Now in its 21st year, KinderCamp™ has just wrapped up another successful session. You can see the impact it had in the happy faces of the kiddos who participated. (Scroll down to see what I mean).

But it's what parents, caregivers, and teachers are telling us that really captures how this month-long program is changing the way these children step into school.

KinderCamp is open to 4- or 5-year-olds with limited preschool experience, giving kids who might otherwise begin kindergarten feeling behind a real head start - academically, socially, and emotionally. It is provided at no cost to families.

This year, KinderCamp had classes in Flagstaff, Williams, Pinetop-Lakeside, and Holbrook with 145 campers.

"The program has given me peace of mind knowing that my child, who has never attended preschool or daycare, has all the social skills and independence to have a good experience in public school," one Flagstaff parent shared. "It was a great 'trial run' for what's to come!"

That sense of readiness showed up again and again in this year's family surveys.

"My daughter would come home excited to share about all the fun activities and visitors they had," another parent wrote. "it was an outstanding experience. She's always so excited to tell us about the fun things she did. Thank you for such a fun way to roll into kindergarten!"

Community visitors made a big impression, too. Depending on location, children met with police officers, firefighters, even the "Tooth Fairy" (a dentistry representative dressed in costume and telling the kids about the importance of good oral health.)

An overwhelming number of families surveyed this year said KinderCamp helped their child socialize better with other kids, communicate more confidently with adults, and know their letters better than before camp started. Just as important, parents said the experience left them feeling more confident in their own child's ability to succeed in school.

"I enjoyed talking with her after class to see what she has learned!" one parent told us. "I was surprised how fast she learned."

KinderCamp data collected supports what the parents observed. Teachers reported that on average, KinderCampers improved substantially in key learning milestones, including students being able to write their name (31% improvement); letter sound recognition (82% improvement); segmenting words into syllables (58% improvement); and blending syllables (81% improvement).

An important component of KinderCamp is to extend the learning from school to home and prepare families for a strong school-home partnership. Every child is provided a literacy kit that includes books, family literacy resources, and "manipulatives" (such as crayons, Legos bricks, and chalk) that students can use at home to continue their learning. KinderCamp teachers work with parents and caregivers to provide strategies how to utilize the education materials in the kits to reinforce their child’s learning and literacy skills all summer long

None of this happens without the generosity of this year's KinderCamp sponsors. KinderCamp was made possible by The NARBHA Institute, Northern Arizona University, Coconino Community College, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, the Flagstaff City Council, the Flagstaff Unified School District Board, Arizona Community Foundation, Health First Foundation, Wellpoint, Forest Highlands Foundation, PNC Bank, Findlay Toyota, BMO, Northland Pioneer College and Amazon.

We also want to thank our educational partners: Blue Ridge Unified School District, Flagstaff Unified School District, Holbrook Unified School District, and Williams Unified School District.