Building relationships with families lays the foundation for a strong start to the kindergarten year and for later student success. The Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot gives schools another opportunity to partner with families and better understand each kindergarten student’s development. 

KSDE’s Early Childhood team hopes the following resources will help you consider how you can use this process to strengthen relationships and support kindergarten readiness for families, schools and students: 

• Kindergarten in Kansas is a booklet for families of young children who are getting ready to begin kindergarten. Free updated versions of Kindergarten in Kansas are now available from the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center, in partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education – in English, Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, Swahili, and Vietnamese. Organizations serving young children and their families can click here to order free copies of the booklets. Contact Natalie Schweda (nschweda@kpirc.org) with questions. 
• The Kansas Teaching & Leading Project: Communications with Families webpage includes the module “ASQ – Kindergarten: Gathering and Sharing Data.” 
• The Help Me Grow Kansas project offers monthly trainings introducing the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2). These free virtual trainings are designed to support the statewide expansion of ASQ and are not specific to the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot. Register here for the Introduction to ASQ-3 training on Aug. 23 and register here for the Introduction to ASQ:SE-2 training on Aug. 25.  
• The Kansas State Department of Education provides a welcome letter from Dr. Randy Watson introducing the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot to parents and caregivers. Feel welcome to share this letter or adapt the language to create your own message from your district. Visit agesandstages.com/ks and scroll down to “Initiative Resources” to download the Message for Parents and Caregivers in English and in Spanish.   

A parent or caregiver may decide not to participate or decide not to have ASQ data shared with the state. If parents opt out, schools should still create profiles for the child and the parent in ASQ Online. Teachers should document the parent’s decision to opt out by selecting “Parent/Caregiver opted out of participating” under “Reason for not participating” on a child’s profile page in ASQ Online. 

Remember that all accredited schools are required to administer both ASQ-3 and the ASQ:SE-2 to kindergarten students by Sept. 20, 2022. All data (including pending Family Access screenings) must be submitted in ASQ Online by Oct. 10, 2022.  
 
Feel welcome to reach out to request support: 

• Visit agesandstages.com/ks for Frequently Asked Questions, online training modules, guides, and “how-to” videos on implementing ASQ 
• Brookes Publishing Tech Support for ASQ Online by phone: 1-866-404-9853 and email: asqonline.com/support includes assistance in looking up usernames and requesting forgotten passwords. 
• Pre-K-12 school staff members with questions for KSDE can email Amy Rzadczynski (arzadczynski@ksde.org) and Amanda Petersen (apetersen@ksde.org).