Mesa K-Ready
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Mesa, USA
About the city. Only 36 percent of Mesa’s children enter kindergarten with foundational literacy skills.
Goal
The main goal is to increase the percentage of Mesa’s three and four-year-olds getting an early childhood education from 36 per cent to the national average of 48 per cent.
Implementation period. The project started in 2018.
Fact
Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are 4 times more likely to drop out.
Solutions
Mesa K-Ready is a free program that uses a combination of academic lessons, fun learning activities, and family support to help Mesa parents. The project is aimed at 3- and 4-year-olds preparing for kindergarten. Mesa K-Ready is not a drop-off program. Parents and children attend class together once per week.
The program has two levels. The first includes free access to Miss Humblebee’s Academy for all Mesa Library cardholders, early childhood education resources at www.mesakready.org, and enrichment activities at Mesa’s museums, parks, and libraries.
The second level is the VIPP (Very Important Preschooler and Parent) program. Families receive a loaned tablet loaded with Miss Humblebee’s Academy preschool software and internet access; weekly mentoring sessions; enrichment activities at Mesa’s museums, parks, and libraries; Parent University classes; early childhood education resources at www.mesakready.org; and access to family resources such as food boxes.
How does it work?
- The student receives an iPad tablet with a pre-loaded kindergarten-readiness software program to use as a tool at home with an adult. The feature – staff monitors each child’s progress and mentors families through weekly communication.
- Families participate in K-Ready Classes once a week where they work with both the adult and the student on social/emotional and academic skills to help prepare them for kindergarten.
- Mesa K-Ready offers resources to families in need. It is connected with various directions: to put food on the table, learn how to write a resume to land a job, help to identify a possible learning or developmental concern with any of families’ children, or free passes to one of Mesa’s museums or family events.
Team
Collaboration between the City of Mesa, Mesa Public Schools, Mesa United Way, and Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
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