Yes! I have been waiting for this day for months. May 15th, the winners of the Indie Book Excellence Awards were announced. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scroll through the list or not. I took a few deep breaths and began clicking down the page. When I arrived at the category for my book, I did find mine. It had made the list of finalists!
Kindergarten readiness is a major concern for many parents and caregivers. Some questions are how to tell if a child is ready, what to do for reluctant learners, and how to help prepare a child for school? Putting together suggestions and ideas to promote readiness for kindergarten was only part of my task. These needed to be practical and doable. I was fortunate that I had lots of child-tested experiences from years of teaching kindergarten.
Just like school has 3 R’s, so does readiness: Routine, Relationships and Repetition. A routine can be a significant tool in helping children learn and cope. Relationships are of primary importance in healthy emotional growth. And we all know how important over and over practice can be in developing new skills.
I’d like to take a minute and thank Patrick, my graphic designer; Andy my illustrator; my coaches, Craig Duswalt, Tom Antion and Ed Rush, my husband Brooks and my own children, Kerry and Colin; and all my colleagues and friends who read, suggested, commented and encouraged. To all my students and their parents and caregivers, my deep gratitude.
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