English - Getting School Ready!

8/14/2019 English - Getting School Ready!

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Getting School Ready! is a statewide eort o the Foundation or EarlyLearning and its partners to support parents and caregivers as their childrensrst teachers. A team including parents, early learning experts, community-base organizations, public health and school representatives created andupdated this guide.

For school readiness news, resources, and inormation about the history o

this project visit Foundation or Early Learning at earlylearning.organdclick on Getting School Ready!

For More Information:

Visit nces.ed.gov/globallocator to nd your childs school inormation.

Research schools atwww.schoolmatters.com or reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us.

Call the WithinReach hotline at 1.800.322.2588 or visit:www.parenthelp123.orgor amily health inormation and reerrals.

Ask your librarian or books, music, videos, and other resources. Librariesalso have programs, such as story times, that can help your child prepareor school.

Printed guides are available in Cambodian, Chinese, English, Korean,Russian, Somali, Spanish, agalog, and Vietnamese. o download print-readypd les visit earlylearning.org/gettingschoolready. o purchase bookletscontact the Foundation or Early Learning at [email protected].

Photos courtesy o Child Care Resources, alaris Research Institute, Erin

Okuno, and Peter Huisenga. A special thanks to Te Boeing Company orgenerously printing the booklets.

Fith printing

ENGLISH / 2010

A Guide for: Parents and Family Members of Children Birth to AgeFive, Caregivers, Early Childhood Educators, Kindergarten Teachers,

Communities, Schools, And Everyone Who Touches a Childs Life

How can kindergarten be ready or me?

I want to be ready or kindergarten.


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www.gettingschoolready.org

Te original contents o this brochure come out o 41community conversations with more than 300 parents,early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers,school principals, and community members. Led byparent acilitators, the conversations took place in sevenlangagues: Cambodian, English, Oromo, Russian,Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Tey were held in 17o King Countys 19 school districts.

Authors: Lead Debra Sullivan (Praxis Institute orEarly Childhood Education) and Cheri Steani (PugetSound Educational Service District); Members SusanBarkan (Public Health Seattle and King County),

Ellen Broeske (Puget Sound Educational ServiceDistrict), Rujuta Gaonkar (Public Health Seattle andKing County), Bea Kelleigh (Project Lit-O), DianeKroll (Puget Sound Educational Service District),Deborah Lee (City o Seattle ECEAP), Gail anaka(Comprehensive Health Education Foundation), Laura

Wells (Child Care Resources); Copy editor RhondaPeterson (Project Lit-O).

Editorial Board: Linda Averill (Shoreline Schools),Bridgett Chandler (alaris Research Institute), eriCliord (Puget Sound Educational Service District),om Drummond (North Seattle Community College),

Julie Ezenwoye (early childhood educator), Karen Forys(North Shore School District), John Gottman (ProessorEmeritus, University o Washington), Maryann Johnston

(Early Childhood Education consultant), Garrison Kurtz(Foundation or Early Learning), Wei Li-Chen (Asian/

Pacic Islander Child Care ask Force), Teresa Lourde(parent acilitator or community conversations), KrisLowe (Child Care Resources), MAK Mitchell (SeattlePublic Schools), Carol Mizoguchi (parent acilitator orcommunity conversations), John Nimmo (Pacic OaksCollege Northwest), Sally Porter (King County LibrarySystem), Wendy Roedell (Puget Sound EducationalService District), Sue Schmitt (Seattle University), JillSells (American Academy o Pediatrics), Michael Silver(ukwila School District), Debra Williams-Appleton(Oce o the Superintendent o Public Instruction),Ed Yonamine (Washington State Department oCommunity, rade and Economic Development).

Pages 12-18 were created in response to surveysconducted by the Washington State Departmento Health Immunization Program CHILD Prole.Special thanks to people who have been involved atvarious stages o the revision process: Bridgett Chandler(Works o Heart), Laura Hutchinson and DeniseFarrand (CHILD Prole Seattle King County PublicHealth Department), Cheri Steani and Diane Kroll(Puget Sound ESD), Deb Williams-Appleton, ElaineVon Rosenstiel and Marcia Riggers (Oce o theSuperintendent o Public Instruction), Linda Averill(Shoreline School District), Kimberlee Archie and GuilleMorn (ormerly o the King County SOAR Initiative)Karen Howell Clark (United Way o King County), BeaKelleigh (the Early Care and Education Coalition) and

Melissa Jennings, Patty urnberg, Jeanne Anderson andGarrison Kurtz (Foundation or Early Learning).

