News Highlights

University piloting new program to help prepare children for kindergarten

Initiative for employee parents, caregivers

Minnesota State Mankato is the nation’s first higher education institution to provide free training to help employees prepare their children and grandchildren for kindergarten.

2009-09-30
Minnesota State University, Mankato Media Relations Office news release [9/30/2009]

Minnesota State University, Mankato is the nation’s first higher education institution to provide free training to help employees prepare their children and grandchildren for kindergarten.

The acclaimed READY! For Kindergarten program starts Friday, Oct. 9, at the university, teaching parents and caregivers how to better prepare children for school. The program’s simple activities are intended to foster in children pre-literacy, pre-math and social-emotional skills that are critical to long-term educational success.

Five classes are planned for parents or caregivers of infants through 5-year-olds. The classes – Oct. 9, Jan. 29, 2010, and April 30, 2010 – are offered during the day, and employees will be allowed to take time away from their work to attend.

READY! For Kindergarten is coordinated locally by the Greater Mankato Early Learning Initiative. It got rave reviews last year when it was offered to employees of Carlson Craft and the community at large.

The curriculum gives parents target activities for children at each age through 5, and shows them how to help their children reach the targets. Each family gets a set of free toys and activities that help make learning fun for young children.

The curriculum replicates activities used for years by parents and teachers of successful students.

“Research demonstrates that parental involvement with their children is the key indicator of success in kindergarten, which in turn is the best indicator of success throughout a child’s academic career,” said Kelley Olson, executive director of the Early Learning Initiative. “We are so thrilled that Minnesota State Mankato recognizes this, and that they have become a forerunner in supporting their employees’ ability to assure that their children will be ready to reach their full potential in school and in life.”

“In recognition of our goal to be a great place to work, Minnesota State Mankato is happy to provide support for our employees to participate in READY! for Kindergarten,” added DeeAnn Snaza, interim director of human resources. “Balancing work and family can be challenging, and this on-campus opportunity will allow parents or caregivers another avenue to help in the development and academic preparedness of our children.”

The program’s guiding principles are to:

• Honor parents/caregivers as a child’s most influential teachers;
• Foster important early learning experiences for children;
• Instill children with joy for learning;
• Increase parents’ capacity to help children get ready for kindergarten.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive, doctoral university with 14,800 students and two satellite sites, is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, which comprises 32 institutions across the state.

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