This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming young learners to their first day of kindergarten at 5 elementary schools in Durham! The “Kick-off to Kindergarten” celebration is part of our Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) Initiative, a collaboration with Durham Public Schools, and is the culmination of a series of events at our Transition Team schools designed to make kindergarten an exciting and welcoming place for new students and families.
At E.K. Powe Elementary, Forest View Elementary, Glenn Elementary, Lakewood Elementary, and Y.E. Smith Elementary, groups of volunteers greeted the incoming kindergartners and families with cheers, high-fives, bubbles, stickers and smiling faces. Entering kindergarten is one of the most significant milestones in a young child’s life, and it’s something that deserves to be celebrated! Making the first day of school an exciting and welcoming one makes a huge difference in a child’s entire academic career.
Thanks to the work of the TTK Initiative throughout-out the spring and summer, many of the children and families we saw at the Kick-off to Kindergarten event had already been to their new schools, met the teachers and school staff, and even made friends with their classmates. Across all of our Transition Team schools, 48% of the estimated rising classes attended at least one transition event before the first day of school. At one school, 95% of their incoming class participated in a TTK event!
We’re grateful to our wonderful volunteers – from community groups and individuals, to corporate groups, to members of the Board of Education – who joined us this week and helped make the first day of school a lot less scary and a lot more fun!
We hope that even more children and families in Durham will be able to have this experience when starting kindergarten next year! For more information about the TTK Initiative and to find out how you can be involved, please visit www.durhamgoestokindergarten.com.
