Kindergarten isn’t just about crayons and nap time anymore – it’s serious academics. And whether a student succeeds in kindergarten can have an impact into elementary school and beyond. But nearly a third of the estimated four million children who will start kindergarten this school year haven’t been in a classroom before. Many will be behind from day one. In Portland, Ore., they’re running a summer program to help such students keep up with their peers. Located at a dozen of Portland’s high-poverty schools, the program offers students and their parents three weeks of “practice” kindergarten. The idea is to get them comfortable in school and ready to hit the ground running on the first day of classes.
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