The Office of Child Development would like to extend its congratulations to our very own Ken Smythe-Leistico for being selected out of a pool of 220 nominees as one of 2013′s 40 under 40. The awards will be distributed on Friday, October 25, 2013. The 40 under 40 program was established Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP [...]

Spring Hill K-5 has previously struggled with chronic absenteeism. That trend was reversed on the First Day of school for the incoming Kindergarteners. 51 of 54 children enrolled came on the first day of school! Hoorah for all the new Kindergarteners and their parents! Keep up the good work! The Principal of Spring Hill Todd [...]

This morning there was a wonderful Kindergarten Kick-off Celebration at 7 PPS schools to welcome the new students to their first day of school. Congratulations to these new students and all the other kindergarteners that started school today! We would like to thank all the volunteers who made these events possible. We really appreciate your [...]

Our very own Ken Smythe-Leistico was in the studio live on August 28, 2013 at noon to discuss Chronic Absenteeism with Linda Lane, Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent and Linda Hippert, the executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. To listen to this important interview click here.

The Kindergarten Kick-Off is on August 29th and community members are welcome to be a part of the Celebration! Find out how you can help. Click here to read our Kindergarten Kick-Off announcement page.

The Ready Freddy Kindergarten Kick-Off Event Planning Guide is a comprehensive guide to planning the best First Day of School Celebration ever. The Kindergarten Kick-Off is an important part of a quality transition to Kindergarten. The event helps anxious Kindergarteners and their parents feel welcome and creates a positive relationship with the school and school [...]

Getting ready for the upcoming school year is on many people’s minds. This weekend Freddy the Frog will appear at two events that are aimed at helping Kindergarteners get ready for school. The Hill District Carnegie Library (2177 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219) is hosting an End of Summer Reading Extravaganza on Saturday August 10, [...]

Freddy the frog has been hopping to transition events in many places lately. Read an article about a great transition event in Virginia, click here.

Summer is a great time to get ready for the coming school year. Transition activities like the Welcome to Kindergarten Transition Event that happened on June 5th was a one time event to familiarize parents and future Kindergarteners with the school and help them feel comfortable about the upcoming school year. K-Clubs provide 6 sessions [...]

Recently Ken gave a talk to a group of Early Childhood Educators in Henderson, NC. Click here to view the presentation that he made there and click here to see the map of all the places that the Ready Freddy Program has gone.