All UPK activities aim to help families feel comfortable about engaging in learning activities with their young children.  UPK also develops relationships with other organizations that write grants to reduce or eliminate costs of partnership activities.

Cleveland, OH

Left to Right: Nakiaa Robinson, Program Manager, Rebekah Dorman, Director-Invest in Children, Catherine Thomas, Family Engagement Coordinator (Key NNPS Contact) and Billie Osborne-Fears-Executive Director-Starting Point.

Full STEAM Ahead with UPK

The Cuyahoga County Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) proved that it is never too early to introduce children to science, technology, engineering, and math—the STEM subjects.  UPK added “A” for Art to this list.  The organization proceeded full STEAM ahead with a creative series of community-based events designed to boost family learning and engagement and students’ experiences in the STEAM subjects.

The program was inspired by an article in Young Children in 2012 entitled STEM to STEAM: How early childhood educators can apply the Fred Rogers Approach.  STEAM—becoming popular in many locations—integrates and uses the arts to help young children express STEM concepts.  The UPK Family Engagement Coordinator adapted ideas for UPK students and families.  Various community partners such as the Children’s Museum of Cleveland and the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, UPK directors, and other stakeholders supported the initiative.  Individual UPK sites supplemented sponsored activities with their own.

In June, UPK celebrated the year-long STEAM projects at the Great Lakes Science Center.  UPK leaders from many sites discussed the STEAM activities they had implemented.  After enjoying dinner together, families toured the science museum’s exhibits. They enjoyed learning about electricity, motion, and mechanics. The evening was an educational way to recognize the year’s accomplishments and continue the STEAM momentum.

Full Steam Ahead with UPK is featured in Promising Partnership Practices 2014.

Helping Schools Go Full STEAM Ahead

This year’s theme—Full STEAM Ahead with UPK—provided many opportunities for community groups to provide resources and support to the Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs) at pre-K schools to conduct science, technology, engineering, art, and math activities.

Some ideas across 32 schools included family science nights, computer game family fun nights, scientific experiments, and constructing models.  The UPK Family Engagement Coordinator helped identify community collaborations that supported specific programs related to the STEAM theme.  For example, the Bruening Foundation provided 20 UPK schools, parents, and children with opportunities to work with artists-in-residence on activities such as musical rhythms and song connected to literacy skills.  The Children’s Museum of Cleveland obtained a grant to provide 8 UPK sites with math discovery activities.  The UPK’s End-of-Year-Celebration for schools to share ideas with families and each other was held at the Great Lakes Science Center.  Families heard about the year’s STEAM activities and participated in over 100 hands-on science activities for fun and learning.