Post Falls families learn early reading, math skills at READY! event

Families in the Post Falls School District walked out of Mullan Trail Elementary with more than a tote full of play materials Wednesday. They left with a practical roadmap for turning everyday talking, reading and play into early math, literacy and social-emotional learning for children ages 2 to 5.

The READY! for Kindergarten session gave parents and caregivers toy kits valued at about $100, along with follow-up online courses that explain how to use the materials. The program requires workshop attendance before families receive the free toolkit, a setup meant to give parents specific ways to use the items at home rather than letting them sit on a shelf.

Serena Behrens said she saw the program as a chance to create more learning moments for her 3-year-old son, Blake Behrens, before he reaches school age. She tied the effort to the support her older child already receives through the district, a reminder that readiness starts well before a child reaches a kindergarten classroom.

Sara Welch of United Way of North Idaho said the program is built around helping parents turn ordinary routines into meaningful learning experiences. The focus is on language and literacy, math and reasoning, and social-emotional skills, three areas educators say matter long before a child lines up for the first day of school.

The need is not abstract. Idaho’s 3- to 5-year-olds rank last in the nation for early learning skills needed to be ready for kindergarten, according to recent reporting based on the National Survey of Children’s Health. A National Institute for Early Education Research report released April 18, 2024, also said Idaho was one of six states without a state-funded preschool program, while 16 states and the District of Columbia had committed to universal preschool.

READY! for Kindergarten has operated since 2015 as a partnership involving Idaho AEYC and United Way, then paused during the pandemic and is now rebuilding momentum. The program serves eligible families in the boundaries of the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland school districts, and current enrollment includes 37 families in the Post Falls School District, 10 in Coeur d’Alene and 13 through the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

The push fits a larger public goal in North Idaho: getting children ready before Idaho’s kindergarten cutoff, which requires a child to be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1. United Way of North Idaho says the work is meant to increase early childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness, and the READY! network describes the parent program as a national model for school readiness. For Post Falls families, the takeaway from Mullan Trail Elementary was immediate and practical: the learning starts at home, and summer still offers time to build the habits kindergarten will expect.