The importance of the DRDP© in ChildPlus: Former Head Start Supervisor Perspective
My name is Jose Martinez, and as a parent to three children that graduated from Head Start, I have a rich history with Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Not only was I a Head Start parent, but I was also head of the Father Initiative Program, on the Policy Council, a Site Supervisor, and I received my Child Development Associate (CDA) while working in Head Start. Now, I work with ChildPlus Software as a ChildPlus & DRDP© Account Executive.
While taking on numerous roles as a Head Start employee, I learned the importance of simple, yet comprehensive data management. That’s why I want to tell you more about the DRDP© (Desired Results Developmental Profile), a birth to five child assessment in ChildPlus. The DRDP© is the most user-friendly, inclusive, and stress-free assessment tool that I’ve ever used. The DRDP© is built-in to ChildPlus, creating a powerful, all-in-one system that all Head Start agencies can benefit from, and that’s why I love presenting the DRDP© to every Head Start agency I come across.
The DRDP© is a strength-based assessment that focuses on a child’s developmental strengths and not the age of the child, making this a vital tool for Head Start. While working as a volunteer in Head Start classrooms, parents would often approach me and ask why their child is developmentally behind, and what they can do to help. Back then, I didn’t have a clear answer, but with the DRDP©, I can now help agencies give parents the tools they need to ensure their child’s educational success.
The greatest tool the DRDP© in ChildPlus can give to parents is the Parent Report. With this report, parents can discover the best way to support learning and development for their child. The report shows an in-depth explanation for what each domain represents, along with what their child’s results mean, and the next steps to supporting their development. With this innovative report, agencies can easily explain a child’s progress to parents in an easy-to-understand language.
The Office of Head Start requires all Head Start and Early Head Start programs to use an observation-based assessment tool that is valid, reliable, research-based, as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate. Not only does the DRDP© meet all of those requirements, but it also includes domains that meet the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) child outcome reporting requirements for children with Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The DRDP© is also a developmental continuum, making it perfect for dual language learners.
With the DRDP© in ChildPlus being an all-in-one system, it completely eliminates the headache of entering your classrooms into two separate systems! Head Start and Early Head Start agencies will no longer have to sync their ChildPlus database with a separate system in order to observe and rate children. The DRDP© assessment built into ChildPlus ensures Head Start staff will only enter a child and family’s information once. And, as children enroll, transfer, or leave programs throughout the year, agencies no longer have to worry about keeping two separate systems in sync.
When agencies switch to the DRDP© in ChildPlus, managers and directors can easily determine how various factors impact child development – all at a great value. While I worked in Head Start, our agency had a very tight budget. However, we had to pay expensive outside consultants to aggregate our data and analyze the various factors impacting our children’s development. This is the case for many other Head Start agencies. With ChildPlus, we give agencies access to numerous informative reports that allow them to analyze their own data, make data-driven decisions and create agency-wide goals.
Our insightful reports provide administrators and governing bodies never before possible insights into the factors impacting child development within their agency. Policy Council can use the Group Progress Report to utilize innovative filters, like age, disability, race, and more so they can choose the exact data they want to see. ChildPlus also has a brand new report coming soon that is perfect for Policy Council members. This report will automatically compile all of an agency’s DRDP© data in one convenient place! Site Supervisors will love the Completion Status by Child Report to ensure all children have been rated and finalized. Here are even more benefits of our DRDP© Reports:
- Reports available in English & Spanish
- Easily compare data by age, gender, disability, race, income levels, and more
- View reports by individual child, group, or classroom
- View as a summarized report or detailed report
The DRDP© child assessment in ChildPlus is the most effective tool to rate children, which is why I love presenting this intuitive assessment to Head Start and Early Head Start agencies. Now that I’ve shared my thoughts on the DRDP© as a former Head Start parent and employee, let me show you how the DRDP© can streamline your assessment process by scheduling a demo today!
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