Kinderstart is a program for children who are entering kindergarten in the fall of 2026. This program prepares children for kindergarten by focusing on the whole child. Kinderstart is week-long session which includes accelerated literacy and numeracy components (name recognition, writing skills, patterning, letter, and number recognition, one-to-one correspondence and more), self regulation skill development, (wait time, regulating emotions, attention to task), social-emotional identification (impulse control, empathy, initiating interactions), and time for large and small motor activities. Students will also have an opportunity to learn more about the school through building tours, meeting school staff (principal, health services, custodial, nutrition services). Priority placement for program goes to students who meet one or more of the following criteria: Has NO PRIOR preschool experience Is enrolled in Kindergarten with Mahtomedi School District Qualifies for free or reduced lunch (based on family income) Is an English Learner (home language is not English) Is homeless Is identified, through health and developmental screenings, with a potential risk factor that may influence learning Is defined as at risk by Mahtomedi Public Schools Lives in the school’s attendance zone