Going to kindergarten: It's one of the biggest steps in the life of a child, and the thought of the first day evokes questions in the mind of a parent. Is my child ready for school? Have I prepared him enough? Has she developed enough socially and emotionally to be out in the world on her own?

It's challenging for a parent to know where her child should be developmentally when entering kindergarten. Schools across the country report that students in the same class can be up to three years apart in language and literacy skills when they walk through the classroom doors for the first time.

"We saw this happening in our schools and began looking at ways we could help the parents help their children be prepared for their kindergarten experience," says Sue Kuntze, assistant superintendent of elementary education for Putnam City Schools. "A parent is his or her child's very first teacher, and we decided to find out if we can help parents learn how and what they can teach their infants, toddlers and young children at home."

In the search for how best to assist parents, Kuntze learned about READY! for Kindergarten, a program started in Kennewick, Wa., and used in a few school districts in California. READY! for Kindergarten is designed to give hands-on help to parents of children ages birth to 5.

Beginning last fall, Putnam City Schools became one of the first school districts outside of Washington and California  to implement the program. The district began classes as a pilot program with a few schools, and hopes to expand districtwide at some point in the future.

Parents and caregivers of children under the age of 5 are invited to attend three training sessions during the school year. The READY! sessions are specifically designed to prepare parents of children at each age level in five different classes: birth-age 1, age 1-2, age 2-3, age 3-4 and age 4-5. Parents with more than one child under the age of 5 are able to enroll in a class for each of their children.

Parents of young children attend a new program started this year by Putnam City Schools called READY! for Kindergarten. Providing hands-on instruction to parents and books and toys for children ages birth to 5, the program is being praised by many.

In the fall session, the focus for parents is on reading with their children. The winter session presents math activities, and the spring session highlights a child's social and emotional development.

Free childcare for children up to 10 years of age is also provided during the READY! for Kindergarten sessions.

"Our hope is that parents begin the classes when their children are born and stay with us until their children enter kindergarten," explains Penny Von Thaer, program facilitator for Putnam City Schools.

During the 90-minute classes, teachers use DVDs, written curriculum and hands-on instruction to share concepts with parents. Activities and toys, such as counting bears and cups, bead sequencing sets, alphabet puzzles, stack and sort boards and Playdoh, are demonstrated by the teachers while benefits for using the materials are explained. Once the class is completed, the parents are given the games, toys and materials at no cost. Children's books are also given away at each session to everyone who attends.

Von Thaer says parents learn that by reading with a child 20 minutes a day and having purposeful play 5 minutes a day makes a tremendous difference for a child by the time he or she starts school.

Putnam City principals Drew Eichelberger and Barbara Crump and 20 teachers from within the district went through training last fall to lead the READY! Classes. Three instructors teach the classes in Spanish. Students from Putnam City and Putnam City West High Schools translate during the sessions to help Spanish-speaking parents find classrooms and childcare providers communicate with children in their care.

"READY! for Kindergarten is one of the most positive things I've been involved with over the years," shares Kuntze, who enjoys getting feedback from the parents. "We heard so many favorable comments after the session in October. The only negative comments were that parents didn't want to wait several months for the next session."

READY! for Kindergarten is made possible by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation and is sponsored by Smart Start of Central Oklahoma.