Parent Transition Summit held Wednesday

St. Mary Community Action Agency Head Start Program hosted a Parent Transition Summit Wednesday at the Broussard Harris Recreation Center.
Parents learned firsthand important issues regarding the transition from Head Start to the Kindergarten setting, which is important because it can be a nervous transition for them sometimes even more than the students, CAA staff said.
An essential point was to share how important school readiness is for children and families, as they are measured by five skill set points based on Language and Literacy, Cognition and General Knowledge, Approaches to Learning, Health and Physical Development, and Social /Emotional Development. The aforementioned domains are fully accomplished through a healthy working relationship between parents, and teachers, as well as family support and engagement
Speakers, which included St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Leonard Armato, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell, and St. Mary Parish Public Elementary School principals and kindergarten teachers, stressed importance of establishing a comfortable working relationship with instructors and administrators.
St. Mary CAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Almetra J. Franklin, shared with parents the importance of having an open door policy so they can be familiar with academic practices, and how the Head Start centers function individually and as a whole. “We want the very best for our babies, and we want to stay connected to you the parents, so the transition can be smooth and seamless,” Franklin said. “The move from Head Start to kindergarten should be a smooth and well-oiled machine, similar to a train on its way to the next stop, we do not want any derailments.”
Pearl Rack, Head Start’s Family Services Supervisor, believes parents attending the summit will be better prepared for their children’s transition to Kindergarten. “We hope that parents left the summit feeling comfortable, and confident in teachers who will be educating their children, and assured that they are a vital part of their children’s education,” Rack said.
Working alongside educators in the St. Mary Parish School System and the St. Mary Parish Early Childhood Network shows just how much can be accomplished once we join forces and combine resources to help contribute to the education and lifelong success of our children.