Are You Ready Freddy?
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For Researchers

The Ready Freddy Program is based on the premise that a quality transition to school will bring life-long benefits to a child. Research shows that the early elementary years (K-3) are critical for long term success in school. Quality transition involves helping students become familiar with the school environment, reducing the child’s anxiety, and engaging parents to foster good attendance as well as positive family involvement with the school. The links below include information for Researchers about creating a quality transition to school and what it can mean to a child’s academic future.

Transition to Kindergarten
Learn about the key ingredients that make up a Quality Transition to Kindergarten.

Attendance
This summarizes how attendance in Kindergarten makes a difference in a child’s academic success.

Parent Engagement
Learn how engaged parents can help make the Kindergarten transition process successful.

Branding Kindergarten
A recognizable mascot has made a big difference in the kids comfort level and feelings about school. Read how Freddy the Frog is helping to make the transition to school pleasant for many children who may have struggled.

Videos
Watch our videos! Featured videos include:

  • Ready Freddy: Pathways to Kindergarten Success offers an overview of our program.
  • Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten has parents talking about their experience with K-Clubs and how that impacted their child’s transition to school.
  • Hands Across the Hill details a first day of school celebration is Pittsburgh’s Hill District.

In the News
Find links to all the recent articles that mention the Ready Freddy Program.

Our Research
Read a journal paper written by Ready Freddy Staff and other colleagues that appeared in the American Journal of Community Psychology in December of 2012: Blending Theory with Practice: Implementing Kindergarten Transition Using the Interactive Systems Framework

Blending Theory with Practice

Blending Theory with Practice: Implementing Kindergarten Transition Using the Interactive Systems Framework is a paper written by Ken Smythe-Leistico, Colleen Young, Laurie Mulvey and their colleagues that appeared in the American Journal of Community Psychology in December of 2012.

Abstract The Interactive Systems Framework (ISF; Wandersman et al., 2008) was used to implement a kindergarten transition [...]

Check out our Materials page for researchers to see how you can help children and families with enrollment, transition, and attendance in your community.

Ready Freddy is funded by:

  • Henry L. Hillman Foundation
  • The Pittsburgh Foundation
  • The Heinz Endowments
  • The Grable Foundation
  • The Buhl Foundation
  • Birmingham Foundation
  • The Sprout Fund
  • Giant Eagle

The Ready Freddy Program

University of Pittsburgh
Office of Child Development
400 North Lexington Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: 412-383-5385
Email: rfreddy@pitt.edu

(c) 2012 University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development