Topic of the Month – May

The TATS Topic of the month focuses on providing information and resources to families. TATS Topics through March and April have included collaboration with families during the Child Outcome Summary process and planning for Kindergarten Transition. This focus on family involvement will continue as the processes for COS and development of information to facilitate the successful transition to Kindergarten continue during May.

The May Topic focuses on providing information related to summer activities that encourage families to interact in meaningful, fun, and enriching ways to enhance their children’s development.

Several resources for teachers and staff to share with families are listed below:

TATS Summer Activity Calendar This resource includes daily activities for May – mid-August, along with an introductory note about its use. The activities are designed to be easily embedded into daily family routines.

Florida Division of Early Learning Information related to early learning services for the state’s children and families.

Summer Reading Activity Kit – Just Read Florida This resource is in the form of a booklet which can be printed or used as an on-line resource. Each page in the kit describes literacy activities that are easily incorporated into ongoing home activities and routines.

Links to Florida’s Public Libraries The information about public libraries in Florida includes locations and contact numbers, as well as links to library websites that contain additional information about specific summer programs. Share information about your county’s public libraries. Many libraries have summer reading times for young children. With an ID, families should be able to get a library card (they are free).

Resources related to transitions, including transition to kindergarten are listed below:

• TATS Talks to Families about Helping Your Child with Kindergarten Transitions and Routines
• PreK to K Transition (Florida Division of Early Learning)
• TATS Tip Sheet for Families – Transition to Kindergarten
• Bridges to Kindergarten (Head Start)

• Resources listed below are from National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations. These one-page resources are printable:
  • Family Strategies: Help Us Have a Good Day (infographic)
  • Family Strategies: Spanish version of Help Us Have a Good Day (infographic)
  • Rules Poster for Home (simple visual representation of three rules)
  • Rules Poster for Home, Spanish version (simple visual representation of three rules)
• Resources posted in previous months include those listed below:
  • The Family’s Role in Florida’s Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process is a brochure to guide collaboration with families.
  • Breadth of the Outcomes.pdf (examples of functional skills within the three child outcomes)

A few reminders for teachers and staff:

Exit data is collected and recorded based on the instrument used for entry data. *Children whose entry data was collected with the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2NU (BDI-2NU) must have exit data based on the BDI-2NU. *Children whose entry data was based on the Child Outcome Summary (COS) process must have exit data based on the COS process.

The Macro Tip Sheet for 2023-24 School System LEA – with details for data correction and a link to the Macro for Excel 2007 and later. Additional information related to reporting COS data is included on the CHRIS Report Tip Sheet

Check the TATS Calendar for upcoming opportunities for professional learning. Register for upcoming events at the calendar link above or in calendar option of the top menu bar of TATS website.

• The topic for the May 24th COS Community of Practice is Refining Your Data.
• Pre-K Contacts’ Size-a-Like call is scheduled for May 8th.