Mission

Frequently Asked Questions about the
Birth to Kindergarten Parent Education Program

Is there a cost?

No, Birth to Kindergarten is a free voluntary program offered to Knox County families.

How do I enroll?

Call the Birth to Kindergarten office, 539-3038 and request an enrollment visit. Please provide your name, address, phone number, school zone and your child’s name and age.

A parent educator will call and setup an enrollment visit to explain the program and enroll your child.

Why Birth to Kindergarten?

• Research has clearly shown that the early years are critical in a child’s development and lay the foundation for success in school and in life.
• Parents are the most influential people in their children’s lives; they are their child’s first teachers.
• To invest in our future, we need to give parents the education and support they need to promote their children’s healthy development and prepare them for success in school and life.

Why focus on the years before school starts?

• Brain development that takes place before age 1 is rapid and extensive; the influence of the early environment on brain development is long lasting.
• There are developmental “windows of opportunity” when children are especially adept at learning specific skills including:

• Motor skills such as turning over, crawling, walking, drawing;
• Sensory skills such as seeing and hearing;
• Communication skills including language;
• Social skills such as playing with other children.

• Unless adequately stimulated at the right time, the brain will not get properly “wired” if developmental “windows of opportunity” are missed, this “wiring” may happen later on only with great difficulty, or it may never happen at all.