PASSPORTS HELP KIDS MAKE KINDERGARTEN TRANSITION

With the help of some crayons and a Polaroid camera, children preparing for kindergarten created personalized "kindergarten passports" that will help their soon-to-be teachers get to know them.

The passports, which children constructed at Cape Girardeau's Public Health Department Wednesday included information from both kindergartners and their parents.

"Our main emphasis is that every child is unique," said Judy Anderson, a coordinator for the program.

A picture of the child and their favorite activities, foods, books, one of their drawings and parent input were all included in the completed passports which will be sent to the children's kindergarten teachers by program coordinators.

"There is such a huge communication gap between daycare instructors and pre-school and kindergarten teachers," said Anderson. "This program really helps us bridge that gap by letting teachers know a little about the kids before they get there."

The passports are part a first-year program that is offered by Educare, a state-funded school-readiness program. Anderson and other program coordinators hope that the passports will continue for years to come.

The passport program will continue in August at several locations in Cape Girardeau and the program is available for all school children in Cape Girardeau.

"We hope that someday we'll be able to branch out to Jackson and the surrounding towns, but for now we just need to gain some support here in Cape," said Anderson.

The program will be held again on Aug. 6 from 1-4 p.m. at St. James AME Church, 516 North St.; Aug. 13 from 12-3 p.m. at Franklin School, 215 N. Louisiana St.; and Aug. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 N. Clark St.