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Submitted by North Thurston Public Schools

North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS) is now taking applications for Future Ready Kindergarten! This transitional kindergarten program is available at four elementary schools around the district: Chambers Prairie, Lacey, Seven Oaks, and Lydia Hawk. It is open to children who are not yet 5 years old but will be by August 31, 2023. While the program is geared toward children who may need extra support to get ready for a smooth transition to kindergarten, everyone is encouraged to apply. The program supports goals outlined in a board determination regarding success in the early years and prioritizes social and emotional development while familiarizing young learners with the structure of all-day schooling.

kids doing stretches in a circle in a classroom
Photo courtesy: North Thurston Public Schools

“Sometimes it’s hard for families to know if their student needs extra support before kindergarten,” says Jana Brock, a pre-K through fifth grade instructional specialist at NTPS. “One child could be struggling with verbal language. Another might have a hard time with gross or fine motor skills. Another might have a home life where they don’t get to spend time with books and stories or have the chance to interact with peers.”

Future Ready Kindergarten is a place for the child of any family who feels they want a supported transition into the K-12 school life. “Readiness is individualized,” Brock emphasizes.

Future Ready Kindergarten is different than preschool. Most preschool programs are a few days a week for part of the day. Future Ready Kindergarten is a “transitional kindergarten” and follows the same structure as actual kindergarten: five days a week for 6.5 hours per day. Transitional kindergarteners take their lunch on trays, play outside for recess, and spend time outside the classroom with PE, music, and art specialists. They experience school culture during assemblies and spirit days. It allows them to get comfortable in the place they will be learning for the next six years and start to feel like part of a community. They can even ride the bus to school if that transportation option makes sense for their family.

little boy putting a toy in a basket on a table
Photo courtesy: North Thurston Public Schools

“Our big focus is social emotional learning,” says Ami Smith, the Future Ready Kindergarten teacher at Lacey Elementary. “Students get familiar with listening rules and problem solving.” They learn how to ask for help, how to self-advocate, and how to be kind to and help others.

At its core, the program is about learning how to learn at a person’s earliest stage of education. “We want students to learn about themselves and how they learn best,” Brock explains. “We don’t all learn the same way. This is a chance for families to have conversations about their child with a certified teacher so that the entire support system around a child knows what they need to succeed.”

The Future Ready Kindergarten program is anchored in the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), an early learning assessment that provides benchmarks for children, their families, and their teachers in social emotional development, motor skills, cognitive skills, literacy and math. “This framework helps families see what their students can do when the program starts and then what they can do next,” Smith explains.

little girl standing at a desk with a pencil in her hand
Photo courtesy: North Thurston Public Schools

Tracy Pan’s son Alexander finished Future Ready Kindergarten at Lacey Elementary in spring 2022. He is now enjoying his first few months of kindergarten. “Alexander became more in tune with a routine and prepared for what kindergarten has to offer,” Pan shares. “He became even more aware of letters and numbers in his surroundings, as well as being more confident with playtime and sharing.”

Smith starts every day with an activity like playdough time. It gives students something to do with their hands right when they arrive at their tables and helps them warm up their writing muscles. Then they have breakfast. “This is about learning routines and practicing manners like staying seated and asking for what you want or need politely,” Smith explains. The day unfolds in a series of transitions around the room. There’s a short time on the carpet for a story or a social emotional learning lesson followed by an exercise break, then short lessons in handwriting or numbers. They practice the alphabet every day. There is time for centers, where students can “plan, do, and review” activities in art, science, dramatic play, books and puzzles, or building. “It’s important to stay flexible while providing as much structure and routine as possible,” Smith says.

two boys with helmets on riding a tandem bike
Photo courtesy: North Thurston Public Schools

Future Ready Kindergarten is as much for the parents and guardians of our youngest learners as it is for the students. “We are a support system,” Brock says. “You are not alone in raising your child. It takes a village, and this is your village.”

NTPS’s next Future Ready Kindergarten session will start January 9, 2023, and will follow the same schedule as elementary schools. WaKIDS Family Connections meetings will take place January 4 through 6. Students will start kindergarten in the fall of 2023. Applications are due November 30, 2022. Learn more about the program, read FAQs, and fill out the simple application here.

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