Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten: A Collaborative Multilingual Family Involvement Program Created by Teachers, Pediatricians, and Parents

Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten is a Spanish/English multilingual family involvement program that is grounded in sociocultural and family literacy theories since it focuses on health and literacy development. The program’s development reflects a collaborative partnership of teachers, pediatricians, families, and an advisory board of multilingual parents dedicated to preparing preschoolers and their families for kindergarten. Health themes are presented to introduce foundational literacy and social-emotional skills, and the program comprises eight one-hour virtual sessions intended to engage both children and their families through active participation in learning. The program highlights how parents, educators, and pediatricians can come together to align their expertise and impact family knowledge around child development needs. With this strong collaboration when designing and implementing the Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten program, we were able to successfully provide guidance and support for families, which helped them to establish routines that promote health and well-being, along with some literacy skills.