Ready for Kindergarten Program
North Gem held a second session on March 19th with new material for parents. Several more parents signed up for the event. Mrs. Lloyd and Mrs. Christensen are the facilitators again with daycare provided and dinner. There will be one more event on April 23rd before the summer break. New classes will begin next fall.
The North Gem School District held its first Ready! for Kindergarten workshops for parents of preschoolers on Feb. 27 at the school in Bancroft. Parents and their children enjoyed dinner before the workshop and child care was provided for 12 preschoolers in our kindergarten room. Sixteen parents, representing 12 families, enjoyed an evening of learning with North Gem teachers during two separate workshops. North Gem first-grade teacher Mrs. Christensen gave a workshop for parents of 3 year olds. The workshop for parents of 4 year olds was presented by Mrs. Lloyd, our third-grade teacher.
Ready! for Kindergarten workshops are a proven program designed to ensure young children have the right preparation for success in school. The program was developed by the Children’s Reading Foundation. Materials and curriculum are provided by the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, and there was no cost to the district or to parents. Ready! workshops are offered at 128 schools and libraries throughout Idaho. Organizations like the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children are important because, surprisingly, it is unconstitutional in the state of Idaho to spend any state money on preschool
activities.
Research shows that from birth to age 5, a child learns at a speed unmatched throughout the rest of their life. Parents and caregivers are a child’s first and most influential teachers. Every year, 40% of all children enter kindergarten and are one to three years behind in their skills. It is
difficult for teachers to help students reach their greatest potential when they start with such a deficit. Ready! for Kindergarten aims to close that gap. The program is a series of parent education workshops designed to teach parents how playing with their child is the best way to prepare them for kindergarten and builds skills as well as positive relationships.
Parents received a free tool kit full of high-quality educational materials that they practice with at the workshop and then take home. Parents are taught how to intentionally play with their child or “play with a purpose.” There are workshops for parents of children in other age groups which will be a part of the Ready! program in the next school year. Three 90-minute workshops are presented each year for each age group. Every workshop is unique and presents a logical progression of the 26 readiness skills most associated with academic success and social-emotional well-being in kindergarten. At the end of each workshop, parents not only leave with the knowledge and confidence to engage their children in “play with a purpose” but also with a free tool kit full of materials, including books, puzzles and games that directly support the targets covered in every workshop.
The North Gem School District is pleased to offer this opportunity to our community. We have demonstrated a commitment to learning and have enjoyed high learning success rates for our students. The opportunity to engage in the Ready! for Kindergarten program is another effort to prepare our students for lifelong learning success and continue the tradition of educational excellence in our schools.
