About Ready for Pre-K!
Ready for Pre-K! is a DC Public Schools (DCPS) initiative designed to support families and caregivers of toddlers and two-year-olds through monthly, virtual learning sessions.
Each session provides information about growth and development, shares ways to support your child’s learning at home, and helps you to feel confident that your child is ready for Pre-K!
Why was Ready for Pre-K! created?
We know that families are children’s first and most important teachers. Long before children start school, they are growing and developing key skills that lay the foundation for later learning.
In fact, by age 3, nearly 80% of brain development has occurred. That’s why we believe it is crucial to equip children with the knowledge and developmental skills they need to be successful once they begin Pre-K and throughout their lives.
What does Ready for Pre-K! offer?
Ready for Pre-K! offers monthly, virtual learning sessions, as part of the DCPS Parent University series, for caregivers and families of toddlers that:
Teach you how to prepare your children for PK3 (pre-Kindergarten 3) using practical, successful techniques and strategies you can implement in your home
Focus on different learning areas that are closely related to children’s success in PK3 and beyond
Offer insight and guidance from a variety of experts including DCPS Early Childhood Instructional Specialists, Pre-K teachers, DCPS Early Childhood Family Services Team members, and community partners
Provide an opportunity to ask questions about your child’s growth and development
Share what you can expect in PK3
Meet Scribbles!
Scribbles is the Ready for Pre-K! mascot who is learning all kinds of practical skills to get them ready to enter Pre-K at DCPS. Check out some of the videos from Scribbles and their friends to see how fun learning can be!
Our Partners
Ready for Pre-K! is proud to partner with organizations that support children’s success early on.
DC Public Library
The DC Public Library offers programs and resources matched to the typical attention spans and developmental levels of different ages of children. We want to make reading with your child fun and easy. Sign up for Books from Birth, learn more about our STAR program, or visit your local neighborhood library to attend an engaging storytime.
Early Childhood Innovation Network
The Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN) is a collaborative of health and education providers, community-based organizations, researchers, parent-run organizations and advocates promoting resilience in families and children from pregnancy through age 5.
Early Stages
Early Stages is a DC Public Schools diagnostic center for children between the ages of 2 years 8 months and 5 years 10 months. Early Stages helps identify any delays a child may have and arranges services to address them. They can serve any child who goes to a DC public school, is home-schooled or has not yet entered the school system, and will also help connect parents with appropriate resources if a child attends a charter school.
Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation
Ready for Pre-K! is supported by a generous grant from the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation. The mission of the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation is to improve the quality of life for families and their communities through support of innovative projects and successful ongoing programs.
Strong Start
The Strong Start DC Early Intervention Program serves as the single point of entry for infants and toddlers in Washington DC whose families have concerns about their development.
United Planning Organization
UPO offers a wide variety of programs that support families in achieving economic independence and self-sufficiency. UPO operates several infant toddler child development centers co-located in DC Public Schools.
