Creative Ways To Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten!

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Katie was not reading at all when we started six months ago. Now, she is reading everything she can and you can see how proud she is of her new ability. We loved this program and plan to do it again next year with our son.

Evaluation comment from a mom

Did you know?

If 51 first graders have problems reading, then 44 of them still have problems reading in the fourth grade.

Pre K Scholars Teacher Profile:

Introducing Miss Julie Larner

Meet teachers around the country who are preparing kids in their communities for kindergarten using the Pre K Scholars program. This month Pre K Scholars highlights one of the teachers on the ground floor of teaching our kindergarten readiness program. Julie Larner is from Newport Beach, California and is the other teacher featured in our Teaching Tips DVD. We interviewed Miss Julie and here is what she had to say.

How did you begin teaching Pre K Scholars classes?

I met Amy Schwary when our daughters were in preschool together. She knew I was an elementary school teacher as she had been, and we spoke of her kindergarten readiness program over the years. After I retired from teaching to have more time to dedicate to raising my own kids, Amy asked me to join her in teaching classes a couple of afternoons a week. It has been a joy!

What do you like most about teaching the program?

I feel that this program is a parent and a teacher's dream come true. It presents the fundamental skills that these kids need to begin kindergarten with confidence. Young families want to know that they are doing everything that they can to help their children begin their educational careers with a great start. I feel that the hour and a half I spent with my students in a Pre K Scholars class each week really helped build a strong foundation that their Kindergarten teachers will be able to build upon.

What are some of the challenges you find during teaching? Any advice on how you overcome these challenges?

Hmmm...honestly, the greatest challenge is to keep a straight face around these kids. Kids really do say the darndest things! Nearly every class I find myself cracking up as the kids shock me with their new perspective on a character or on the shade of my lipstick today. It's great. I think that humor helps in learning, too, and keeping it light keeps it fun—learning should be fun. It is important to teach kids that perspective at an early age.

Can you share a funny story you have encountered during teaching?

There are so many, where do I start? One funny story actually occurred in the class we filmed for the Pre K Scholars instructional DVD. I was not the teacher during this segment but I watched my son during the Guessing Game take the card he was supposed to put in the pocket holder and give it to a girl so she could have a turn instead. When Miss Amy complimented him on how nice he was to share his turn with his friend, the girl promptly retorted, "He's not my friend, he's my boyfriend!" That was quite a surprise.

What is your favorite Scholarville phonics character and why?

My son is into Tae Kwon Do and his favorite character is Karate Kicking Kim. I love how engaging the characters and their movements are to the kids. The bodily kinesthetic element is great for this age. And the fact that the characters are multi-ethnic is refreshing as well.

What do you feel qualifies you to teach young children?

After receiving my undergraduate degree from University of Pacific and teaching credential from UC Irvine, I taught for the Newport Mesa Unified School District in various capacities for a period of twelve years. I taught in both the elementary school classroom and as an ESL (English as a Second Language) resource teacher. Then I "retired" to spend as much time as possible helping out in my own children's classrooms and assisting their teachers in what I know is an awesome task…educating our country's next generation.

What advice do you have for other moms around the country who are about to teach the Pre K Scholars curriculum to their kids at home or in a class?

Come on mom, just do it! I promise, you will not regret putting your time, money or energy into this particular program. I can honestly say that the hours that I spend teaching are some of my best hours spent each week because I know that I am making a difference. And I'm having fun while I'm doing it.

After teaching the class for a year I was thrilled that my own four year old son son was able to join in and take the class from me. Even after being an educator myself, it was nice to have the structure of the program to guide us. Sure, I knew many of the skills that he needed, but motivating your own child to sit down and learn those skills is not always a piece of cake. The Pre K Scholars program was so captivating and so much fun that Jack hardly realized that mommy was trying to "teach" him, though he was proud of all that he learned. I know that this comprehensive program made a difference in his readiness to enter kindergarten as a five year old boy. The program built up Jack's competence and confidence in his skills and just as importantly, it made my husband and I feel confident in his ability to start kindergarten ready to hit the ground running!

Thank you to Miss Julie for her dedication to teaching children the skills they need for life. Contact us if you would like to be featured on this page.