September 11, 2006

Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson began a new school year August 7 with an event for incoming kindergarteners designed to help students and their parents make the transition to kindergarten. The city hosted the first community-wide Kindergarten Countdown Fair at Louisville Metro Slugger Field, the city’s Triple-A baseball park. Each child entering kindergarten this fall and an adult received a free ticket to the Louisville Metro Bats game. Nearly 700 entering kindergarteners, along with their parents and siblings, attended the game. They were joined by some 700 other children who had completed the summer reading program at the Louisville Metro Free Public Library.

“Kindergarten is the start of something big,” Abramson said. “I wanted our kids to get excited about the first day of school and our parents to know how to prepare their children for this important milestone in their lives.”

Students who attended the fair received information about immunizations, health screenings and skills children should know before school starts. Future kindergarteners also toured a school bus, applied for a library card and received student identification badges. In addition to free tickets, children also got an “I’m going to kindergarten” T-shirt from the mayor, a backpack from the Louisville Metro Free Public Library, and a book and bookmark from Metro United Way Success by Six. Abramson and several kindergarten students also threw out the first pitch at the Bats game, and every kindergartener attending the game was given a large “K” sign (“K is for Kindergarten”) to hold up during strike outs of opposing team members.

Vouchers for the fair were distributed through local library branches, the Louisville Metro Metro Health Department, Family Health Centers and Neighborhood Places. Vouchers were also available on the day of the event at Slugger Field.

The city published a booklist of 25 titles that are appropriate for children entering kindergarten. The booklist was made available at the 17 Louisville Metro Free Public Library locations and online at www.lfpl.org/kidspages/.

Leading up to the event, Abramson and the Annie E. Casey Making Connections Louisville Metro Network launched a 10-day radio campaign today offering tips to kindergarten parents.

9,000 students are expected to enroll in kindergarten this year – 7,000 in the Jefferson County Public School system. Early childhood development experts report it is important for parents and children to learn what is expected of them when the school bell rings. The first day of school for Jefferson County Public School students was August 15.

“It’s our goal to engage parents to make sure their children are ready to hit the ground running,” Abramson said. “If not, many children spend the entire first year trying to catch up to their classmates.”

The city, Jefferson County Public Schools, Metro United Way Success by 6 and the Making Connections Network will continue to work together throughout the year to increase school readiness and to educate parents and children about the transition to kindergarten.