If you have been watching the news, you know preschool readiness is a hot topic this year as children prepare to go back to school.
It has become a nationwide discussion - President Obama included it in his State of the Union address; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed to serving expanding pre-K access to 50,000 students this year; and the American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced a new policy prescribing reading aloud to children as early as birth.
I am sure you must be asking yourself: "What does it mean to be preschool ready?" As a parent or an educator, this information can be a bit overwhelming.
It's okay! We are here to help.
Today, our company announced a round-up of our preschool-readiness programs and products (learn more through our official press release).
Here are some resource highlights:
- Expanded Reading Club for Pre-Readers: Scholastic Reading Club has ramped up the focus on early childhood reading by expanding the successful preschool book clubs: “Honeybee®” (toddlers to 4-years-old); “Firefly®” (pre-K and kindergarten); “Early Childhood”; and “Kindergartners.” This school year, these book catalogs will offer parents and teachers even more age-appropriate titles and special collections for pre-readers, as recommended by early childhood organizations including AAP and Reach Out and Read. Scholastic Reading Club is also launching a new early childhood advisory board consisting of preschool teachers from across the country, and a new Baby Boutique, offering parents our top 100 choices to help start a child’s first home library.
- Preschool Book Fairs: Scholastic Book Fairs offers special Preschool Book Fairs nationwide, featuring a wide selection of carefully selected books for children ages birth to 5 years. In addition, Book Fairs offers a Kindergarten Readiness Program featuring free tips and activities in both English and Spanish to help families prepare their children for a great start in school.
- Preschool Classroom Curriculum: Scholastic’s “Big Day for Pre-K” program utilizes the most current research about early learning, providing preschool teachers across the country with child-friendly themes and curricula for the whole school year to better ensure that all children build the academic and social-emotional foundations they need to succeed in kindergarten.
- Teaching Resources: Scholastic offers more than 100 products to support early childhood educators, including guided reading programs, learning games, hands-on activities, professional resources for the classroom and more. Video workshop programs featuring early childhood education thought leaders, including “The ABCs of Emergent Literacy” and the new “Engaging Families in Children’s Literacy” (debuting November 2014), provide teachers the best instructional strategies to use with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families.
- Early Childhood Books, Apps and Media: Scholastic publishes age-appropriate books for infants, toddlers and preschool students, and offers engaging early childhood apps that emphasize early reading skills, discovery learning and emotional play with help from beloved characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog™ and WordGirl™.
Share in the comments below on how you plan on getting your child ready for preschool.
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