®
the
Triangle Your YMCA at work in the community
fall 2013
BUILDING STRONG AND BRIGHT FUTURES Starting school can be exciting and scary for both students and their parents. And even more so if those students have never had a preschool opportunity to prepare them for what’s ahead.
We believe that all kids deserve the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. To help reduce the learning gap, especially with lower income families, or those with English as a second language, the Monroe/Sky Valley Family YMCA offers the Jump Start program. Jump Start classes are held the end of August so that lessons learned are fresh in the minds of the kindergarteners when they began school in September. Classes prepare incoming kindergarten students who have had no preschool experience prior to starting kindergarten. Students learn basic school expectations such as standing in line, waiting for their turn, raising their hands, and sitting with legs crossed. In addition, the classes focus on academic readiness reviewing numbers, give parents the opportunity to ask questions letters, and sounds. and get feedback from experienced parents “Without practice of these simple skills, and educators. these children are “Students learn the routines of set up for more It really helps them kindergarten, practice knowing where redirection as soon build confidence everything is within the classroom and as they start kinschool, and work out the separation and understanding dergarten instead anxiety within a small class size and of learning,” said of kindergarten. without the whole school in operation,” Robin Fitch, Frank said Jeff Presley, Fryelands Elementary Wagner Elementary School principal. “It really helps them build School principal. “Attendance is another confidence and understanding of kindergarten.” thing that children from less privileged
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families don’t understand is important for school success. Having Jump Start class three days a week for three weeks is great practice for attendance.” Jump Start also has a parent education element. Parent classes are created to provide parents the tools to work with their kids at home to help them with the transition to school. These classes also
Sometimes student learning challenges can also be identified before the school year begins so that the family can work with school professionals to receive the appropriate help. This happened this past session when it was discovered that a student had hearing issues. Jump Start is supported by United Way, the Monroe Public Schools Foundation, and donations to the YMCA annual campaign.
In this Issue: • Jump Start • President’s Perspective • Member Survey • Gear Up & Go • How to Become a Big or Little • Snohomish Aquatic Center • 204 Miles of Fun • Chair's Round Table Donors • Casino Road Scholars • Assets in Action • March on Washington • Operation352 • Positive Impact in Stanwood/Camano • Sharing Their Passion • Armed Services YMCA