One morning in the Children’s Library Discovery Center at Central Library, a group of 10 young children and their parents and caregivers gathered to learn the skills they need to be ready for school. The workshop’s theme was “fun in school,” and students were getting a taste of what happens in a pre-kindergarten classroom with singing, playing with blocks, using Play-Doh, and completing alphabet puzzles. The teacher, Indira Mukherjee, has taught the popular Kickoff to Kindergarten (K2K) workshop for the past five years and says that every moment is special. Students begin feeling shy, but by the end of the eight-week program their shyness is gone and they are singing out loud, she says.

Most importantly, there are changes in how parents and caregivers are interacting with their children outside of the program, and in how children act during the reading experience. As a result of K2K, families are able to have an active reading experience using tools like dialogic reading techniques. Dialogic reading techniques emphasize involving children in the reading experience by having a dialogue with them about the text through a process of prompting, evaluating, expanding, and repeating. The children, parents, and caregivers learn how to make reading an interactive activity, with children talking about their own experiences and how they relate to a book’s content, and with caregivers asking a variety of questions to elicit conversation with their children.

The program aims to prepare parents, caregivers, and children for formal schooling by increasing literacy skills and giving parents and caregivers the tools they need to help their children grow developmentally outside the library and the school setting. Gabriel Cortez, the program’s coordinator, says that empowering families to continue their children’s education at home is a key K2K goal. 

“This is the Mommy Q and this is the baby q,” says Seema Ahmed as she works with her daughter Alifa Zaman to fill in a stencil with Play-Doh. Ahmed says that K2K is a great opportunity to join other families and to acquire skills and tools that support overall development. Alifa is otherwise often home without many opportunities for playdates. “We love coming,” Ahmed says. “There’s so much that she takes away from it.” She also notices that her daughter has developed social skills and critical thinking. The program helps Ahmed evaluate her daughter’s progress and reflect on areas she needs to work on with her. As she says, the K2K curriculum is both “creative and educational,” and “some of the things I learned from the teacher I would never think about myself, such as how to integrate experiences into reading.”

Mariam Marzwk joined the class because she wanted to be more involved in her son Eesa’s learning process and to give him a chance to interact with other kids his age; she also believes he is now more prepared for kindergarten. The program includes screening in the second and seventh weeks so that parents can understand how their children are learning. Each week, families receive a free book and at-home projects designed to have them work together, such as drawing their day, to continue the learning experience outside the library.

K2K is offered across the borough at many Queens Public Library locations each season. There’s even an Advanced Kickoff to Kindergarten program for families that have completed the first eight-week session and are looking for more. K2K is offered in English and Spanish, and bilingual staff are available in Chinese and Bengali. Contact program coordinator Gabriel Cortez at gcortez@queenslibrary.org for more information on the Kickoff to Kindergarten program.

Locations and Dates for Spring 2020: To preregister for any of these programs, please call the location. 

Bayside (718) 229-1834
Tuesdays, April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9, 16
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Bellerose (718) 831-8644
Fridays, April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Briarwood (718) 658-1680
Fridays May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12, 19
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

CLDC (718) 990-0767
Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, 19, 26, June 2
No class on May 12
10:30 – 12:00 PM

Corona (718) 426-2844
Tuesdays, April 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2 
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
English-Spanish bilingual class

Thursdays, April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Spanish-only class

Flushing (718) 661-1200
Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 28, March 5, 12, 19, 26
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Glen Oaks (718) 831-8636
Mondays, March 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Jackson Heights (718) 899-2500
Mondays, April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18, June 1, 8, 15
No class on May 25
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Langston Hughes (718) 651-1100
Mondays, April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18, June 1, 8, 15
No class on May 25
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Spanish-only class

Peninsula (718) 634-1110
Tuesdays, April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9
3:15 PM – 4:45 PM

Pomonok (718) 591-4343
Fridays, April 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12
No class on May 29
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunnyside (718) 784-3033
Tuesdays, April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9 
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Windsor Park (718) 468-8300
Tuesdays, March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM