Stocker Foundation Funds First Teacher Project

June 8th 2013

Parents are their children’s first and most important teacher.   The truth of this statement became the focus of a Ready For Kindergarten project piloted at Conlee, Valley View and Jornada Elementary schools in February and March this year.  A program consisting of six sessions, each class had three components – to teach parents 1) how their children learn and develop, 2) which skills the public schools expect children to have when they come to kindergarten and 3) how to read and play with their children to develop those necessary skills.

Parent classes were interactive as they played with toys, heard teachers read stories and learned games to develop children’s skills.  They left each class with ideas, materials, toys and books to enjoy at home.

While parents were in class, their children were cared for in small groups.  There the children heard stories, played games and learned songs and rhymes.  All of the activities helped develop school readiness abilities.

Parent responses to the class were enthusiastic.  An evaluation comment from Pablo and Belem Calderon is typical of others.  “My children are spending more time learning and playing with letters, colors and shapes rather than wanting to sit in front of a

TV.  Their imagination even at two and three has expanded since

the first class we had.  I’m very grateful for having been a part

of this program.  I have learned a lot and so have my kids.”