Reviewer Group Applicant Organization Name

Bremerton's District goals are: Hold high expectations for students, staff and parents; Offer options and opportunities for students to achieve; Provide safe, supportive, respectful, informative learning environments for students and staff; Encourage partnerships with families/communities.

The District consists of four elementary schools (grades K-5); One Early Learning Center (grades PS-3), One elementary STEM academy (grades PS-8), One middle school (grades 6-8), One high school (grades 9-12), Two alternative high schools (grades 9-10 & 11-12), and Bremerton Home Link (a K-8 homeschool partnership program).

Bremerton School District was recognized as a Lighthouse District for STEM education for Bremerton High School and West Hills STEM Academy. Visitors come to these two schools to learn first hand how to implement STEM education and see it in action.

Family reading preferences

Children entering kindergarten: 65% attended preschool, 27% without preschool, remainder are unknown or out of state

Low math: 66% at benchmark on state assessment

Low vocabulary: 30% at benchmark on 2014 picture vocabulary

Misconceptions about STEM and Early Childhood

STEM concepts are new to early childhood and few truly understand its potential to positively impact children. However, many misconceptions with STEM for young children exist, such as questions on how young children learn, appropriateness to teach and value of STEM at this age, and that copious complex materials are required for implementation, (Boeing PreK STEM Grant survey 2011-112). Our project addresses these misconceptions and integrates STEM into activities throughout the day. Per preschool teacher report, our families prefer reading fiction to their children and do not understand the impact informational text can have on children's development. Research indicates that preschool math skills are predictive of 3rd grade academic success, (Duncan, G.; DOE U of CA, Sept. 2011).

With these family practices, math and vocabulary scores and a Free and Reduced Lunch rate of 63.7%, our children are at risk! By addressing these community needs, this grant will help to mitigate these risk factors!

Teachers have received training in Preschool STEM concepts, but for progression from simply doing STEM activities to incorporating a STEM philosophy in their classrooms, teachers need more Professional Development, resources and intentional strategies on how to include STEM throughout their daily schedules. This project meets ECCE identified needs and teachers are highly motivated to participate.

This project consists of multiple components: Creating a math book for classroom teachers and a math book for families; adding STEM books to our backpack system, and increasing outreach to families.

The Classroom Math book will include early learning activities that can be incorporated into the daily schedule. To create a solid foundation, activities will be created based on current early childhood research of foundational math skills progression, ie: number sense, counting and problem solving. These activities will be intentionally incorporated into typical classroom activities such as block play, snack, outside, and free choice time. The book format will enable teachers to select activities based on skills they would like to teach and when they would like to use the activity. These activities use materials typically found in preschool classrooms.

The Family Math Book would provide early math concepts and activities so families can practice them in a variety of locations: at home, traveling in a car or bus, walking, and outside. These activities would use materials that would typically be found in each location.

STEM books would be added to our backpack system. Currently backpacks have 4 books targeting different skills: rhyming, ABC's, miscellaneous early learning concepts, and vocabulary. Weekly, children check out a backpack; take it home to read together and check out another backpack. This grant would provide a fifth book on STEM concepts; providing our families and children with more background knowledge and serving as a starting point to promote additional STEM topics.