Conclusion

Just over two years ago we designed and created the Kindergarten Boot Camp Program at the
Chula Vista Public Library. Over 350 families have participated in 17 sessions, and Kindergarten
Boot Camp will continue to be offered through 2015. Throughout this action research project
my colleagues and I were challenged with many decisions throughout the planning, design, and
implementation stages. Action research served as a powerful guide that forced me to question,
observe and reflect time and again to seek to understand how a public library could support
families as they transitioned to kindergarten.
At the start of this inquiry and journey, I was perplexed by what much of the literature revealed
about early childhood education in my own community and around the nation that have profound
impacts on families and children as they enter into the year of formal schooling. Understanding
that the cost of early childhood education can amount to the same, or more, of the average cost of
attending a four year university with little time to save or lack of financial assistance for
childcare, working and middle class families are left to rely heavily on what is know as the FFN
(family and friend network) to assist with child rearing before kindergarten. Often times children
cared for in the Family and Friends Network (FFN) are not receiving the same type of
stimulating activities that their peers may be experiencing that support a smoother transition to
kindergarten and future success in school. On the flip side, there has been movement and growth
of free and low cost preschool for children ages 3-4, but in many communities as in Chula Vista,
only 1 out of 2 students that are eligible, can be accommodated by the current system. Inevitably,
children enter kindergarten with varying experience, skills and abilities, only to be met with
rigorous demands of attending kindergarten (Ackerman and Barnett, 2005; Barnett, 2008; Cos,
2001; CSAP, 2012).
Wrestling with these facts, and knowing that some kids enter school at such a significant
disadvantage to their peers, my colleagues and I put the topic of equity at the forefront of our
discussions and decisions while creating Kindergarten Boot Camp. From interviews, data
collection, videos, and reflection, my findings revealed the importance of inviting families to the
library and using the library as a resource to help support school readiness. To support each
unique child and family, I found that it was necessary to create a program and environment that
was supportive to the whole child taking into account social/emotional development, physical
and cognitive development as well as each individual childs interest in learning. This meant
building a program that fostered learning and growth for all of our students. This project was not
only about supporting children as they prepared for kindergarten, but it was also about how we
could support families. Engaging parents and having them participate with their children was key
to allowing the library to serve as a resource and support for families regarding school readiness.

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In this conclusion section, I will elaborate on these key findings, my current thinking and their
implications.
Key Findings
Communicate that a public library can, and is, committed to supporting school readiness for all
families. At the time we decided to introduce Kindergarten Boot Camp as a new program we
quickly learned that there are many considerations to explore, especially when creating an
entirely new program. How and where should we promote and share information about this
program? Promoting to our regular story time patrons was an easy first step in early promotion of
the program. Our next steps were to promote to a few local schools that held meetings for
incoming kindergarten students. By choosing to reach out at these local schools, we were able to
attract new users to the library, and provide new resources for a number of families. At the time
of my research, going out to school sites and the community worked well. We were available,
school readiness was on the minds of families for incoming kindergarteners and we were able to
connect families to the library. As we continued to offer the Kindergarten Boot Camp Program
throughout the year, we had to look for other options to connect with our intended audience.
Throughout the rest of the year, connecting with families outside of patrons who already are
using the library was challenging. Stocking four year old children whenever I saw them wasnt
exactly the best outreach strategy. Since our first session we have tried a new combination of
marketing efforts that have proved to reach a target audience. To promote Kindergarten Boot
Camp, we continue to advertise on our library website, monthly calendar and signs posted in the
childrens section. After the fall session in 2013, we learned about Peachjar, an eflyer site, that
reaches all the families associated with the Chula Vista Elementary School District. At no cost to
the library, we can create a flyer, and get information out to over 29,000 students. Though this
method reaches a large number of families, we dont rely on using Peachjar as our sole method
of marketing since it has a few limitations. Computer and Internet access are necessary to view
the flyers, and only CVESD families receive the information. Using Peachjar, limits our efforts
to getting information out to families that already have a child in school, and have computer
access. But what about families that have a child that isnt enrolled in the district, or lack access
to the Internet?
By questioning the equity and access by solely marketing on Peachjar led us to another strategy.
Knowing that children must have a physical and dental screening before entering kindergarten,
we used a grant that was focused on early literacy, to print posters that promote the library and
school readiness. The posters were printed in English and Spanish and have been placed in
pediatric dental and doctor offices throughout Chula Vista (Appendix O). We have also placed
posters in offices of local community service agencies and resource centers where families with

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children under the age of 5 are likely to go when looking for programs and services. Not only are
the posters displayed around the community, we now have unofficial advocates where the posters
are displayed who are happy to share information about the library to families. With this
combination of marketing, the Kindergarten Boot Camp program has been filled to capacity for
each session. Over 95% of the students and families that have attended Kindergarten Boot Camp
reported that their child did not attend any form of preschool before attending Kindergarten Boot
Camp and kindergarten. This information reinforces the idea that a public library can serve as a
resource and support for families that are transitioning to kindergarten.

