Partner with and attend local elementary school Kindergarten Registration events in person or other community events which target 4-5 year olds and their caregivers.What schools are already being served? See weekly upload of Registration List.What materials are provided? See Program Resources.

How does it work? See Program Details & Requirements and Program Timeline.

What’s the purpose? See Program Objectives.

Learn more about the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ (ICfL) Jump Start Kindergarten program below: All of this may be requested in the program request form below. We also still have some copies of DJ’s Busy Day for the younger siblings of your Kindergartners (you can request copies of these too – up to 25% of the number of Kinders you anticipate serving). This year’s new book is The King of Kindergarten, by Derrick Barnes (see book cover below). New Resources! We bring on a new book each year – alternating between a new English book and a new Spanish-English bilingual book. Not sure if your outreach idea is a good fit for the Jump Start program? Contact Kristina Taylor at ICfL to discuss. This could be for a local daycare’s family night, a Head Start’s monthly family literacy night, a curbside event at the library or the school, or another community event targeting this audience.

Public libraries may request Jump Start K materials from ICfL at any time during the year when your library is conducting outreach services for this targeted group of children (ages 4-5) and their caregivers. Program Delivery Changes! Is your community’s school or school district no longer offering a face-to-face Kindergarten Registration event? Is your library only offering curbside service and/or your school only offering virtual classes? Is everything just not the same this year? Not to worry – Jump Start K can still help you reach out to upcoming Kindergartners and make sure these families know how to sign-up for a library card and access useful library programs. Primarily designed for public library staff to conduct outreach activities in their local public elementary schools during Kindergarten Registration events, this program also helps parents/caregivers understand all the resources public libraries can provide to assist with school readiness and connects them with these resources through library card sign-up/promotion. Sharing early literacy practices, such as Every Child Ready to Read’s five early literacy practices (“Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play”), Jump Start Kindergarten is an outreach activity that connects library staff with parents/caregivers of young children about to enter Kindergarten and emphasizes daily activities that will help children learn to read. FY22 Jump Start Kindergarten Requests are open – July 31, 2022

Jumpstart kindergarten download free