Organizations tackle Franklin County's kindergarten readiness crisis

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Organizations across Franklin County are working to address what experts are calling a kindergarten readiness crisis.

More than 60 percent of children in the county are not ready for kindergarten. Those numbers are even higher in minority communities.

Experts say kindergarten readiness can have a huge impact down the road, including on career attainment and college attrition. That’s why the early learning program at the YMCA of Central Ohio is working on solutions in its classrooms.

For one Columbus area mother, this was a pressing issue on her mind, but she found the resources she needed to get her kids ready for the next step.

Houraye Sy is the mother of two young boys: one in kindergarten and the other getting ready for it. They don’t speak English at home and she was worried her children would not be ready for kindergarten.

"I was so nervous because of him being dual language, but I was so surprised," Sy said. "When he went to kindergarten, the teachers called me the first week to say, 'Hey, your son is the first team captain.'"

She credits that to the YMCA’s Early Learning Center and said it’s helping her sons get ready for their next steps.

"Kindergarten readiness is something huge in this country, so to feel my son was ready for kindergarten was something huge for me," Sy said. 

More than half of children in Franklin County are not ready for kindergarten. YMCA said in its center, that’s not the case.

"Basically 90% of our children are ready for kindergarten," YMCA Lead Teacher for Preschool 3, 4, and 5 year olds Julia Py said. 

The center teaches through hands-on learning, focusing on math, cognitive and language development, and literacy.

"I think we need more early childhood centers to get these kids in," Py said. "But it also takes the village where we can get more resources out to the parents that are not able to bring their children in, perhaps to a preschool center to get these things in."

Kindergarten readiness is a focus across the county. It's something both Columbus City Council and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners are investing in through the YMCA’s program and other research.