Kicking off to kindergarten

Helping Pequea Valley School District (PVSD) families prepare their eligible children for the start of kindergarten is a goal for Lisa Eckert, director of early learning for the district. "We start in September trying to reach our families that will have a child registering for kindergarten the following year," explained Eckert. "We want them to register early, and then they can participate in all the activities we have for them."

This year's Kick Off to Kindergarten 2024 event (formerly Kindergarten Expo) is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Together Community Center, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise. The event is designed for those whose children will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2024.

Eckert pointed out that this year's event is a drop-in and that it differs from the expos held in the past. "The last two years we opened registration the first week of February and had everyone come at the end, but this year, registration will open the day of the kickoff," explained Eckert. "We will have all the information they need to register, so if they want to register that night, they can." Eckert noted that parents may also just drop off paperwork or just get the information they need to start the process.

Since the goal of the evening is to start preparing children and their parents for school, a variety of focused stations will be offered. According to Eckert, several stations will be dedicated to signing up for upcoming events, such as transition nights, or registering to receive a Kindergarten Readiness Kit. "We will have a fun area for photo ops with the kindergarten banner," said Eckert, who also mentioned crafts and activity stations based on literacy and math, where children and parents can work together. "(These are) so they can get the idea of what they should be working on at home with their learners to help prepare them," noted Eckert, who added that information on community resources such as the Community Action Program before- and after-school programs will be included, as will display tables for both Paradise and Salisbury elementary schools.

Connecting with the early learning program at the kickoff will give families the chance to attend upcoming free activities, such as a four-week STEM connections program planned for March. "We will have transition nights at the end of April and into May," said Eckert. Transition nights focus on topics such as literacy, math, or social and emotional learning. Kindergarten screenings will also be held in April, and summer camp is planned for June. "All these activities help prepare them for kindergarten," said Eckert.

Eckert requests that families wishing to attend the Feb. 5 kickoff register at http://tinyurl.com/KickoffPV. Readers who have specific questions may email lisa_eckert@pequeavalley.org or call 717-314-2517.