For Parents
Gearing Up for Kindergarten is a parent and family education program that supports child development, school readiness and healthy parenting.
View the map to find a Parent Resource Center in your area. Contact information is below along with questions and answers about the Gearing Up for Kindergarten program.
Click on your region for contact information:
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 5 | Region 6 | Region 7 | Region 8 |
What is Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
Why should I attend Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
What are the benefits of Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
Watch a Video to See How Gearing Up for Kindergarten Works
What Research Says About Parent Involvement in Children's Education
What is Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
Gearing Up for Kindergarten is a parent and family education program that supports child development, school readiness and healthy parenting. Gearing Up for Kindergarten combines preschool learning activities for children as well as educational opportunities for parents.
Entering kindergarten is a major transition in the life of a child and his or her parents. Kids need to be ready for school, and schools need to be ready for kids. That's why Gearing Up for Kindergarten offers educational classes that prepare parents and their children for success in school.
Why should I attend Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
Playing, reading and talking with your child are important teaching tools. You are your child's first and most influential teacher, and your involvement can make a huge impact on how well your child does in school, and impacts future success.
Parents can support their children's learning by providing them with general knowledge and age appropriate skills and strategies.
Participants learn techniques to help their child develop social, emotional, motor, language and intellectual skills.
The Gearing Up for Kindergarten program will help parents better prepare their child for success in kindergarten.
What are the benefits of Gearing Up for Kindergarten?
Students with involved parents are more likely to:
- earn higher grades and test scores
- have better social skills
- have decreased alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behaviors
- make better transitions from elementary school to middle school, then high school and beyond
- stay in school
Research on the Gearing Up for Kindergarten program suggests that the parent school relationship is enhanced through participation in the program. Children and parents who are prepared and know what to expect in school tend to experience less anxiety and greater enjoyment when entering school.
Documented impacts of participants indicated that:
- Social skill development was three times higher and emotional skill development was two times higher in children who participated, compared with those who did not.
- Familiarity with numbers was four times higher and familiarity with the alphabet was two and a half times higher for children who participated, compared with those who did not.
What Research Says About Parent Involvement in Children's Education
- Michigan Department of Education - "Why Parent Engagement is Important" (PDF)
- Michigan Department of Education - "Early Learning Overview" (PDF)
- Michigan Department of Education - "Parent Involvement Fact Sheet" (PDF)
- Click here to go to Michigan Department of Education "Collaborating for Success" - Parent Engagement Toolkit site
Parent Education Network Contact Information
Region 1 -Parent Resource Center
Vacant - Contact Judith Konerza @ (701) 787-4216 Fax: (701) 746-2288 until filled
Courthouse, 205 E. Broadway, Box 1109
Williston, ND 58802-1109
judith.konerza@gfschools.org
Region 2 - Central Dakota Parent Resource Center
Holly Arnold, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
Ward County Extension Office
Courthouse, Room 101, Box 5005
315 3rd St. S.E.
Minot, ND 58702-5005
Phone: (701) 857-6450 Fax: (701) 857-6454
holly.arnold@ndsu.edu
Region 3 - Parent Resource Center
Macine Lukach, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
Cavalier County Extension Office
901 3rd St, Suite 7
Langdon, ND 58249-2457
Phone: (701) 256-2560 Fax: (701) 256-2561
macine.lukach@ndsu.edu
In partnership with:
Early Explorers Head Start and Early Head Start
1401 College Dr. N., Devils Lake, ND 58301
Region 4 - Parent Information Center
Judith Konerza, Coordinator
1100 13th Ave. S.
Grand Forks, ND 58201
Phone: (701) 787-4216 Fax: (701) 746-2288
judith.konerza@gfschools.org
Region 5 - Parenting Resource Center
Angela Berge, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
1010 2nd Ave. S., Box 2806
Fargo, ND 58108-2806
Phone: (701) 241-5700 Fax: (701) 241-5935
angela.berge@ndsu.edu
Region 6 - Parent Resource Center
Amy Tichy, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
Barnes County Extension Office
230 4th St. N.W. #204, Valley City, ND 58072-2947
Phone: (701) 845-6652 or (701) 845-8528 Fax: (701) 845-8538
amy.j.tichy@ndsu.edu
Deb Lee, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
Ransom County Extension Office
204 5th Ave. W., Box 950, Lisbon, ND 58054-0950
Phone: (701) 683-6128 Fax: (701) 683-6109
debra.lee@ndsu.edu
Region 7 - Parenting Resource Center
Kathleen Schmaltz, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
210 2nd Ave. N.W.
Mandan, ND 58554-3158
Phone: (701) 667-3342 Fax: (701) 667-3348
kathleen.schmaltz@ndsu.edu
Region 8 - West Dakota Parent and Family Resource Center
Debra Theurer, NDSU Extension Agent/Coordinator
Stacy Kilwein, Partners in Parenting Coordinator
336 5th St. W.
Dickinson, ND 58601-4722
Phone: (701) 456-0007 Toll-Free 1-877-264-1142
Fax: (701) 456-0008
debra.theurer@ndsu.edu
stacy.kilwein@dickinson.k12.nd.us
