ABOUT READY! for Kindergarten
When it comes to early learning, children learn best through engagement with people they love and trust. READY! For Kindergarten® workshops encourage parents to engage with their children through talking, singing, reading, and playing. These simple activities foster essential pre-literacy, pre-math, and social-emotional skills all children need to enter Kindergarten prepared to learn.
READY! for Kindergarten® provides workshops and take-home materials and tools, to inspire and empower parents and caregivers to help babies and young children develop strong brain connections that determine how they will think, learn, and grow.
Parents and caregivers attend a series of workshops each year, based on when their child will enter Kindergarten. They learn new skills and helpful tips to nurture development in ways that foster academic skills and personal behaviors to boost children’s motivation, perseverance, and engagement in learning.
Created by the Children’s Reading Foundation, our curriculum is based on current research and replicates what parents and educators of successful students have done to help young children learn for years.
As a project of Idaho AEYC, we are able to provide workshop hosts with the training and materials needed to offer these high-quality parent workshops FREE OF CHARGE to families across Idaho, with funding from various grants and generous donors. In addition, we will help connect parents to workshops in their community, typically hosted by various schools, libraries, childcare facilities, and other community-based organizations. These workshops are for IDAHO parents and caregivers only. One age level, per child, per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. New to READY!- What to Expect
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YES! If there is a workshop in progress that meets your needs, you are welcome to join if the registration isn’t full. You will be sent the e-learning link(s) to the session(s) that you miss so that you can make them up on your own. We will then send you the kit(s).
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Many of our locations have capacity caps. If the location you wish to attend is full, please continue to register and you will be placed on the waitlist. We will then contact the location to see if they are able to accommodate. If they do open more spots, you will be contacted via email asking if you would still like to participate.
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We welcome parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of children ages 0-5 to attend READY! workshops and it is great when they can attend together.
Up to 2 adults will be allowed to attend an age level workshop. If you have multiple children and would like to register in multiple age levels (if the location offers) then you will need at least one adult in each age level.
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You are attending these workshops on behalf of your child(ren). Our funding allows for ONE age level workshop PER child PER year. And at least ONE adult needs to be present in the session to be eligible for the kit. Families will receive ONE kit PER age level.
If you are the only adult attending the workshop, then you will only be able to register the child(ren) in one age level. If you have twins or triplets, please register them all as you are eligible for a kit for each child.
If registering for multiple age levels (if the location offers), you will be required to register multiple adults.
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If the location offers child care, you are welcome to register all of your children. Infants ages 0-1 will stay with their parents and all other children ages 2- 12 will go to the child care. These are parent/ caregiver workshops so please remember to register ALL children including the one(s) you are attending the workshop for.
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We understand life happens! If you are unable to attend a session, you will be sent the e-learning link in an email. You will then be able to make-up the session on your own on a phone, computer, or tablet. If your location has kits, you will be directed to pick it up. If they don’t, you will be asked to supply your shipping address (no PO Boxes) and we will send the kit directly to you.
2. Who Should Attend
These workshops are for IDAHO parents and caregivers only.
We welcome parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of children ages 0-5 to attend READY! workshops and it is great when they can attend together.
Up to 2 adults will be allowed to attend an age-level workshop. If you have twins or triplets in one age level, register each one, however it is ONE kit per family per age level.
Families who have children in multiple age levels are welcome to register for additional age levels (if the location offers). You will need at least one adult in each age level.
If you are the only one attending the workshop, then you will only be able to register for one age level.
Professional Child Care Providers
These workshops are not intended for professional child care providers. READY! has separate workshops geared for those in the child care field. If you are interested in these workshops or in hosting a provider workshop for your facility, please see our Child Care Provider page.
3. Which Age Level Should I Register For
These are PARENT/CAREGIVER workshops. You are registering on behalf of your child. The age level is a recommendation based on your child’s birthdate and when they will enter kindergarten. Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1st to enter Kindergarten in Idaho.
Because children have birthdays throughout the year, READY! workshops cover an age range, such as Age 3-4. Thus, there will be parents with young 3-year-olds and those with children who have turned four in the same workshop. It is important to register for an age-level that will allow you to attend 1 workshop series per year until your child goes to school. Skipping ahead may result in your child missing out on the benefits of this program during the critical years before entering school.
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Starting Kindergarten in 2027
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Starting Kindergarten in 2025
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HOST A WORKSHOP
Interested in bringing READY! For Kindergarten® to your community? Reach out and we’ll help you get started.
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REGISTER FOR A WORKSHOP
For parents and care-givers of children from birth to age five - find a workshop happening in your community and register today! If you have multiple children, you can register for more than one age level but an adult needs to be present in each age level to be eligible for the kit.
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Adrian Amo
PROJECT DIRECTOR
Adrian is the Project Director for the READY! For Kindergarten Program at IAEYC. She is a compassionate educator and community advocate with experience in supporting programs for divested individuals. Adrian’s experience as an Early Childhood and Elementary Education professional lends well to supporting the continuance and further development of the READY! For Kindergarten Program, which serves the youngest members of our community. She is an active board member of the Maple Grove PTO in the Boise School District and is currently serving as President for the third consecutive year. Adrian received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Western Oregon University.
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Stacey Poirier
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST
Stacey is the Administrative Specialist for the READY! for Kindergarten Project. She works closely with the Project Director and Site Coordinators to coordinate the administrative needs of the Ready! for Kindergarten. She has worked in education for 15+ years in various roles. She was a substitute teacher and then taught high school for 5 years. She then moved to middle school as an all-school tutor, supporting students and teachers in a more one-on-one capacity. She was also an EDGE Coach, working with students with executive function deficiencies and helping them to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Her most recent position was as an Elementary School Secretary. She graduated from the University of Washington where she double majored in English and History.