Evesham kindergarten readiness program shows results at open house

Some kids just need a little help getting ready for kindergarten, and the Evesham Township School District has them covered.

Whether a child needs help strengthening academics, growing social skills or just getting used to being away from mom and dad, the district’s Coordinated Arts Program for Primary Students readies kids for what they’ll experience when starting school.

For the past several weeks, the soon-to-be kindergarten students have been spending three hours of their day practicing language arts, math, movement, art and music at DeMasi Elementary School, and on July 29, parents, school board members and other guests were able to attend an open house to see the program in action and view the results.

Those in attendance had the chance to observe the kids as they sang songs, identified shapes, counted numbers, interacted with teachers, answered questions and more.

Colleen Schroeder, assistant principal of DeMasi, said all incoming kindergarteners in the district are assessed of their skills and needs the April before they start kindergarten, and those who need help are recommended for the program.

“The program really is about establishing routine, getting kids ready for school in September,” Schroeder said. “Everybody comes on the bus, and we do a large morning meeting, and then they move into different groups.”

The five classes of the program were designed based on the developmental skills kindergarteners would typically have coming into school, and through attending the classes and interacting with each other and teachers, the kids learn new things, become comfortable away from home and learn what to expect when school starts.

Schroeder said the school also conducts an assessment of the kids when the program is done, and almost every participant shows a large amount of growth.

“We see such a large improvement from that first day to the last day just with the students being willing to participate…I would say 98 percent of the time we show growth from what the pre-assessment was to the post- assessment,” Schroeder said.

Along with student growth, parents have also had an overwhelmingly positive response to the program, according to Schroeder.

“We’ve always had overwhelming positive feedback from parents,” Schroeder said. “Just how much the students love the program, how much they are sharing with them at home, and how they feel comfortable and ready for school in September.”

One guest attending the open house with positive feedback was Evesham Education Foundation president John Cipollone.

Although C.A.P.P.S. receives funding from the district, the EFF has also helped fund it for more than a decade since it was once slated to be cut for budget concerns.

“The kids need a foundation, and this gives those children who are maybe a little bit behind the curve and need a little bit more reinforcement before school starts to get that,” Cipollone said. “We see the value in that. It makes them better students once they get started.”

Cipollone said he’s seen the results first hand, as he knows people whose children have gone through C.A.P.P.S., and that’s all the more reason to continue supporting the program and attending events such as the open house to see the results.

“It’s phenomenal,” Cipollone said. “We work hard to try to raise funds for programs like this, and it’s nice to see it in action and see the looks on the kids’ faces. It makes it all worthwhile, it really does.”