Jennifer Wilson and Karie Dowell are PreK teachers serving the School District of the City of York, Pennsylvania. Jennifer teaches the children of Edgar Fahs Smith STEAM Academy and Karie teaches at Goode PreK-8 School. Both schools piloted, then adopted the Every Child Ready program. Here, Jennifer and Karie share their experience working with Every Child Ready and the impact this evidence-based preschool curriculum is having on their young students.
What were the specific goals or needs that led you to consider Every Child Ready (ECR)?
Karie Dowell
I was interested in Every Child Ready because I wanted a preschool curriculum that was aligned with the Science of Reading and provided a clear, research-based progression of skills for all students. I was looking for a program that would strengthen early literacy while also providing meaningful opportunities for play, language development, and hands-on learning. My goal was to ensure every child had a strong foundation in both academic and social-emotional skills before entering kindergarten.
Jennifer Wilson
I was initially sparked by the assessment options, data collection, and the themes of the curriculum. I knew my students would relate better to these themes than those we used in the past. I also appreciate the scope and sequence of the phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge portions of the program.
How did you decide to implement ECR? What were some benefits or features that were important to your decision-making process?
Karie Dowell
Three classrooms in our district piloted the ECR program before it was adopted more broadly. In my classroom, I combined ECR with the preschool curriculum already in place to see how it worked with our students. We quickly saw the benefits. The social-emotional learning lessons, easy-to-use materials, and built-in assessment system made it easier to meet our students’ needs while keeping instruction organized and meaningful.
“The social-emotional learning lessons, easy-to-use materials, and built-in assessment system made it easier to meet our students’ needs while keeping instruction organized and meaningful.“
Karie Dowell
Jennifer Wilson
We decided to pilot ECR in three of our 15 classrooms last year. This was beneficial because it allowed the three teachers to collaborate and meet throughout the year to discuss how things were going. Now, the three of us will be able to support the other 12 classrooms that will be introducing ECR this year.
How would you describe Every Child Ready’s impact on the classroom environment?
Karie Dowell
Every Child Ready has helped create a more organized, engaging, and positive classroom environment. The lessons are easy to follow, the routines are consistent, and the social-emotional learning is built into daily instruction. Students are more engaged, have opportunities to learn through play, and are building the skills they need to be successful in kindergarten.
Jennifer Wilson
ECR has improved the overall flow of my classroom, including routine and how small groups run. The data collected has allowed for better individualization of students’ needs.
“ECR has improved the overall flow of my classroom, including routine and how small groups run. The data collected has allowed for better individualization of students’ needs.”
Jennifer Wilson
How does Every Child Ready help support teachers with improving their practice and furthering connections with students?
Karie Dowell
Every Child Ready supports our teachers by providing high-quality resources, clear lesson plans, and many opportunities for professional learning. There are plenty of places to find support, whether through training, coaching, or online resources. Having those supports available helps teachers feel more confident with the curriculum and better connect with students’ individual needs.
Jennifer Wilson
ECR allows teachers to focus on student needs. They are able to collect the data and individualize which small groups are appropriate for each student.
What data outcomes have you seen since implementing Every Child Ready? For example, did you see improvements in math and literacy, or decreases in challenging behavior?
Karie Dowell
Since implementing Every Child Ready, we’ve seen growth in early literacy, language, and math skills. Students are more engaged during instruction, and the built-in social-emotional learning has helped improve classroom routines and reduce challenging behaviors. The assessment data also give us a clear picture of student progress, allowing us to adjust instruction and provide support where it’s needed most.
Jennifer Wilson
I chose to use ECR assessments on only three students since we didn’t begin implementing ECR until a couple of months into the school year. All of these students showed growth.
What are some of your favorite components of Every Child Ready?
Karie Dowell
My favorite components of Every Child Ready are Helpful Hearts, Super Sounds, and Super Readers because they build social-emotional and early literacy skills in fun, meaningful ways. My co-teacher’s favorite components are the Learning Lab and journals because they encourage hands-on learning, creativity, and meaningful opportunities for students to practice and show what they know.
Jennifer Wilson
I really like the entire curriculum. Everything flows nicely and scaffolds throughout the year. I appreciate how ECR is play-based but also acknowledges the importance of academics at this age group. We’re looking forward to the streamlined data collection.
What do your families or caregivers appreciate about Every Child Ready?
Karie Dowell
Our families appreciate that Every Child Ready keeps them involved in their child’s learning. They enjoy the family newsletters, home activities, and being able to see the progress their children are making. Families also appreciate the focus on social-emotional learning and the strong preparation students receive for kindergarten.
Jennifer Wilson
The Family Connections piece keeps parents and families up to date on what’s happening in the classroom. We’re planning to blend our program’s monthly newsletter with ECR’s Family Connections to streamline everything.
If you were advising another school leader who’s considering Every Child Ready, what would you say?
Karie Dowell
I would encourage any school leader to give Every Child Ready a chance. It’s a well-rounded, research-based preschool curriculum that’s easy to implement and provides teachers with everything they need to be successful. The lessons are engaging and developmentally appropriate, balancing literacy, math, science, social studies, play, and social-emotional learning in a way that keeps young children excited about learning.
One of the biggest strengths of ECR is the amount of support available. Teachers have access to high-quality lesson plans, assessments, professional development, coaching, and online resources. The built-in assessments make it easy to monitor student progress and use data to guide instruction without adding unnecessary work.
We’ve also seen students become more engaged, more confident, and better prepared for kindergarten. Families appreciate being involved through newsletters and home activities, and teachers appreciate having a curriculum that’s organized, flexible, and easy to use. Overall, Every Child Ready has created a positive learning environment that benefits students, teachers, and families.
Jennifer Wilson
I would recommend implementing ECR. I would also suggest having several classrooms pilot it, if possible.
What are your hopes for your students?
Karie Dowell
At our school, we work hard to create a safe, welcoming environment where every child feels valued and ready to learn. My hope for my students is that they leave PreK feeling confident, curious, and excited about learning. I want them to build strong early academic and social-emotional skills while learning to be kind, independent, and caring classmates.
Jennifer Wilson
I hope that my students attend kindergarten and it ends up being a wonderful starting point for their academic careers. I want their families to be introduced to our district in a way that makes them become excited about their children’s future.
Explore Every Child Ready
Download a curriculum overview and sample lessons.
Related:
The American Institutes for Research Reviews the Every Child Ready Curriculum
How One Louisiana District Found the Curriculum Their Youngest Learners Deserved
How to Use CLASS Data: Turning Scores Into Everyday Teaching Moves for Early Childhood Educators