(Jackson, Miss) – The City of Jackson in conjunction with Mississippi Families for Kids and Lovings Hands Educational Services invites all parents and child care providers with children five years old or younger to its Ready to Learn Jackson event. The program will take place at the Mississippi e-Center (1230 Raymond Road) and will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, August 20.
Ready to Learn Jackson is a program focused on working with parents and child care providers to help ensure every child in the city of Jackson enters kindergarten ready to learn. This effort will include a Star Early Literacy Assessment to help identify how parents and providers can strengthen reading readiness for four and five year olds. In addition, Ready to Learn Jackson will provide developmental, autism, social and emotional screenings for all children. Every child that is screened will receive a $10 Walmart gift card and FREE tickets to the Jackson Zoo and Mississippi Children’s Museum while supplies last. Refreshments will also be provided.
“We have already experienced significant success in increasing kindergarten readiness scores during the first year of our program. In year two, we are looking to continue that success and expand participation,” said Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services Director Adriane Dorsey-Kidd. “We believe that by hosting events like this one, we can attract more families into the program and make sure our children have what they need to achieve successful outcomes in school.”
The event will also feature other community resources such as the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative Employment Equity for Single Moms Program. Ready to Learn Jackson is funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
For more information, please call (601) 376-9102.City