For years, the Enumclaw School District and the Enumclaw Schools Foundation worked to bring back full-day kindergarten for all children. Finally, in 2013, with funding from the state legislature, every child in the district was able to attend full-day kindergarten.

Results were said to be phenomenal. For example, the year prior to full-day kindergarten, Westwood Elementary had 22 students who qualified for additional reading support; with a year of full-day kindergarten on the books, only five students needed the additional help.

With that success behind them, the district and foundation are moving forward with the next step, supporting learning needs in early childhood education. Throughout the nation, educational leaders are talking about the need to “close the achievement gap.” Enumclaw, although small, is an economically and ethnically diverse community where gaps are present before students enter kindergarten. Once students arrive in kindergarten, the district works to close those gaps.

Beginning this fall, the Enumclaw School District will take action to close the achievement gaps for its incoming students with a program titled “Birth to Five.”

The Enumclaw Schools Foundation and the school district plan to begin the initiative by expanding the Books for Babies program that has existed for more than a decade. That program is responsible for sending a book home with every baby born at St. Elizabeth Hospital, along with information for parents about the importance of reading to a child. That information will now also include a Ready for Kindergarten notebook.

Books for Babies is a joint offering of the school district and the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation.

“Birth to Five” also will provide Ready for Kindergarten materials for 50 low-income families including 3- and 4-year-old children. Ready for Kindergarten teaches parents about the developmental benchmarks for 3- and 4-year-olds. The program teaches parents to combine play and learning.

The Enumclaw Schools Foundation will be covering the cost of the program, estimated at $20,000 a year. That figure includes 300 Ready for Kindergarten notebooks as well as the Ready for Kindergarten course work for 50 families.

Fundraising event planned to jump start Birth to Five Initiative

Complete with a J.P. Patches theme, the Enumclaw Schools Foundation is planning a fundraising summer sip, dine and stroll event from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 28 at the home of Jim and Nancy Merrill.

The $100-a-plate dinner will support the Foundation and Enumclaw School District’s Ready For Kindergarten program.

Space is limited; to reserve a seat contact nancy@esfwa.org before Aug. 21. Those who cannot attend, but would like to support the program, are encouraged to visit the Enumclaw Schools Foundation website at www.esfwa.org.