This week, Kansas Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) Online users received the second installment of Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot News and Updates, a five-part guide to a successful start to the kindergarten year. 

Each edition provides resources to guide Kansas educators through each step of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ®) screening process. If you are not a Kansas ASQ Online user, you can visit agesandstages.com/ks to sign up for these emails and to view past newsletters. Remember: the KSDEweekly articles Ensure your school is ready for the 2023-2024 Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot includes key dates and helpful tips as you prepare for the coming school year.

Resources shared this week include:

• The tip sheet 9 Creative Ways to Boost ASQ Completion Rates shares ideas from ASQ users to boost questionnaire completion rates.
• The guides Introducing ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 to Families feature sample scripts for sharing the ASQ.
• The Kansas State Department of Education provides a welcome letter from Dr. Randy Watson in English and in Spanish 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.
• The Kansas Parent Information Resource Center has created an ASQ for Families Tip Sheet explaining the basics of the ASQ.
   

Building strong relationships with families helps children, families and schools get ready for a successful start to the kindergarten year. We hope these tips and resources help you think about the way you communicate with families when you first share information about the ASQ.

One Kansas educator has shared with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) that when the school first enrolls children, the educators say: “Since you’re the expert on what your child knows and can do, you will complete this first questionnaire about their abilities. We’ll then review it together to discuss how we can best support your child in successfully starting the school year.” This is a powerful way to quickly communicate the school’s eagerness to partner with families to support their children’s learning and growth!

Remember that multiple types of support are available as you are screening this school year. The KSDEweekly article “Trainings, resources available to support 2023 Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot” summarizes these opportunities, including the ASQ Tips and Questions Session this Friday, Aug. 18 from noon to 1:00 p.m. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Stacy Clarke at kansasicc@ksde.org and Amanda Petersen at apetersen@ksde.org if you need assistance.