While school is out, for 140 kids entering kindergarten this fall, their school experience begins soon. Those students are part of the three week Kindergarten Readiness summer program funded by United Way of Marion County.
The funding that previously made this program possible is no longer available. After researching the need and impressive results this program demonstrates, United Way of Marion County says they decided to step up and fund it as part of their commitment to education, particularly kindergarten readiness.
Officials say many of these 140 students don't know their letters and can't read even the most basic words – skills that are expected to have already been mastered before starting kindergarten. They are struggling to succeed even before school begins, but the Kindergarten Readiness program can make a world of difference. At the program, the students will become comfortable with a classroom setting, learn to write their name, identify shapes, letters and sounds, and count.
The program has garnered some impressive results, according to the United Way. Last year, only 38% of the children could write their first name when they started the program. By the end of the program, 66% of them were writing their first name.
The program is free and available to students in the Marion City School District who need some help to make sure they have the skills they need to start kindergarten successfully. Most of the students were recruited at kindergarten registration after taking the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA-L), but there may be space for additional students.
For more information on how to sign up for this program, contact Robbi Troll or Cliff Mitchell at 740-387-3300.
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