KICKOFF TO KINDERGARTEN SUCCESS MEANS MORE CHILDREN ARE READY FOR SCHOOL

It is the first day of school in Melanie LaRoche’s kindergarten classroom at Belle Haven Community School in east Menlo Park. Some children are teary and pleading with their parents not to go; several parents are equally pained in saying goodbye to their little ones. However, a group of about 10 children and their parents are smiling and happy since the Kickoff to Kindergarten program has well prepared them for school routines and the momentous transition into school.

With no more than a quick kiss and a “see you later,” these children are confident on their first day of school after participating in Kickoff to Kindergarten, or KTK. They have already been to the classroom for four weeks with Melanie as their teacher. Since 2001, this highly successful summer program has taught over 1,000 children a year activities to prepare them kindergarten. Currently the program is in local communities and targets children who are English Language Learners and children whose families do not have access to a licensed preschool program.

A recent evaluation revealed positive results in the eight San Mateo County communities of Daly City, South San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, San Mateo, Redwood City, East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park where the program is at work. Program graduates were significantly more ready for kindergarten than were other county children as a whole. Children who completed the four-week program demonstrated the following skills more consistently: kindergarten academics, self-regulation, social expression and self-care and motor skills. Prior to program entry, these skills were less evident. Genevra Putnam, a teacher at Cabrillo Unified School District, states, “We feel so strongly about this program that the teachers can't wait to come back! We marvel at how timid, shy and upset a child can be entering the summer school program and how that same child will run into our kindergarten classes in August with complete confidence. The children learn the rituals and routines they need for kindergarten, such as beginning math, reading, language, writing and social skills. This helps with their feeling of belonging and to build confidence.”

KTK is funded by First 5 San Mateo County and part of Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s school readiness initiative, which began in 2004 as a project of the Peninsula Community Foundation’s Peninsula Partnership for Children and Families. Generous contributions from community foundation donors allow graduates to receive their very own school bag, called the Kinder Kit, filled with essential kindergarten school supplies and education materials. The program also partners with Raising A Reader® and offers parent orientations and participation on the take-home book bag program. Additionally, community foundation staff work closely with program coordinators, teachers and school district personnel, providing technical assistance and support for consistent service delivery.

The results of KTK’s success best summarized by a story from teacher Gloria Fare at the Pacifica School District: “One parent told me that her son woke up yesterday morning and asked if he had to go to school today (KTK class). She told him that he did, and he began to yell, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ ”

For more information regarding Kickoff to Kindergarten, please contact Michelle Sioson Hyman, school readiness initiative officer, at msioson@siliconvalleycf.org or 650.450.5497.