Kindergarten preparation event coming up at Clearview Mall
An annual educational event is aimed at preparing children for kindergarten, which has become more difficult in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an elementary school principal.
Spring into School Readiness takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Clearview Mall, and will feature activities like story time, music, movement and coloring, which are meant to engage pre-kindergarten children in creative learning.
The Butler County Early Care & Education Council organizes the annual event, and one of its members, Northwest Elementary School principal Matt Martinez, said it is a good way to prepare young children for kindergarten. Butler Area School District has some standards for children entering kindergarten, and the community event will prepare prospective kindergartners.
“COVID has changed things; a lot of people pick up groceries now, so parents don't always take them in and say, 'That's a pineapple, that's an orange,'” Martinez said. “There's a whole list of pre-kindergarten standards. Letter recognition, shape, stating the alphabet, those are the things we're looking for, following directions.”
About 20 community organizations, including the Butler school district, are planning activities for the event and will be on hand to share information with families, according to Julie Thumma, coordinator of the Butler County Early Care & Education Council. The council has been coordinated by Lifesteps since 2001, and now has about 125 community partners. This is the first Spring into School Readiness event Butler Area School District has been involved in, Martinez said.
A news release from the council said the goal of the event is to support school readiness by helping families better understand how children learn through play and to support parents in their critical role as their child’s first teacher.
“The goal is to support school readiness to better understand how children learn through play,” Thumma said. “We're hoping the activities will activate fun ways of student learning for fine and gross motor skills, social-emotional skills, literacy, math, science.”
Martinez said staff from Butler Area School District will be at the event to answer questions from parents interested in enrolling a child in kindergarten. He said parents can learn about how their children will be prepared through kindergarten.
“They can review our readiness bags, practice scissor skills, colors, shapes in kind of a fun, engaging way,” Martinez said. “When students enroll, they get their own readiness bag.”
According to the Butler County Early Care & Education Council, story time will begin at 11:30 a.m., yoga at 12:30 p.m., Mad Science of Pittsburgh will present at 1:30 p.m. and prize winners of games will be announced at 2 p.m. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m.
