By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The St. Joseph School District will host a program next week designed to help prepare incoming students for kindergarten.
The program, called Kinderclub, is a partnership with the United Way of Greater St. Joseph's Success by Six program.
Director of Children’s Initiatives with United Way Bobbie Cronk says while the program helps provide a foundation for students, it also focuses on parents and how they can help prepare their students
"There's just some key skills that would just be really helpful on that first day of school, things like using scissors and letter recognition, can they recognize their name if they see it on a name tag, that sort of thing," Cronk tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And then that's also a great way for families to get inside the school buildings, to meet other families that are going to be alongside them during that educational journey."
The program will provide learning opportunities for students as well as parents, to help set an educational foundation as well as a social foundation before they enter kindergarten.
Cronk says the program prepares them for school and gives them confidence they can succeed.
"Because they're going to have friends already there, they're going to have friends they met during Kinderclub, and the parents will know the teacher and feel comfortable with where their child is going," Cronk explains. "So, we really hope that this will resolve and increase attendance."
The St. Joseph School District has seen a rise in attendance in lower grades such as kindergarten but have previously seen those be the worst grades for attendance.
Cronk says while the program has seen developmental gains in children, one thing that was unexpected was the increased engagement and confidence in parents
"We were expecting the kids to show gains, but having the parents more confident and feeling more like a partner in their child's education is just really key," Cronk says. "Because we know that's how kids are going to be successful, is if the families know what to do at home and they feel engaged in what is happening."
The two-part program will be held next week on January 14th and on February 11th. It's recommended to attend both parts but not required.
You can get more information by contacting the United Way or visiting their website by clicking HERE.