“School-readiness” is a broad term that refers to multiple precursor cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills that indicate young children are prepared to learn and thrive in the school environment. A wide body of research shows a strong foundation in school readiness is indicative of school success. Emerging research also indicates that there is a synergistic effect when early learning activities activate physical and cognitive skills simultaneously, as opposed to doing so in isolation. However, in the state of Kentucky only 50% of children are deemed “school-ready” when they enter Kindergarten.  These numbers indicate a need for more activities that support school-readiness by building multiple skill sets simultaneously.

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension is teaming up with the author and creator of Stories, Songs, and Stretches!®, Katie Scherrer, to see if they can increase kindergarten-readiness in Kentucky by equipping county agents with the curriculum and conducting research on their efforts. The Stories, Songs, and Stretches!© program aims to boost school readiness by simultaneously activating young children’s emerging physical literacy, and social emotional learning skills through the intentional use of yoga-inspired movement and stillness. The program brings together children ages 3 to 6 and their adult caregivers (either parents or classroom teachers) to engage in a 30-45 minute program that shares books, music, movement, yoga poses, and mindfulness. To date, 40 county agents have been trained and are qualified to teach this program in their county.

In addition, FCS Extension and Mrs. Scherrer are conducting pilot research study on the program and will be offering students, staff, and faculty an opportunity to build school readiness skills through playful yoga-inspired movement and learning in the beautiful Children’s Garden at the UK Arboretum and at a partner preschool center. The purpose of the study is to gather pilot data to assess the effectiveness of the Stories, Songs, and Stretches!© approach in building key early learning skills, including gross motor skills, rhyming, print awareness, and self-awareness. Children will attend a weekly 30-45 minute program for six weeks. These two initial sites will be used to collect data and determine if the program shows statistically significant improvements in gross motor skill development, specific early literacy skills, and self-awareness. There are plans to expand the study to individual counties once the pilot study is complete.