Ready for School with Ready Rosie
When it comes to preparing your kids for school, it all starts in preschool. To help get your little ones ready for school, the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County has launched the Ready Rosie program. Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine contributor Aakash Patel from the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County is here to talk about Ready Rosie and how you can prepare your kids for kindergarten.
The importance of preparing your preschooler for Kindergarten
Did you know that quality early education programs can produce higher IQ’s, boost future academic and economic achievement and even help prevent incidences of chronic diseases and obesity in adulthood? Early learning programs also build socio-emotional traits which have greater effects on later life outcomes than most other cognitive skills a child will learn!
Aside from the obvious benefits to our children – there are economic incentives too. Every public dollar spent on preschool returns $7 through increased productivity and savings on public assistance and criminal justice. In a 2010 report, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce found that for every dollar invested in pre-K today, savings range from $2.50 to as much as $17 in the years ahead.
More than anyone, the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County understands the impact of quality early education programs and continually works to support both our children’s and community’s future.
When we say that your child should start preparing for kindergarten during preschool, we don’t mean that they need to know everything about kindergarten before they get there. Rather, it is important to make sure that your child is prepared to succeed. They don’t need to know the entire alphabet, but making sure they are able to retell a simple story and recognizing some of the letters in their name will make the transition to kindergarten learning much easier.
What are some activities you can do with your preschooler to prepare them?
You can turn everyday moments into teachable moments that will help your child learn and grow. Some of the easiest things you can do to prepare them is to teach them numbers 1-10. You can count objects in your home and point to each object as you count. Another great way to prepare them is to go on a shape hunt. Point out circles, squares, and triangles while you are walking through the grocery store or even just playing in their room.
Setting up play dates is another easy way to help get your children ready for kindergarten. Not only can they socialize, but they will learn through play.
ReadyRosie free online resource to help parents and caregivers turn simple activities into teachable moments.
Ready Rosie is an online resource that is free from the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. It provides daily activities for adults to do with kids from birth to age six and the activities take only about two minutes per day. Each activity is modeled on a quick video and everyone learns something new. It is offered in English and Spanish and explains the “why” behind the activity.
To sign up for Ready Rosie, visit ELCHC.org/ReadyRosie. All you do is sign up, do the fun and simple activity, and watch as your child learns and grows.
To learn more about Ready Rosie, visit TBParenting.com.