This year, PCF was proud to provide the Pasadena Educational Foundation with a $30,000 Education Program grant to support and strengthen their very successful Intro to First Grade Summer Program. Designed to help ease the transition from kindergarten to 1st grade for low-income students, participants have fun while reinforcing reading, math, and writing skills. “We are grateful to PCF for helping to provide this opportunity for PUSD students,” said PEF Director of Development Angela Parris. “We value our partnerships with community organizations and know that together we make a huge difference in the lives of our community’s children.”
This summer the first-grade readiness program took place at five PUSD school sites as part of the larger Summer Enrichment Program. A free program was offered at Madison Elementary School, while a scholarship-supported, tuition-based program was offered at Don Benito, San Rafael, and Jackson Elementary Schools as well as McKinley K-8 School.
At the end of the term, one parent had this to say about the program: “I was pleased with how happy my son was every day to arrive to class. The teacher made learning fun for him. She was very structured with activities and grouping, encouraging my son to stay on task and get his work done. The environment was welcoming to parents and students.”
For 2016 PEF added a pilot Parent Education and Engagement component to the free program at Madison Elementary School. Implemented in partnership with Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center, the goal of this new component is to empower low-income parents with the information, skills and resources — including books and activity sheets to take home — necessary to support their children’s academic development.
