By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
The Archdiocese of Louisville and Jefferson County Public Schools announced a partnership May 25 aimed to better prepare students for kindergarten.
The two largest education providers in Louisville have teamed up to expand “Ready 4 K” summer camps, which focus on ensuring students are ready to begin school. The initiative plans to serve 1,200 children at 10 sites.
Nearly one-half of the 8,000 students who enter kindergarten each year in Louisville are not fully prepared with the basic knowledge to make a successful transition to kindergarten, according to a joint press release from the two school systems.
“Right now, only 47.9 percent of our students are entering school ready for kindergarten. Meanwhile, we know that 71 percent of students who participated in our summer camps last year measured ready for kindergarten,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens in the statement.
Last summer, the Ready 4 K camps served 300 students in the community,
with funding provided by a grant from the C.E. and S. Foundation and the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation and additional funding provided by JCPS.
This year, the Archdiocese of Louisville and the Catholic Education Foundation have joined the partnership.
Leisa Schulz, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, said kindergarten readiness is an issue everyone can get behind.
“All of us want to see all the children in our community ready for kindergarten,” Schulz said in a phone interview. “If they come in ready and prepared then they are able to learn and grow at tremendous rates.”
The camps will be held at six JCPS sites and at four Catholic schools from Monday to Friday July 5 to July 29 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The sites are: Duvalle Education Center, McFerran Elementary, Dawson Orman Education Center, George Unseld Early Childhood Education Center, Jaeger Education Center, Academy @ Shawnee Early Childhood Center, St. Stephen Martyr School, St. Nicholas Academy, St. Rita School and St. Bernard School.
Schulz also noted that in addition to providing sites for the Ready 4 K camps, the Archdiocese of Louisville will also staff the four centers with teachers and assistants from Catholic schools.
In addition to academic support, students will receive breakfast and lunch, and transportation to the camps will be provided, the statement said.
Funding for the camps totals $1.2 million and will be provided by the following: C.E. & S. Foundation, the Catholic Education Foundation, the Archdiocese of Louisville, JCPS, the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation, the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Gheens Foundation, Delta Dental “Making Smiles Happen,” the VV Cooke Foundation and the Lift a Life Foundation.
Archbishop Kurtz said school readiness for “all our children” is an important goal for the common good of the community.
“Our Catholic schools and parishes are excited to collaborate with our community partners to make this goal a reality,” Archbishop Kurtz said in a statement.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer lauded the collaboration between the public and private school systems.
“Bringing together both school systems will help us strengthen our kindergarten readiness efforts to support children and families across the entire community,” he said in a statement.
To apply for the Ready 4 K camps, visit https://goo.gl/forms/mIUG8zxYWC.
JCPS has also launched a Ready 4 K app, which complements the Ready 4 K website (https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/learning/ready4k). The app is free and features interactive games for pre-kindergarten children and tips for kindergarten readiness. It is available on iTunes and Google Play.
