Opportunity gaps start early for children living in poverty. A child who enters kindergarten unprepared is 25% more likely NOT to finish high school and 60% more likely to skip college. In 2021, only 41% of children in Idaho entered kindergarten prepared and only one out of every four children living in poverty attends quality early education programs. Of those unprepared more than half are living in low to moderate income families without access to quality early care and education. We have work to do.
This coming school year our Giraffe Laugh Preschool in Garden City will be opening for full hours if enough children sign up for that service. This will allow us to serve more families in Garden City who are working. It is specifically to prepare children for kindergarten and will focus on children four and five the year before they enter kindergarten. Children who are 3 ½ and toilet trained will be the second priority if space allows.
It is our aim to move the dial for 20 underserved children in our community and to ensure school readiness for future students that might not otherwise thrive without a program like this. In the past two years we’ve graduated 25 students who are ready, prepared and excited to take on the academic world. We are proud of our accomplishments there and our presence in an area that needs our services to provide equitable, quality care and education to young children.
If you know of someone who needs us, even if they don’t live in Garden City and are able to work around the public school schedule, please send them our way!
July is about freedom and we are thrilled to provide our children the freedom to gain the knowledge they need, the emotional support that is critical, and family support that will launch them into a brighter future.
Enjoy your holiday and thank you for supporting freedom through education.
Link: https://www.kxly.com/idaho-ranks-last-in-the-nation-for-early-childhood-education/
To learn more about Giraffe Laugh, visit https://www.giraffelaugh.org/about/.