THE FAMILY PLACE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

THE SCHOOL'S EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: ESL LIFE AND WORK SKILLS: WE OFFER THREE DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY LEVELS TO MEET THE ENGLISH NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR DAILY LIVES AND WORK SITUATIONS. AT THE BASIC LITERACY AND LOWER PROFICIENCY LEVELS, OUR PROGRAM FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING THE LANGUAGE SKILLS NEEDED FOR DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES SUCH AS GOING TO THE DOCTOR, TAKING THE BUS, SHOPPING, AND/OR MANAGING MONEY. AS THE STUDENTS GAIN ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, INSTRUCTION SHIFTS TO HIGHER-LEVEL SKILLS SUCH AS JOB-SPECIFIC VOCABULARY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LANGUAGE, AND CRITICAL THINKING STRATEGIES. WE USE THE SHELTERED INSTRUCTION MODEL THAT INTEGRATES LANGUAGE AND CONTENT INSTRUCTION TOGETHER IN THE CLASSROOM. THE CURRICULUM IS ORGANIZED INTO THEMATIC UNITS AT EACH LEVEL THAT ALIGN WITH THE CASAS LIFE SKILLS COMPETENCIES AND USES THE CASAS CONTENT STANDARDS TO IDENTIFY THE UNDERLYING LANGUAGE SKILLS STUDENTS NEED AT EACH PROFICIENCY LEVEL. FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY: THIS PROGRAM IS OFFERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MEXICAN CONSULATE. IT IS AN ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKERS WHO ARE MARGINALLY LITERATE IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. THIS PROGRAM FOCUSES ON STUDENTS ATTAINMENT OF NATIVE LANGUAGE LITERACY WHICH AS RESEARCH INDICATES HELPS THEM SUCCEED IN ESL CLASSES. THE FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY PROGRAM MODEL IS INDIVIDUALIZED AND MEETS STUDENTS AT THEIR LITERACY LEVEL, WHICH RANGES FROM LEARNING THE ALPHABET TO COMPLETING SPECIFIC GRADE-LEVEL EQUIVALENCIES. AS STUDENTS PASS THE BENCHMARKS IN THIS PROGRAM, THEY CAN EARN AN ELEMENTARY AND/OR SECONDARY DIPLOMA. FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY IS OFFERED DAILY IN THE MORNING AND EVENING SESSIONS. CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE (CDA): OUR CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE (CDA) PROGRAM PREPARES LEARNERS FOR JOBS IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FIELD. THE CDA CREDENTIAL IS BASED ON A CORE SET OF NATIONAL COMPETENCY STANDARDS, WHICH GUIDE EARLY CHILDCARE PROFESSIONALS AS THEY WORK TOWARD BECOMING QUALIFIED TEACHERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN. THE COURSE IS A 600-HOUR BILINGUAL TRAINING PROGRAM THAT PREPARES STUDENTS TO SUCCEED ON THE NATIONAL CREDENTIALING EXAM TO BECOME CERTIFIED CDAS. CDAS ENTER THE LABOR MARKET AT ABOVE MINIMUM WAGE JOBS AND ARE ABLE TO ACCESS MORE ADVANCED TRAINING OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR CAREERS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT. CDA TRAINING IS OFFERED IN FOUR AREAS: INFANTS-TODDLERS; PRESCHOOLERS; FAMILY CHILDCARE, AND HOME VISITING.