The Kindergarten Milestone

The first years of your child’s life are filled with countless milestones: crawling, walking, talking, making friends, learning to count and read. There were first teeth and new words spoken. There were first-time holidays and new traditions begun. Then, you blinked, and now you are weeks away from the next milestone ­— starting kindergarten!

Preparing for an Educational Milestone

Just in Wake County, nearly 12,000 students are expected to enter schools this year as the class of 2030. For many of them, entering kindergarten means stepping into an unfamiliar setting where they aren’t sure how to act or what the expectations are. To help calm any nerves about what school will really be like, Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh is hosting Kick-Off to Kindergarten this summer. This event gives budding learners a chance to find out what to expect when in the lunch line, on the school bus and in the library. There will even be a science lab set up where the kids can explore. The event is being held twice: June 22 for year-round students and August 18 for students on the traditional calendar.

Financial Milestone

Mom and Dad are sure to have questions, too. Watching your child get ready to start school may have you thinking about all the milestones to come. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that thirteen years from now, you’ll be in college dorms for orientation! Thirteen years will pass in the blink of an eye. That realization can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to.

This educational milestone for your child can also be a financial milestone for you — one that benefits you both down the road. Representatives from the NC 529 Plan will be on hand at both Kick-Off to Kindergarten events to help parents learn how easy it is to save for college. As the kids learn about going to school, parents can learn about opening an NC 529 Account, contributing to it, and all the different qualified educational expenses for which the savings can be used. After all, it’s never too early to save for your child’s education.

At-Home Kindergarten Checklist

The Kick-Off to Kindergarten event can help you and your child get ready to start school. It’s a great event that truly helps to calm jitters. While you’re at home though, there are also steps you can take to help make the transition as seamless for your child as possible. This checklist will get you started. It includes some simple things you can do before school begins to offer your child a sound educational start. Some of the items, like spending a couple of weekends getting familiar with the school playground, are even fun!

Kindergarten is a big milestone for both students and parents. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can begin preparing your children for educational success today and into the future. With a little bit of planning (and a few tissues), you will both do great on that first day of kindergarten!