JOHNSTON COUNTY – Read to Grow Johnston County recently hosted its second annual Kindergarten Readiness Nights, preparing 137 rising kindergarteners for the upcoming school year. Families were able to practice the lunch line, tour a classroom and school bus, and engage in learning stations to promote the skills a child needs to be successful in kindergarten.
Read to Grow aims to show parents easy ways to develop essential skills using daily activities that support kindergarten readiness. These events were in collaboration with four Johnston County Public Elementary Schools and their Nutrition Department, UNC Health Johnston, Gunter Family McDonald’s, and PET Dairy.
Each learning station represented a key development area from the North Carolina Let’s Get Ready Guide, including cognitive development, social-emotional development, math, language, health and physical development, and play. Families counted rocks using math skills, practiced language by spelling with playdough letters, and weaved through an obstacle course to promote physical health. They sorted buttons to support brain development, practiced belly breathing for emotional support, and enjoyed time playing a memory game together.
Each event received positive reviews, with 97.7% of parents agreeing that the resources provided would help prepare their child for school.
“While a child knowing the alphabet and identifying colors are important skills, there are other things they must demonstrate to be successful,” says Read to Grow Coordinator Heather Machia. “They must know how to take turns and stick with challenging tasks. By providing simple activities for parents to develop their child’s abilities, parents feel more confident, and children are more prepared for success in school and life.”
Read to Grow consists of a wide variety of community members, including business leaders, faith community members, families, Partnership for Children of Johnston County, My Kids Club, Johnston County Public Schools, and their Board of Education. As a collaborative group, Read to Grow is working to connect resources, develop initiatives, and achieve the targets and milestones set to impact the three pillars of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR), kindergarten readiness, chronic absenteeism, and summer learning loss.
