Teaching Kids & their Grown-ups: Kindergarten Family Sessions at Allisonville
Every parent knows kids don’t come with a handbook. Just when you think you have things figured out, you jump to a new stage that comes with its own unique challenges. One of the most drastic jumps for both parents and kids? Entering kindergarten.
Kindergarten teachers at Allisonville Elementary understand the complexity of this leap firsthand. Each year, they help guide parents and students through the transition. And they began to notice a recurring theme: parents were unsure how to support their child’s new educational journey at home.
“All the kindergarten teachers were being asked the same questions,” says Kristen Poindexter, a kindergarten teacher at Allisonville. “They were asking what they could do to help their children be better readers or mathematicians, how they could do science together. They wanted to know how to give them hands-on experiences.”
This gave Ms. Poindexter an idea. She wanted to host monthly evening “classes” for kindergarten parents, each focusing on a different skill their student will need, like literacy and math. For each skill, parents would learn at least three different activities they could do at home with their children… and receive all the supplies they’d need to do them.
To bring this project to life, Ms. Poindexter went where all Washington Township teachers go when they want to turn an idea into a reality: the Foundation. She wrote and received a grant to fund this project in Fall 2024, and immediately got to work.
“I invited other teachers from Allisonville, Title 1 coaches, Washington Township staff and others to lead sessions in their area of expertise,” she says. “For example, our math coach is sharing math games families can do together and home, and our literacy coach is sharing tips and tricks for helping students prepare for reading in first grade.”
These areas of expertise not only include academic skills like reading and math, but also social-emotional learning (SEL) and behavioral skills as well. One session featured former Washington Township teacher and SEL consultant Emily Dills.
“We made calming jars and playdough,” says Ms. Poindexter. “The families also created family contracts based on their values. It was really great to see them working together.”
And the work families are doing at home is already making an impact in the classroom.
“For example, during the math session, we sent playing cards home,” she says. “When we bring them out in class, the kids who’ve been doing it at home get excited. It gives them confidence when we do it in the classroom. They don’t have to count the hearts on a card anymore to know what the number is—they’ve been practicing, so they already know.”
And word of the program is spreading. Every month, more and more families attend… and that’s good news for students.
“Education is all about relationships,” she says. “So when children know we’re connecting with their families and we’re sending some of the same things we do at school home with them, that carries over. When children know they can confidently do those activities at home, they bring that confidence with them to the classroom.”
And the students aren’t the only ones benefitting. Families are also feeling the impact.
“Parents get so excited, and the thanks as they leave a session is just incredible,” she says. “They’re like, thank you so much. We did not know what to do. But now we know what we can do with our children at home.”
“These events have been helpful in transitioning,” says Cassie Morgan, an Allisonville kindergarten parent. “I understand the importance of showing up and being there and being able to help transition kids into kindergarten. I think it’s just a really good way to set kids up for success.”
As Ms. Poindexter reflects on the success of the program, she notes that none of it would have been possible without the Foundation.
“Giving to the Foundation is so very important because it not only helps one classroom of children, it helps many classrooms of children and many families that are connected to those classrooms,” she says. “So if you are able, I would encourage you to give… and give often.”
Want to help support more programs like this? Donate today and help our Foundation support programs to enhance the educational experience for our students and provide resources for MSDWT teachers and staff.
