POST FALLS — Families of young children in the Post Falls School District got a jump-start on practical ways to teach their kids Wednesday through the READY! for Kindergarten program. 

For Serena Behrens, the program is a way for her to learn ways to more actively create learning moments for her 3-year-old son, Blake, before he gets to school. 

“I’m not totally sure, but it’s about whatever we can do to support learning at home,” Behrens said. 

Blake’s brother goes to Prairie View Elementary and Serena saw the event as a way to add resources to their home. 

Sara Welch of United Way said the partnership with the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children is geared toward children ages 2 to 5 years old. 

“This is really about helping parents understand that they are their first teacher,” Welch said. 

Each participating family received a toy kit specific to the child’s year that are valued at $100 during the event at Mullan Trail Elementary.  

For families who just started Wednesday, there are two online courses to catch them up on how to use the play-based items and then the kits are mailed directly to their homes. 

Currently, there are 37 families enrolled in the Post Falls School District, 10 families in Coeur d’Alene and 13 families enrolled through the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. 

Welch said there is a lot that can be done to help kids get ready for school. 

“Idaho is last in kindergarten readiness, unfortunately,” Welch said. 

The READY! For Kindergarten toys make learning practical and engage kids in thinking about math, reading and working on social and emotional skills before they reach elementary school. 

IDAEYC and United Way have partnered to help kids and families focus on early learning through the program since 2015. 

The program was paused during the pandemic and Welch said they are now working to make up for lost time. 

Resources in the kits include exercises that turn talking, reading and playing into meaningful learning experiences.      

Although her day job is being an educator, Misty West said she experienced the benefits of the program firsthand. 

“I did it as a parent last year and it worked so well. I’m an educator, but my background is not in the littles,” West said.  

One of her son’s favorite things that came from the kit has been labeling ordinary household items to learn what the words look like. 

The intentional play style can make something as mundane as a trip to the grocery store a learning experience. 

Parents can ask kids to tell them all of the red items they see in an aisle, or to count all of the bananas in a bunch. 

“It’s all play-based and it really encourages the family to have ownership over their child’s education,” Welch said. “What they do early matters.” 

    Serena Behrens brought her son, Blake, to learn new ways to start teaching him ahead of kindergarten. A play-driven program through Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children and United Way provides parents in the Post Falls School District with fun and informational ways to get their children ages 2 to 5 years old learning each day.
  

    Sara Welch speaks about READY! for Kindergarten as Stacey, Lucy and Elizabeth Edlund listen. Because of a donation to the program, families also received markers in addition to their learning-based toy kits.