What do children need to beready or kindergarten?

What do schools need to beready or entering children?

I children could tell us,heres what they might say:

I need adults to work together to helpme get school ready.

How are you already helping?

Read on to see what else you can do!2 1


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I need to get along with others.

You can:

Show me ways to make new riends.

Help me understand how I can be riends with children whoare dierent rom me.

each me what to do when someone hurts my eelings.

I need to know how to talk with others andto listen.

You can:

alk with me about things Im interested in.

each me how to know when its my turn to speak and whenI need to listen.

each me words to describe my eelings and needs, and when

to use them.

My Social andEmotional Skills

I need to eel excited and comortable about

starting kindergarten.

You can:

Let me know youre excited about me starting kindergarten.

Give me a chance to visit my school beore I start.

Listen to my thoughts and ideas about school.

Play a game with me to pretend Im in school already.

I need to know what kindergarten will be like.You can:

each me to ollow directions by giving me simple steps.

Help me learn how to share with other children, stand in line,wait my turn, and sit in a circle.

I need to eel good about mysel.

You can:

Pay attention to me and listen to my ideas.

Help me eel good about all the things I can do.

Praise me or my strengths.

Be patient and let me develop at my own pace.

each me that all my eelings are okay, but not all my actionsare okay. For example, its okay to be upset, but its not okayto hit others.

each me ways to calm mysel down when I get rustrated.

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I need to eel good about my amily andculture, and to learn about other cultures.

You can:

Show me books and pictures o people who look like me.

Show me books and pictures o people rom other cultures.

Sing songs and tell me stories rom my culture and rom othercultures.

Use the language(s) I know to help me understandand learn.

ake me to places that teach me about my culture and othercultures.

I need to be excited about learning.

You can:

Encourage me to explore with my sensesto see, touch,smell, hear and taste my world.

Give me un, exciting choices.

Give me lots o time to gure things out.

I need to learn to try things and keep tryingeven when it seems hard.

You can:

Give me activities that hold my interest.

Help me explore and try new activities.

Help me learn step by step.

each me that making mistakes is part o learning.

Show me dierent ways to understand my world.

I need many ways to express mysel.You can:

Help me dance, sing, whistle, play instruments, paint, draw,color, build, invent, and make believe.

Help me care about others and help them, too.

Help me notice and talk about fowers, trees, animals, clouds,the sky and water.

How I Learn

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Using Wordsand Numbers

I need to be amiliar with words and books.

You can:

each me new words.

Show me words and symbols in my language and the soundsthey make.

Read to me. ake me to the library. Bring me booksand magazines.

Ask me questions about stories to help me understand theirmeaning.

Sing songs and teach me rhymes.

I need to know shapes, sizes and colors.

You can:

Give me things to sort by shape, size and color.

Help me nd and name shapes and colors all around me.

I need to learn to count and understand that

numbers have meaning.You can:

Help me play counting games.

Let me count things at home and in my community.

Show me how numbers are used around me.

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Support My Family,Culture and Language

I need my school to welcome my amily.

You can:

Put up welcoming signs in the language I speak at home.

Learn about my community and culture beore I arrive.

Let my amily know who to go to i we have ideas, questions,or concerns.

Invite us to participate in the school, classroom and Parenteacher Association.

My amily and I want all the grown-ups at myschool to know and respect my culture, mylearning style and my amilys needs.

You can:

Understand that school may be my rst introduction tocultures and languages other than my own.

Let me know i my classroom teacher and others at school can

speak my home language.Invite my amily and me to share inormation with myteacher and classmates about my amily and culture.

Support my amily culture by putting me in a class with otherchildren who share my home language and culture.

Let me know that speaking my language strengthens all mylanguage skills.

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I need to be able to use my arms, legs and bodyto make big movements.

You can:

Encourage me to run, jump, climb, dance and move to music,as I am able.

Give me time each day to play outdoors.

I need to have my basic needs met beore Icome to school each day.

You can:

Make sure I am ed, rested and dressed or the weather.

Find out who can help my amily with getting what I need tobe ready or school.

