Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead book cover

Today I had the pleasure of taping a public service announcement that encourages Richmond-area parents to register their children for kindergarten on April 10.

I’ll post the video once it launches.  In the mean time, check out these behind-the-scenes photos from my trip to the Community Idea Stations on Sesame Street.  Also, scroll down to read some notes from Smart Beginnings on the importance of kindergarten readiness.  (If you saw this Throwback Thursday post, you know I’m serious about kindergarten.)

Maya Smart
Maya Smart

Every year children who will be 5 years old by September 30 are eligible to enter kindergarten in the fall. On-time registration for kindergarten helps the school systems plan for attendance, but more importantly helps the child enter school ready to succeed.

If parents wait until the summer before school starts to begin planning for their child’s first day in kindergarten, then it’s a scramble—both to gather the paperwork and to make sure the child has the necessary skills to be successful in school.

School readiness is about more than just registering children for school. School readiness is about children being prepared academically, emotionally, physically and socially. This preparation needs to begin long before a child reaches a classroom. In fact, children begin acquiring cognitive, motor and social skills rapidly from the moment of birth.

By acting together throughout the Greater Richmond region to offer a common registration day, rather than separately, we can create greater awareness of school readiness as well as the need for on-time registration.

Get ready for kindergarten now.  Remember, starting early is right on time.

From Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond