Kindergarten students from Neely-O’Brien and Kent elementary schools will be on the University of Washington campus Wednesday, May 11 in Seattle as part of the Kent School District’s Kinder to College program.
Parents of the students as well as school staff and high school chaperones from Kent-Meridian also will participate on the tour, according to a Kent School District media release.
“We want students to realize at the earliest grades that higher education is a real possibility and the goal of their time spent in Kent School District,” said Kent Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas. “We want to plant that seed early and help our students grow that possibility into reality. Additionally, parents have a crucial role in preparing their children, even at this age, for being college and career ready.
“This event gives them information how they can not only prepare their children but plan family finances for the day their children are college students.”
The visits are funded by grants and donations from local and national businesses that recognize the importance of students setting their sights on higher education early in their lives.
Students and their parents will spend about 90 minutes on the UW campus.
Each kindergarten student receives a T-shirt to show they participated in the Kinder To College event. They are bussed to the university and met by UW staff and students. The itinerary, while the students are on campus, includes being led in the College Pledge by Vargas, taking a tour of the campus, participating in a literacy activity, and planting seeds in cups as part of a “green” science activity that the students can take home.
Parents will have opportunities to speak with university officials about financial options and opportunities for families wanting their children to attend college.
The Kinder To College program in Kent School District will bring approximately 900 kindergartners and about 200 parents to eight universities and colleges before the school year ends. Additionally, about 100 high school students will also participate.
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