Keep Me Saeand Healthy

I need to be sae and eel sae.

You can:

Help me practice saying my name, address and phone numberin my home language and in English.

each me about watching or cars and not talkingto strangers.

each me who to ask or help when I need it.

I need to have bathroom and sel-help skills.

You can:

each me the words to tell other grown-ups when I need togo to the bathroom, or when I am eeling sick or hurt.

Help me practice going to the bathroom, washing my hands,dressing, and tying my shoes.

Encourage me to try things Ive learned beore I ask myteacher or help.

I need to be able to use my hands and fngers todo small tasks.

You can:

Help me learn to pick up, hold and use pencils, crayons,markers, paintbrushes and scissors.

Help me make things with blocks, paper, cardboardand tape. Emely/cultura/Corbis

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A big step with big eelingsI need you to help me eel ready and eager,even i I also eel scared.

You can:

Make sure we both have time to think and talk about oureelings. Your ideas and eelings shape mine. I need you to

show me condence. Tis is a big step or our amily!Help me practice saying goodbye to you so I can get readyto join the school group easily. Kindergarten is dierent thanpreschool or child care where parents might stay with a childor some time until they eel ready to say goodbye. Help melearn to be on my own with my teacher and ellow students.

Be delighted to see me ater my day at school! Be ready to askspecic questions about what we did that day and who mynew riends are.

I need a healthy body to learn and grow.

You can:

ake me to the doctor and dentist or regular check ups.

Make sure I get all the shots I need beore school starts. Beingully immunized protects me and others rom serious diseases.

Keep me and our amily sae rom harm. Get help i someoneis hurting you, me, or anyone in my amily.

I need good ood, rest, and play to have the

energy to learn.You can:

Make sure I get enough rest every night, even i I dont wantto go to sleep. I cant learn i I am grumpy and tired at school.

Give me healthy ood every day, especially breakast.

Ask or a orm or ree and reduced breakast and lunch i ouramily needs help getting me the healthy ood I need.

Make sure I have time and sae places to play. Kids need

at least one hour o exercise each day. Outdoor play is veryimportant or me!

Healthy Body toLearn and Grow

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Families & Schoolsare Partners

I need the grown-ups in my amily, school and

community to work together.You can:

See starting school as a big event or all o us! We each haveour own ideas and worries.

Ask me about my thoughts. I may want to know:

How high do I have to count?

Do I have to write my name?

What are the rules at school?

Will I have new riends at school?

alk with others about your eelings. You may want to know:

How easy will it be to say goodbye and let me join mygroup at school?

Will I t in and learn well here?

Will the teacher see how special I am?

Ask teachers about their thoughts. Tey may want to know:

How well do I do in a group with other kids andew adults?

Do I know how to get help when I need it and work on myown when I need to?

Can I share the teachers attention?

Am I learning to ollow directions and cooperate?

Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/Corbis

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How to Enroll andWhat to Expect

About Me!My name is _______________________________________

My parents/guardians name(s) are ______________________

_________________________________________________

My address is ______________________________________

_________________________________________________

My phone number is ________________________________

My school district is _________________________________

My school is _______________________________________

My school address and phone number are ________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

My teachers name is ________________________________

Im excited about school because _______________________

_________________________________________________

My questions about school are these ____________________

_________________________________________________

My local library is __________________________________

I need you to let the school know that I am coming.

You can:

Call and visit my school the year beore I start. Each school districthas its own rules, so it is important to talk to them. (See the backpage o this booklet or ways to contact schools.)

Visit my teacher and describe what I know and can do.

Share things happening in my lie that aect how I eeland act.

Find out about any special needs I have.

Learn about our amilys rights in the school.

Learn about school and community services we might need,especially i we speak a language other than English.

I need you to know what the school expects romme and my amily.

You can:

Meet with my teacher to see what he or she expects me to knowand be able to do. School has changed since

you went!Get an up-to-date list o my immunizations.

Find out what inormation my school needs about me and whenthey need it. My school might need a copy o my birth certicate,immunization record, or proo o address.

Find out when teachers set aside time to meet with parents. I thosetimes dont work, let me know what times do work.

Ask the teachers what kind o help they expect me to get rom myamily at home.

Volunteer to help at my school.

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English - Getting School Ready!