Stretch to kindergarten: A Model of shared partnership for student success

Abstract

STK is a tuition-free parent participation spring and summer kindergarten readiness program of the Family Engagement Institute (FEI) at Foothill College in the Bay Area of California that bridges educational inequities by providing opportunities to strengthen the capacity of families, schools, and communities to work together to ensure the success of all students from early childhood through college. The program's relationship to an open access institution of higher education is unique and supports a multigenerational pathway to college to cultivate college-going aspirations for first-generation students and their families. STK promotes strong, enduring family-school partnerships in underserved communities to give children the skills and support to successfully transition into kindergarten and beyond. This chapter provides an overview of the program design, dual capacity family-school partnership practices, and evaluation results. Successes and challenges are reflected and shared in the lessons learned over the years to inform future directions for continuous improvement and policy reform in early childhood education.