In a January 8, 2009 news release, the Institute states:

The years before Kindergarten are a particularly fertile and profitable time to prepare young children to read and learn by teaching them essential literacy skills.”

The report also suggests that there are “a multiplicity of important skills that need to be learned and that we need to ensure that all of those skills are developed through a complete program….”

Helping children become successful learners requires early teaching, using both home and school instruction. Ideally, there must be a partnership between home and school.

The Pre K Scholars program is 22 weeks long and encompasses essential literacy skills. It is designed to explore new concepts each week while also reinforcing previously introduced ideas – building skills upon skills to provide a strong educational foundation while preparing students for Kindergarten.

We’ve designed the weekly lessons to make learning fun and engaging. In addition to ‘in class’ lessons, each student has their own “Home Activities Binder.” This homework encourages parent participation, extends the scope of the weekly lessons, reinforces basic skills and instills pride in the learning process, giving preschoolers a stress-free early start. After all, those that start ahead, stay ahead!

For more information, check out the above-mentioned report at www.nifl.gov. The Kindergarten Readiness Movement is very popular right now and we would love to hear how it’s being addressed in your area.

It’s been a good week for me as it relates to Pre K Scholars and its contribution to the Kindergarten Readiness Movement. The positive feedback we are receiving is not only amazing but serves as confirmation that we are fulfilling a current gap in our educational system.

A few minutes before class started this week, a mother could barely get her car in park before her son flung open the car door and bolted straight into our Pre K Scholars home classroom. He had a big smile on his face as he proudly carried his home activities binder under his arm and was anxious to tell us about his accomplishments during the week.

His mother came rushing in behind and said, “Watch out! You guys have released the hounds! He can’t wait to do his work and he can’t wait to come to class each week.”

She continued: “He now asks me all the time what letter things start with. I told his preschool teacher that we were taking a supplemental pre k class and she said that she was wondering, because it seemed as though all of a sudden a learning light went on with the little boy.”

Pre K Scholars was developed in response to this situation. We want to be an active part of building a bridge between all preschools, both academic and developmental, and Kindergarten. Have you seen what the new Kindergarten looks like?

In developing both the Family Kit and the Home-Based Business Kit, we talked to moms and listened to their input. We value your input moving forward, and encourage you to share your questions and comments—and your stories!

Pre K Scholars is the perfect connection for anyone that is a natural with children and has a passion for teaching. It makes a teaching position available for those of us who have other young children and are not able to take a full-time classroom job.

Pre K education is especially ideal for the retired teacher; we get to return to our passion and work from home, all the while strengthening the bridge between preschool and Kindergarten and also making additional income for our families. With the current state of the economy, this is an added bonus.

My husband and I call these situations “win-win” situations because everyone benefits. In this case, the children are enriched, the teachers are fulfilled and the parents are both impressed and relieved.

Do you know someone who fits the profile— a retired elementary school teacher who would like to teach preschoolers?