Kids display their crafts during the Harrison Township Recreation Commission’s kindergarten readiness summer camp in 2023.
The Harrison Township Recreation Commission has announced that registration is open for its Kindergarten Readiness Program at William Wilt Soccer Complex.
The summer camp will take place from Monday, Aug. 18, to Thursday, Aug. 21, with classes beginning at 9 a.m. each day. As the name implies, the goal of the program is to prepare kids for kindergarten when school begins anew in the fall.
“It’s a kick start program,” said recreation coordinator Sharon Chew. “It’s intended for kids to get a jump start or (as a) refresher on skills they learned in preschool.”
The week-long program will focus on basic skills like reading, writing, using scissors to cut properly, basic math and the sounds of letters, skills that Chew says the kids will be learning properly for the first time.
“While most kids do have preschool, some don’t and it’s a big step up for them,” she said of the kindergarten program. “These kids that haven’t been in a classroom setting learn sharing, especially if they don’t have siblings; forming a line; and having fun while doing it.”
Participants will also learn about sitting in a circle and how to listen. Since the program is a summer camp, the commission intends to add fun to the sessions both inside the Wilt complex and outside on the field.
Instructing the program will be Bridget McKinley, a teacher at St. Cecilia School in Pennsauken.
The kindergarten readiness program requires registration in advance and online at signupgenius.com. Those who register on or before Tuesday will receive a discount. The program has a maximum capacity of 20 kids, with four slots filled as of April 16.
