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(November 4, 2022) Children’s Institute, in partnership with the Rochester City School District Office of Early Childhood, is pleased to announce the publication of the twenty-fifth annual report of the Rochester Early Childhood Assessment Partnership (RECAP).
The Rochester Early Childhood Assessment Partnership (RECAP) evaluates and supports the continuous improvement of Rochester’s Pre-K system. Since 1998-99, RECAP has been instrumental in documenting and contributing to the long-term continuous improvement of the PreK system that was established and continues to evolve in Rochester, New York. Through RECAP, Rochester has been able to realize a sustained, high performing Pre-K system.
“RECAP, with community support, has remained an essential resource to Rochester’s achievement of consistent high-quality Pre-K,” said Dr. Ann Marie White, Executive Director of Children’s Institute. “The capacity to see trends, evidenced in steady and reliable data-based observation, year-over-year, provides Rochester’s Pre-K system with the ability to adapt itself in a manner to impact the positive development of every child. As there have been so many family and program adaptations due to COVID, this report gives us our first complete full year view into the response of children during this great time of change.”
The report includes data from the 2021-22 school year. This is our first full year’s review of how students have fared since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“RECAP is a vital early childhood assessment tool that helps identify what our young learners know now and how much they advance before they reach kindergarten,” said Nancy Kaplan, Coordinator of Rochester’s Child and chair of the RECAP advisory committee. “Rochester Area Community Foundation and Rochester’s Child have supported RECAP from its start and know that it is critical to every child’s success and our community’s future.”
Preliminary analyses show remarkable resilience of the Pre-K system, with excellent classroom quality scores that have remained stable since pre-COVID. However, these data highlight the need to additionally support Pre-K children, families, teachers, and early childhood care/education centers. For instance, kindergarten readiness among Pre-K students dropped to 43.6%, and attendance was significantly lower than we see historically (only 15.1% of four-year-old Pre-K students attended 90% or more days).
“The RECAP partnership provides the District with actionable data throughout the year that supports programmatic decisions and guides the focus of professional learning,” said Dr. Robin Hooper, Executive Director of Early Childhood Education for Rochester City School District. “RECAP provides accurate information at the child, classroom, parent and family, and program levels.”
The information published in this report will inform practices to improve Rochester’s Pre-K system to support young children. The report offers several recommendations moving forward to strengthen Rochester’s Pre-K programs, including a focus on improving kindergarten readiness and children’s social and emotional health.
Children's Institute is a national not-for-profit organization based in Rochester, NY, that works to strengthen, develop, and coordinate resources that promote the well-being of children, youth, and families. Children's Institute is affiliated with the University of Rochester and has served the community for over 60 years. www.childrensinstitute.net
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