DCCF: Kindergarden Readiness Toolkit Grants

The Kindergarten Readiness Toolkit Grants aim to enhance early education in DeKalb County by providing essential resources for both public and private kindergarten programs. These toolkits foster family engagement and include a variety of materials such as books, interactive learning tools, and games that support cognitive and emotional development. By bridging the gap between pre-K and kindergarten, these grants ensure that children are better prepared for their educational journey.

Kindergarten Readiness Toolkit Grants
Early learning and kindergarten educators in DeKalb County have identified kindergarten readiness toolkits as a positive way to engage young children and their families. By using the resources provided in the toolkits, parents and other family members can create fun learning experiences for their children and help prepare them for school. The toolkits include items and tools that families and children can share together.
Each toolkit box includes:

• A book to foster a love for reading
• A dry-erase board with a marker for interactive learning
• Flashcards with a social-emotional learning element for emotional intelligence
• An easy-grip pencil for early writing skills
• Dice for counting
• Scissors for fine motor skills
• Play-Doh for sensory play
• Crayons for creativity
• A Farm Matching Memory Game for cognitive development
• Our teachers and families have learned that kindergarten readiness toolkits provide a wide variety of benefits including:

An easy way to explain what kindergarten is all aboutBridging pre-K and kindergarten programsExplaining the differences between pre-K and kindergartenProviding a curriculum guide that informs families what they can do with their children to get them ready for kindergartenSimple easy resources for parent and family engagement
Learn more about Kindergarten Readiness.

Eligibility

Kindergarten Readiness Toolkit grants are intended to support kindergarten programs, both public and private, located in DeKalb County, Illinois.The grant is intended to benefit the entire kindergarten program of a public school district or of a private school.The grant applicant can be a kindergarten teacher or pre-K teacher or other significant professional on behalf of the entire kindergarten program.Limit one grant application per school district or private school.