related to early literacy programming.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement Early literacy skills are important building blocks for learning to read, which in turn is crucial for school achievement, graduation and finding meaningful employment. In Arizona there is a pressing need for early literacy programming, especially among American Indian communities. This project is a comprehensive, community-based and sustainable program to promote young children's early literacy in two rural American Indian communities in Arizona. The two communities are the Navajo Nation communities near Sanders, AZ (Nahata'Dziil, Wide Ruins, Pine Springs, and Houck Chapters) and the communities of the San Carlos Apache Tribal lands. We are using research-based components and coordinated culturally responsive programing to increase the amount of time caregivers spend reading with young children, improve the quality of shared book reading interactions, and increase the use of non-book reading activities that promote early literacy. We will also provide professional development to community members in order to enhance community capacity to sustain high quality culturally responsive early literacy programming. Early literacy programming has been identified as a priority in both communities and our work will compliment and expand existing community-based programming. During the first year of our performance period, we convened community advisory boards in both communities. These boards are made up of local stakeholders, e.g., staff from local social service agencies, early literacy programs, Head Start programs, school districts, as well as parents and grandparents. We are working collaboratively with the board members to create and deliver culturally responsive programming. The advisory board meetings also allow the members to connect with one another and share information and resources. This function of the advisory boards has become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as both of our communities were particularly hard hit and completely closed down with mandatory stay-at-home orders and curfews. We continued to hold virtual advisory board meetings which allowed the members and our team to connect and share information and resources. During the first year we also developed the first of four pieces of programming that will be implemented during the five year performance period. These Drop-in Family Literacy Events were developed in collaboration with the community advisory boards and promote early literacy skills through hands-on activities. This program has 2 major goals each of which has its own objectives, as listed below. We will accomplish these goals and objectives through the delivery of four kinds of programming: 1. Drop-In Family Literacy Events for families with 0-6-year-old children will include a hands-on literacy activity, suggestions for how to extend the activity beyond the event, and information about literacy-related community resources. These will be delivered during years 2-5. 2. A multiple session Family Literacy Program for parents and primary caregivers to promote reading and non-book reading early literacy practices. This program will be pilot tested in year 2 and delivered in years 3-5. 3. A multiple session Care Provider Literacy Program for childcare providers (including center- and home-based providers as well as family, friend and neighbor care providers) caring for 0-6-year-old children. This program will be delivered in years 4-5. 4. Inter-generational Community Literacy Events that feature culturally responsive activities (e.g. singing & storytelling) will celebrate literacy and allow elders to teach Native Languages. These events will be delivered in years 4-5. Below under each objective we list the 1) Major activities completed / experiments conducted; 2) Data collected; 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results and 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized. GOAL 1: Improve the early literacy practices used by caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) caring for young 0-6-year-old children. OBJECTIVE 1: Caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) will spend more time reading with preschool children. They will increase both the number of days per week and the amount of time per day they spend reading. OBJECTIVE 2: Caregivers (both primary caregivers and child care providers) will engage in more high-quality book reading with preschool children where they use reading techniques that promote early literacy (e.g. asking open-ended questions, defining words). OBJECTIVE 3: Caregivers will engage in more non-book reading practices that promote early literacy (e.g. storytelling, singing, pointing out letters and words on signs). 1) Major activities completed / experiments conducted for Objectives 1-3 under Goal 1 During year one, we developed the content and educational materials for 20 Drop-In Literacy Events. These events were developed in collaboration with the community advisory boards in order to ensure that they were culturally responsive. The hour long events for families with 0-6 year old children each communicate and give caregivers the opportunity to practice an early literacy skill (including book reading and non-book reading activities) through hands-on activities and facilitator modeling. They will also primarily be used to establish goodwill with the community and promote the Family Literacy Program and Care Provider Literacy Program. We have also developed an initial plan for collecting evaluation data during the Drop-In Literacy Events. This data will allow us to describe the community members we are reaching with our programming, how they learned about the program, and their level of satisfaction with the programming. Finally, in collaboration with the advisory board, we have begun to develop a plan to recruit participants for the Drop-In Literacy Events. We also have tentative plans to add our programing to existing community-based programs (e.g., parent education classes) run by members of the advisory board. Adding our programming to existing programs will allow for sustainability beyond the five year funding period. We have also begun to develop the Family Literacy Program by outlining how we plan to adapt the Every Child Ready to Read curriculum for use in our two target communities. There were no 2) Data collected; 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results or 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized for this reporting period for Objectives 1-3 under Goal 1 because this first year was a planning year and no programming was delivered. GOAL 2: Enhance community capacity to sustain high quality early literacy programming that is culturally responsive. OBJECTIVE 1: Community advisory board members and other key informants from the communities will report an increased number of community strengths (e.g. programs, materials, and resources) and a decreased number of challenges for promoting early literacy in their communities. OBJECTIVE 2: Community advisory board members and other key informants from the communities will report positive changes in the nature of programs, materials, and resources for promoting early literacy in their communities. 1) Major activities completed / experiments conducted for Objectives 1 and 2 under Goal 2. During year one we convened community advisory boards in both communities. These boards have been meeting regularly. During one of the first advisory board meetings, the members reported on community strengths, challenges, & available programming & materials for promoting early literacy. These reports which will be repeated each year, will be used to assess our progress on these objectives. There were no 2) Data collected; 3) Summary statistics and discussion of results or 4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized for this reporting period for Objectives 1 and 2 under Goal 2 because this first year was a planning year and no programming was delivered.
Publications
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