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Date: 8/2/2023
SPRINGFIELD — The Zoo in Forest Park will host its Kindergarten Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This event is for incoming Springfield kindergartners to practice skills while gaining confidence for the upcoming school year. They will practice writing their names, identifying colors and letters, counting to 20 and many more activities. The zoo will also have some of their community partners coming to the event, such as the Connecticut Science Center, while Teddy Bear Pools and Spa will be sponsoring the event.
“We’re really excited,” said Director of Education Caroline Cay Adams. “This is the first year we’ve been able to put this program on, but it’s been something that I have had the idea for since I started at the Zoo in 2018.”
She continued, “This is the first season that I was able to finally make it come to fruition, so I’m ecstatic that we’re going to have a chance to host it this year. We have 150 spots and we’re already a third of the way through those ticket sales.”
The Zoo in Forest Park is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education, conservation and rehabilitation. They work with wildlife rehabilitators all across the country to provide homes for animals that have been deemed non-releasable to the wild. As a former educator that worked in a preschool setting, Adams told Reminder Publishing there’s always a lot of anxiety starting kindergarten. She worked at schools where sometimes you weren’t allowed to say the word kindergarten for the months leading up to the end of school because the children were nervous about it. Adams hopes this event will give children in Springfield a sense of excitement about kindergarten and feel ready to go to their first day of school.
Each kindergarten will receive a backpack when they enter the event. There will be stations, each manned by a zoo educator, where the kindergartner will complete a task and then receive a goodie to go in their backpack.
“This is absolutely something that we would love to do annually,” said Adams. “It’s been something that has been percolating in the back of my brain for the last few years. With the help of our community partners and our board members, we were able to put this event on. This will be an engaging, fun and upbeat event.”
To register for this Kindergarten Kickoff, go to www.forestparkzoo.org/programs/kindergarten-kickoff.
This event is currently for Springfield residents only and visitors must show proof of Springfield residency at check-in, either through an ID or child’s school welcome letter. The event is free for kindergartners and one adult. Additional children and adults can be added to your registration at a discounted price.
If you find you can no longer attend, please email tickets@forestparkzoo.com to free up your spot for another kindergartner. No refunds will be offered for additional purchased tickets. For general questions about the event, email education@forestparkzoo.com.