Assessment scores reveal only 43% of Meade County kindergarten students were school ready regardless of their prior setting before coming to school.  31% scored average or above with academic/cognitive skills.  43% scored average or above with physical development skills while 75% scored average or above with language development skills. 

 To assist in efforts to improve early childhood readiness the extension service targeted educational efforts in this area.   The two main areas of need related to cognitive and physical development. 

              Fall into KidsFest was a collaborative effort of several organization and a project of the Meade County Early Childhood Council. The extension service, a part of the council, offered a session on gross motor development and worked with the children and parents on fun activities they could do at home to learn and grow. Extension Homemakers also assisted with activates related to fine motor skills with card lacing activities and sorting recyclable items.  Over 100 children participated in the event.

              The LEAP program is offered in preschool classes each month as part of an effort to education children on good nutrition, comprehension and socialization.  Evaluation after three sessions revealed 86%of the children comprehended the story read during the previous sessions and could tell others what happened during the story.  92% remembered each of the fruits offered during the sessions and many verbally indicated they had tried the fruits at home or when they went to the local grocery who offers free fruit to children.

              Holiday Cookies was a hands on class designed for preschoolers and a parent/caregiver.  During the class, children rolled out cookie dough, cut out designs and decorated the cookies after baking and cooling.  Information on the importance of cognitive and fine and gross motor development was emphasized during the fun, somewhat messy session.  15 children and a parent/caregiver participated in the session.  

              Hop into Spring was a collaborative effort of several organization and a project of the Meade County Early Childhood Council.  The FCS agent hosted a booth focusing on carrots which involved scooping dirt into a cup, using tweezers to pick up carrot seeds,then planting, adding a tag and then spraying water on the final product.  The children then enjoyed carrots and low-fat ranch dip to top off the learning activity.  This activity implemented several opportunities to work on fine motor skills as well as explain to parents the need for fine motor development and it impacts their child's learning.   Extension Homemakers and Master Garden Volunteers assisted.  The Extension Homemakers also hosted two additional booths.  The first booth taught the concept of color as children spun a wheel filled with a variety of colors.  After the wheel stopped the child identified the color then selected a matching color Easter egg from a large basket.  When opened the egg revealed a prize for the child.  The second booth focused on  recycling education and sorting according to type and size.  220 children and 257 adults attended the event.  A total of 18 extension volunteers assisted.