READY! FOR KINDERGARTEN
A program of the National Children's Reading Foundation.
Developed in partnership with the Kennewick (WA) School District
Who attends READY! classes?
Parents and primary caregivers of children ages birth to 5.What are READY! classes?
Free, 90-minute classes sharing information and learning activities for parents to enjoy with their children at home. Classes are divided into five age groups from birth to kindergarten. If a parent registers for the 2-year-old class, the lesson will be specific activities for 2-year-olds.
Available in English and Spanish.
Why READY!?
The achievement gap exists the first day of kindergarten and persists through the grades. The education parents receive in READY! empowers them to prepare their children to enter school with the skills of a typical 5-year-old.When are READY! classes?
Age-appropriate classes are offered three times a year. A parent will have attended 15 classes by the time his/her child starts kindergarten.
Fall How and why to read aloud: literacy and print
Winter A child's brain development; logic and numbers
Spring Vocabulary and conversation; positive relationships
How are READY! classes designed?
Targets: Each research-based class directly aligns with skills that are significant indicators of success in school.
We call them targets because these are skills parents can aim for in supporting their child's intellectual growth.
Tools: These toys make learning together at home fun and memorable. Just five minutes a day is all it takes.
Floor puzzles, shape stackers, magnetic letters, counting games and age-appropriate books are a few examples.
Training: Instructors demonstrate each activity and have parents practice using the materials in class.
Parents choose what activities and materials to use at home based on the interests and abilities of their children, and their family values and culture.
Information is available to help parents assess their children's progress and steer them to the next steps in guiding their intellectual growth.
Cost
$120 per child per year provides the tools, handouts and PowerPoint lessons; first time attendees receive an additional $15 of materials.
Sponsoring agency supplies instructors, training, classrooms, childcare and advertising. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) optional.
$200 a year per child funds entire program in Kennewick (includes DPIL).
READY! in Kennewick (WA) School District
Approximately 10,000 adults have attended one or more classes since January 2003.
Up to 900 English speakers and 125 Spanish speakers attend each session (fall, winter, and spring).
125 childcare providers trained in English and Spanish at Educational Service District, Community Action Council and Dept. of Early Learning.
In Fall 2005, 79% of children whose parents attended READY! classes met the standard for kindergarten readiness. Of the group of children whose parents did not attend READY! classes, 39% met the standard.
The percentage of students scoring in the lowest 10% decreased from 24% to 11% in three years.
That's approximately 100 children who don't need catch-up instruction in their early grades. Kennewick estimates a savings of $300,000 each year.
24 school districts offer READY!
In Washington State:
Columbia-Burbank
Cheney
Chewelah
East Valley, Spokane
ESD 114
Kennewick
Kiona-Benton
Longview
Mabton
Mt. Baker
Ocean Beach
Republic
South Bend
Tukwila
Walla Walla
Warden
White Pass
Winlock
Other States:
Redding, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Putnam City, OK
Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada
Truth or Consequence, NM
Para Los Ninos, CA
Oklahoma has free, universal preschool. State leaders visited Kennewick to purchase READY! for children birth to age 3. After seeing the program in action they adopted the entire program, using ages 3 and 4 lesson materials as the parent education component of their preschool.
17 school districts are preparing to start READY! in fall 2007
Burien, WA
Camas, WA
Clover Park, WA
Elgin, OR
Heriot Bay, BC, Canada
Hermiston, OR
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
Lake Stevens, WA
Mankato. MN
Mary Walker, WA
North Mason, WA
Othello, WA
Prosser, WA
Sandpoint, ID
Shasta County, CA
Spokane, WA
South Kitsap, WA
Cost Comparisons (Yearly in Kennewick)
Remediation: $3,600 average per child (excluding special education)
ECEAP: $4,250 per child, half day
Guiding principles
Honors parents as a child's most influential and most loved teacher
Builds relationships between parent and child and family and school
Instills children with a joy and passion for learning that lasts a lifetime
Parent testimonials
READY! provided us with tools and activities that we would not have otherwise been able to afford or thought to use with our child.
READY! classes invite parents to share and learn great information on how our children learn and grow. We are grateful that we have READY! for Kindergarten as part of our lives.
Thanks again for putting on a great program. Of all the classes we have attended so far in maintaining our foster parent license, READY! for Kindergarten is by far the best program we have been involved with and we look forward to coming each session.