Build a program that will supports and challenges all students. Through our outreach efforts, the
Kindergarten Boot Camp attracted diverse families looking to have the program serve their needs
in a variety of ways. Under the umbrella of creating and authentic kindergarten experience for
families, my colleague and I continue to make adjustments to the program to increase the
support we can provide to families in several aspects of the program. From early discussions in
planning boot camp, there was a strong emphasis from directors, parents, colleagues and even
funding agencies to collect data that was purely academic. In straight terms, these sources
wanted to see that the students came into the program not knowing shapes, letters, numbers and
colors and left the program knowing and being able to identify these items by the end of the
program. Through research and kindergarten classroom observations, we were able to build a
classroom and environment that supported much more learning and growth for kids and parents.
While a few families may have been seeking academic support, I learned that many families
were signing up for a wide range of reasons. Some parents wanted to practice the routine of
going to school, meeting new children and becoming familiar with classroom materials. Others
were working on dealing with separation anxiety on behalf of the child (and in some cases, the
parents too). If we had chosen to follow the direction we were initially pushed by building a
program solely around academics or general knowledge, we would have not been able to support
many (if any) of our students. Instead, we built a program that supported the childs physical,
social/emotional and cognitive development. With each new student we encountered, it was
important for us as teachers to seek to understand that all students were coming in with
individual needs. Our classroom and schedule were specifically designed to allow students
opportunities to work independently, in small groups and with the class as a whole. The activities
we chose (and continue to choose), must lend themselves to challenge a wide range of learners.
This has become more evident as many students have participated in multiple sessions
throughout the past year. As these students participate, their needs change and evolve, but we
also have students who may be participating for the first time.

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As we continue with Kindergarten Boot Camp, and grow it among all three of the Chula Vista
Library branches, we continue to support new children and families. To better support many of
the diverse students, we have sought volunteers from a local service group that funds and
volunteers time to literacy projects (Altrusa International). Many of the members are retired
teachers and educators, and luckily, a few were kindergarten teachers. Each session, we have had
4-5 of these volunteers work closely to encourage students while playing, support students when
completing challenging tasks such cutting, and to offer insight to parents. With volunteers,
students have more opportunities to get the individualized attention and support that they need.
Aside from volunteering, Altrusa International continues to fund Kindergarten Boot Camp with
money to purchase classroom supplies and school supplies (scissors, pencils, erasers, etc.) for
each child that completes a session. With more classroom materials, we have been able to
provide more opportunities to support kids physically ( parachute activity, balance beam and
bean bag toss), socially/ emotionally (feeling station, dress up and role play area), and
cognitively (puzzles, marble runs, construction sets, card games).
Engage parents and caregivers and include them in the learning experience. Early on in this
project, we felt a strong need to include parents and caregivers in the Kindergarten Boot Camp
Program. But how? Early on, we tried to set up a parent workshop where we could meet and
share Kindergarten Readiness tips with parents. Since very few parents showed interest in this on
a sign-up sheet, we cancelled this workshop. Instead we decided to share chunks of information
(about 5 minutes a day) before parents picked up their children. We shared the topics of the day,
some tips about getting ready for kindergarten and opened up the floor for any questions. The
portion of the program that seemed most beneficial in engaging parents was inviting them into
the room for 20-30 minutes to experience the different learning stations with their child. At this
time, parents and caregivers could discover what might challenge their child in school (grasping
a pencil, sharing toys, working independently, meeting friends). Parents had the chance to
observe, and interact with classroom materials alongside their child. As parents, children,
siblings and other family members joined in the activities, the learning became a shared
experience, not only for the children, but for their families as well. On the last day of the
program session, parents are invited to an awards ceremony. Before the ceremony, I share the
information about kindergarten readiness and resources that the library offers for additional
support. By the time parents leave Kindergarten Boot Camp, they know that they can count on
the library for books, CDs, free passes to museums, computers, wiFi as well as crafts that all can
play a strong role in supporting the transition to kindergarten.
As relationships formed with families after each session, parents continue to come to the library
asking for other resources to help support their child before and during kindergarten. With

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Kindergarten Boot Camp only in session a 9-11 weeks out of the year, we wanted to find a way
to support families all year, and not just families that could attend boot camp. This thinking has
led us to releasing two new kindergarten readiness programs. In September of 2015, we launched
the Thousand Books Before Kindergarten Program. This program encourages parents and
caregivers to set a goal to read over 1000 books before their child enters kindergarten. The
number of books is tracked on a colorful poster (Appendix P) and after certain milestones,
children can come to the library to claim prizes. Additionally, in June 2015, we released Kinder,
Ready, Go! Kits. Each of our three library branches has 19 different kits that are available for
parents to borrow. Each kit has 3-5 books paired with an educational activity, puzzle or game.
The kits are broken into different themes ranging from letter recognition, physical activity,
feelings/emotions and other themes that support children as they transition to kindergarten. Each
kit comes with a laminated card with tips for parents (Appendix Q). Each tip card informs
caretakers and parents about the contents of the kit, the skills the kit supports, additional
resources from the library, tips for reading and interacting with specific books, and the Common
Core State Standards that the kit supports. Since their release, dozens of families have borrowed
multiple kits, and return weekly to borrow more.
Limitations
As with any study, there were some limitations involved with this research. One such limitation
that I struggle with is the not capturing the voices of those families that enrolled their child, but
never showed up for the program. For each session, there have been a handful of students that
are enrolled and then for whatever reason, they dont show up. If we had changed the location,
time of the program or duration, would a different demographic participate?
Another limitation was that parents gave us immediate feedback on the last day of the program
session. In thinking about the design of the program, I wonder if any new ideas would have
emerged from parents if we were able to survey them after the first week or a couple weeks into
their childs year in kindergarten. Would they they have recommendations for program changes?
Would they recommend that we focus more on a certain skill or area of support?

Implications
We know that many families come to the library with young children seeking out enriching
experiences through our story times and programs. From the research I conducted, these families
are looking for these experiences as an alternative to preschool experiences that either they dont
have access to, or because they have alternate care for their children. Kindergarten Boot Camp
has bridged a gap in library programming in explicitly connecting enriching programs to
supporting families as they transition to kindergarten. Staff at the library have more tools and

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resources to share with families as they seek support, and families now know that the library is
another resource in the community where they have free access to a number of resources that
support school readiness. Now, the next question we are asked from parents is, Will you have a
boot camp for us when my child transitions to middle school?

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