Mia felt nervous to start United Way of Lake County’s Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC).  KCC is a free summer learning program for incoming kindergarten students who have little to no preschool experience. This was Mia’s first school experience, and she felt uneasy about entering a classroom.

But, as soon as Mia stepped into the KCC classroom, her fears quickly disappeared. Each day, she came home excitedly sharing details about KCC with her mom. Mia’s KCC teachers watched her grow socially as she made many new friends in class. She also formed strong bonds with her KCC teachers, giving them hugs throughout the day.

The KCC classroom became Mia’s room to thrive!

When Mia started KCC, most of her key kindergarten skills were below her peers. Yet she was eager to learn and was ready to work hard.  Each day, KCC’s licensed teachers helped Mia and her classmates build fundamental skills to prepare them for kindergarten. Mia’s teachers shared “We watched her tackle challenging academic assignments. She was determined to perform at her best each day in class.”

Mia’s perseverance led to significant growth in kindergarten readiness skills including shapes, letters, book familiarity, rhyming, and fine motors skills.

Mia’s most remarkable improvement was in writing. When she started KCC, her writing score was at the lowest level possible “1- Not Yet Started.” And, by the end of KCC, Mia’s score improved to the highest level possible “4-Proficient”!

This fall, Mia will step into her kindergarten classroom with confidence, prepared for a successful start in school!