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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Jump Start program gives kids a head start on kindergarten

Vancouver Public Schools' initiative is free

By , Columbian Education Reporter
Published:

• Free kindergarten readiness program that provides academic and developmental activities to equip incoming kindergartners with skills needed to begin learning on the first day of school.

• Available to all incoming kindergarten students in Vancouver Public Schools.

• Register beginning at 9 a.m. on the first day of Jump Start at the child’s school.

• On the Web: http://vansd.org/kindergarten/jump-start

o Kids who participated in Kindergarten Jump Start are nearly twice as likely to be at the early literacy benchmark at the beginning of the school year compared with those who didn’t participate.

&#8226; Free kindergarten readiness program that provides academic and developmental activities to equip incoming kindergartners with skills needed to begin learning on the first day of school.

&#8226; Available to all incoming kindergarten students in Vancouver Public Schools.

&#8226; Register beginning at 9 a.m. on the first day of Jump Start at the child's school.

&#8226; On the Web: <a href="http://vansd.org/kindergarten/jump-start">http://vansd.org/kindergarten/jump-start</a>

o The program’s English Language Learners are more than three times as likely to be at the early literacy benchmark compared to ELL kindergartners who didn’t participate in the program (36 percent versus 11 percent).

o Children from low-income backgrounds enter kindergarten with a listening vocabulary of 3,000 words compared with 20,000 words for children from middle-income households.

Some kindergartners are more ready to start school than others. Some attended preschool and have interacted with other children in a classroom setting. Some kids can write their first and last names and recite and write the alphabet. But others are not up to speed. Kindergarten Jump Start gives incoming kindergartners extra help to be ready to start school.

Parents of incoming kindergartners are encouraged to register their children for Kindergarten Jump Start, a free program that occurs at all Vancouver Public Schools elementary schools a few weeks before the school year begins.

Jump Start students engage in math, literacy and hands-on learning activities. They receive a free, nutritious breakfast daily. Students also can learn basic school routines and become familiar with school surroundings before the organized mayhem of the first day of school.

“Students in Jump Start do so much better in school,” said Charity Nunnelley, Jump Start coordinator. “The children feel so much more comfortable in their surroundings, especially those who haven’t attended preschool. When they come in the fall, they have friendly faces.”

Full participation is encouraged, but not required. Transportation is not provided, so parents need to drop off and pick up children.

All Vancouver district elementary schools offer Jump Start. However, the length of the program varies by school. Jump Start programs run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.

o Kids who participated in Kindergarten Jump Start are nearly twice as likely to be at the early literacy benchmark at the beginning of the school year compared with those who didn't participate.

o The program's English Language Learners are more than three times as likely to be at the early literacy benchmark compared to ELL kindergartners who didn't participate in the program (36 percent versus 11 percent).

o Children from low-income backgrounds enter kindergarten with a listening vocabulary of 3,000 words compared with 20,000 words for children from middle-income households.

• Aug. 3-25: Anderson, Fruit Valley, Harney, Hazel Dell, King, Lincoln, Marshall, Ogden, Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools.

• Aug. 10-21: Minnehaha and Walnut Grove elementary schools.

• Aug. 17-21: Chinook, Eisenhower, Felida, Franklin, Hough, Lake Shore, Sacajawea, Salmon Creek and Truman elementary schools.

How to register

School offices are closed for the summer, but parents can register children beginning at 9 a.m. on the first day of Jump Start or any day after that. Parents also will be asked to register their children for kindergarten and should bring proof of the child’s birthdate, immunization records and emergency contact information. Students will be supervised in the kindergarten classroom while parents complete the registration.

Funding for the program includes Title I federal money to support low-income Title I schools, in addition to some district money. Additionally, the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools received a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington in the spring for the program.

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Columbian Education Reporter