Kindergarten Readiness
The Kindergarten Readiness project is aimed at improving young children’s transitions into kindergarten. The program began in 2006 in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood and has recently expanded into the Near Eastside neighborhood.
School readiness is a responsibility of the entire community, that’s why the program works closely with three key partners: Parents and caregivers, childcare and pre-school providers, and school administration and staff to create a strong and smooth transition plan for each community.
As part of the Success By 6 program at United Way of
Where we are
School year 2007-2008 locations:
IPS School 37 (Martindale-Brightwood) IPS School 51 (Martindale-Brightwood) - IPS
School 15 (Near Eastside) IPS School 78 (Near Eastside)
How we support our partners and help them work together
Parents and caregivers: Increase family involvement and support during a child’s most critical years.
- Born Learning: Parents are children’s first and most important teachers. We provide access to resources and information to help educate parents and caregivers about everyday, teachable moments.
- Early Readers Club: Provides access to age-appropriate books for children from birth to age 5.
Childcare and pre-school providers: Increase the quality of childcare offered in homes, registered ministries and licensed centers in the community.
- Mentoring: In the Fall of 2008,
Indiana will implement the Quality Rating System (QRS) for childcare providers. Beginning in 2007, providers have the opportunity to work with an assigned mentor from Child Care Answers and United Way of Central Indiana to assess their current status and get assistance for making qualified improvements. Currently, 19 providers participate in the program. - Professional development To help improve the overall quality of programs, Ready Communities offers resources for professional development of childcare providers, center directors, staff, etc. Our goal is to help create healthy, safe and developmentally appropriate environments for young children.
School administration and staff: Improve the school’s focus, policies and practice on school readiness.
- Assessment: Ready Communities brings school faculty together to assess their readiness to receive incoming kindergartners. The assessment
tools also provide insight into a school’s parent outreach and involvement, community partnerships and action planning so that they can
become a “Ready School”. - Community Outreach: Working with the IPS Parents as First Teachers program, Ready Communities is helping to expand and strengthen community involvement throughout both neighborhoods. We participate in and support pre-K home visits, Play & Learn groups, school Community Councils and other high-impact activities.
Want to learn more?
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In the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, contact Tamika Riggs at tamika.riggs@uwci.org or 317.921.1232
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In the Near-Eastside neighborhood, contact Heather Cox
at heather.cox@uwci.org or 317.921.1339.