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| Parents benefit from kindergarten planning |
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The road to kindergarten has gotten longer, mainly because a longer lead-time helps parents prepare for registration and gives them and their children an idea of what to expect once classes begin.
“The registration process itself can be a little daunting for many parents,” said David Pribish, who coordinates The Consortium for Public Education’s Literacy for Life programs. “There’s a lot of paperwork and parents also need to assemble information, such as immunization records. A number of our districts are trying to familiarize families with the requirements now so that they’re all ready when the registration deadline comes.”
Among districts conducting outreach events this month and next are, McKeesport Area School District, South Allegheny School District and Clairton City School District.
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McKeesport, for example, is recruiting and training a core group of parents in January who will help explain registration requirements to others with children who start kindergarten in September. Pribish was on hand during McKeesport’s first outreach session to acquaint the parent volunteers with community resources, such as the library, the Boys and Girls Club and other agencies that some parents may need to address their children’s particular social and emotional needs.
Later in the month, Pribish will attend South Allegheny’s first kindergarten planning session to talk with parents about literacy benchmarks and to acquaint them with a literacy guide that offers activities to improve reading readiness and guidelines that help explain whether children are mastering essential, age-appropriate skills. The Consortium publishes the literacy guide and has provided copies to many districts. Clairton City begins its outreach for kindergarten registration next month, Pribish said. |
