EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
William Patrick Day Early Childhood Center
MOVE® Curriculum Achievement Data

Dr. Margery A. Welch
Principal & MOVE Model Site Administrator
June 15, 2005

The following data were taken from the MOVE® Curriculum Assessment tool for 58 children at William Patrick Day Early Childhood Center. The children counted had a completed pre and post assessment and at least 6 months of instruction. These 58 children include some children whose data was included in the June 2003 report plus new children who were not included in that sample. Children were counted only once.

The data should be looked at as reflecting gains made in the 16 SKILL AREAS of the assessment, the 72 MOTOR MILESTONES within them, and the PROMPT REDUCTION PLANS of the assessment, and do not reflect gains in other instructional domains affected by mobility, such as communication, adaptive behavior or early academics.

Each child has very complex needs, an individual assessment profile and individualized goals. Therefore we look at the "numbers" with caution, as both target skills and milestones, and progress, is so individual. However, we can look at the progress of the larger group as a whole in giving us trend information to answer the formative question "Are our young students making mobility progress over time as a result of the MOVE® Curriculum, and if so, what does it look like?"

Discussion:

The 58 children were between 2 through 6 years old. They experienced intervention time of a minimum of 6 months through a maximum of 3 years, over the school years 2002-2005.

The 58 children averaged gains in 8.5 Skill Areas, achieved 13.7 Motor Milestones and 18 Prompt Reductions. Four children achieved Graduate level, independent mobility without supports. All children made significant gains in target skill areas. One of the Grad level students entered the program 3 years ago with severe CP, an IQ of below 50, no functional mobility or communication skills and constant tantrums. He now tests with IQ of 72, walks without supports, is toilet trained, speaks in sentences, has many early academic skills, and has many friends. His is just one of many success stories.

Parent responses to our annual Parent Program Evaluation Survey indicate a very high degree of satisfaction with the program. Six families volunteered to be interviewed for the Cleveland Plain Dealer article "First Steps," which appeared above the fold on the front page of the Sunday edition, April 24, 2005. A number of families transport their children quite far to attend this school.

We feel that these excellent results compel us to continue to use the curriculum and refine our practices. As a Model Site, we have received numerous visits from interested families and professionals, including one large Pennsylvania district for which we are providing training. Our agency has made a commitment to working toward offering the curriculum at other sites and for other age groups. Over thirty staff members in teams serving children in the MOVE curriculum are attending the MOVE Training Seminar in October 2005 in Chicago, with the financial support of the Board through professional development funds.