Annual Report

Small Steps Nurturing Center
2005 Annual Report

Small Steps' mission is to provide an exemplary early childhood program to instill and foster the social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth of economically at-risk children and their families.

By many measures, 2005 was a pivotal year for Small Steps Nurturing Center and the advancement of our mission.  This annual report takes a look at some of the important developments of the year.

Small Steps Fifth Ward   Without question, one of the most important long-term achievements for the year was the progress made on the construction of our second school, located in Houston’s Fifth Ward at 2902 Jensen.  Mayor Bill White and City Council member Carol “Mims” Galloway helped break ground for the construction of the new school in December, 2004.  By the end of 2005, with all permits in hand, the structure was a new landmark on Jensen drive.  The building is right on target for completion in the summer of 2006 and for opening in the first week of September 2006.

With the Fifth Ward facility currently under construction, we will be able to double the number of students we serve, and begin to make a dent in the significant waiting list for potential enrollees.  The common spaces in the new school – cafeteria, library, computer room as well as other rooms – are large enough to accommodate 120 students.  In addition, there is enough space on the property to build additional classrooms to serve approximately 60 more students.  We are in the early stages of planning for this addition and for the funding of this addition.  David Weekley Homes is generously building this facility at cost.  The project is currently on budget and on time!

Strategic Plan  In March, 2005, the Small Steps’ Board of Directors completed a strategic plan to prioritize and set long-term goals for the entire organization.  A copy of the entire strategic plan, including specific initiatives and implementation steps, is available to anyone who would like to read it.  The five goals set out in the strategic plan are to:
• Strengthen the composition, structure and effectiveness of Small Steps’ Board of Directors.
• Improve and expand public awareness of Small Steps Nurturing Center, both in the Houston area and nationally.
• Expand, strengthen and diversify the organization's funding sources.
• Replicate the Small Steps program.
• Deliver excellent programs that prepare children for successful transitions to their next schools and for ultimate success in life.
Board committees have been meeting regularly to implement the plan’s goals and objectives.

Elementary School Placement  We have always worked to partner with families to ensure that our graduates enroll in the best, most suitable elementary school for first grade.  Sometimes that will be a neighborhood school, and other times another option will be more appropriate.  In the 2005 graduating class, just over one-half of our students enrolled in schools other than their neighborhood school, with a number of the other students having enrolled in recognized schools in their neighborhood.  In 2005, we strengthened our commitment to elementary school placement by formalizing and deepening the steps we take with our kindergartners’ families.  Each family was contacted in the fall to discuss the possibilities for their children.  We assisted with the application process to magnet programs, including the HISD Vanguard program for intellectually gifted and talented students.  In 2005, we also began work with the families of four of our students to obtain the appropriate diagnostic testing and complete the required applications to submit to an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee with the goal of having individualized education programs developed for these students.

University of Houston Research Partnership  In 2005, we entered into a comprehensive partnership with the University of Houston’s Institute for Urban Education to help us assess the accomplishments of Small Steps through research.  This research partnership will:
• Analyze achievement and aptitude test results from the current and prior years and report findings to Small Steps’ leadership.
• Design parent interview instruments to be used during home visits in August-September.
• Design parent surveys to be distributed during home visits in January-February.
• Analyze results of the parent interviews and parent surveys.
• Analyze tracking data on student graduates collected from HISD and other districts.

As 2005 progressed, we made significant progress towards the use of research to assess our institutional performance.  We hope to have interesting analytical reports to share in 2006, and to report on the operational implications that these data have for Small Steps.

Curriculum and Academic Developments  Strong academic curriculum is a hallmark of the Small Steps program, with strong emphasis on early literacy and math skills.  In 2005, we implemented a significant number of steps to deepen the relationality of the program and to foster relationships to strengthen the social and emotional development of our students.  Each classroom is divided into two primary groups and paired with one of the two teachers in that class.  These primary groups eat their meals together and have time together on the playground.  This is to foster stronger primary relationships which should in turn allow the students to grow in confidence and be prepared to take greater risks.  We also moved to classrooms with mixed age groups spanning two years per classrooms, in order to increase the continuity of the relationship with the teachers in the class.  Finally, we also set up smaller academic groups in each classroom to help allow for even more developmentally appropriate academic instruction.

Our accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children required reaffirmation in 2005.  We were successful in having our accreditation reaffirmed.

Achieving Measurable Results  The University of Houston, as mentioned above, is analyzing all the cognitive testing data we have – both from 2005 and from earlier – to interpret their significance.  We test our students at three points during their four years at Small Steps – in the fall of their first year, mid-year the following academic year, and in May of their kindergarten year.