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First Steps News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2005
Countdown to Kindergarten Begins!
Teacher
Training Kicks-Off at EdVenture Children’s Museum
Countdown to Kindergarten, South Carolina’s nationally
recognized school-transition strategy, kicks-off its second
successful summer program with enrollment of over 1300 children
from 35 SC counties. On May 31, over 130 teachers from across
the state will convene at EdVenture Children’s Museum
for two days of intensive training. These certified teachers
then will conduct eight summer visits to the homes of at-risk
students and their families as identified by community partners.
The home visits are intended to improve the quality of parent-child
learning interactions, increase the parent’s involvement
in the child’s education, introduce parents to educational
resources in their communities, and help parents and communities
realize the importance of preparing children for their school
careers.
Designed to successfully lead South Carolina’s most
at-risk rising kindergarteners to the school environment,
Countdown to Kindergarten, which was piloted in 2004, received
a citation this January in the National Governor’s Associations
report entitled A Governor’s Guide to School Readiness.
The NGA called it an “innovative public awareness and
home visitation initiative to support kindergarten transition.”
Of the 600 participants last year, teachers reported a 95%
improvement in families reading to their children; 78% increase
in families telling their children stories; and a 93% increase
in families teaching their children letters, words and numbers.
Major partners include the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation,
WLTX-Channel 19/UPS, EdVenture Children’s Museum, Voices
for South Carolina’s Children, SC United Way Association/SC
Parent Support Network, Kaplan, ALCOA, Parentwise, and South
Carolina First Steps. These partners have teamed-up to create
a Countdown to Kindergarten Calendar and a series of television
public service announcements full of helpful hints, recommended
reading and checklists galore for preparing a child for the
first day of school.
A celebratory school send-off will be held for kindergarteners
and their caregivers at EdVenture on July 29, 2005 from 5:00pm
until 8:00pm. The “Countdown” participants and
their families will enjoy live entertainment, hands-on learning
activities, plus unique learning opportunities such as boarding
a real school bus, going through a cafeteria line and meeting
the community organizations, teachers and principals who will
shape their future.
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