Birth to School Program
Welcome! Birth to School (BtS) is a CPCSC program designed to support caregivers and their children ages birth-5 who live in our school district. We hope you'll join us this year!
Two-Parts to our Program
All Birth to School programs are free. To sign up, please visit one of the program pages below.
Birth to School programs are available to all CPCSC families with children ages 0-5 years, prior to attending Kindergarten. We offer a variety of classes and events (with morning, afternoon, and evening times) for families to attend and participate in together. All lessons and activities are intentionally created to be hands-on and interactive, following Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations.
Our Programs
- Infants and Toddlers "Baby" (ages 0-2): A 45-minute class for children ages 0-2 along with their caregivers. Fun developmental activities are provided that encourage sensory exploration, music play and early learning in a safe environment. Prior registration for each class is required!
- Preschoolers "Mini" (ages 3-5): A 75-minute class for children ages 3-5 along with their caregivers. This time includes story/circle time, various learning stations, music play, and art activities. Prior registration for each class is required!
- Learn Through Play (previously "playgroup") (ages 0-5): An evening event for children ages 0-5 along with their caregivers. This extended-time (120-minutes) group allows families to “come when you can; leave when you need to” and participate in developmentally appropriate & thematic activity stations, which provide a variety of hands-on learning experiences through play. School-aged siblings welcome to attend, too! Prior registration for each event is required!
- *NEW for 2022-2023* Imaginarium (ages 0-5): The Imaginarium will be open once per month from 9am-2pm and families can visit the Imaginarium at their leisure during those times. The Imaginarium will feature a variety of learning stations for discovery play and sensory exploration. Themes and activities will change monthly. NO prior registration is required for this event!
- Caregiver Café (ages0-5): A 60-minute time for caregivers to unwind with a snack and chat with other caregivers; while the children have playtime with peers. This time will be provided to share resources others use within the community and to get information on a variety of child development topics. Prior registration for each class is required!
- Kindergarten Readiness Series (ages 4-5): A 60-minute class for children entering kindergarten the following school year, alongside their caregivers. Each session includes fun learning activities in various subjects to help children and caregivers prepare for kindergarten and meet future classmates. Two classes, with two different lessons, are held monthly. Enrollment in the Kindergarten Readiness program and prior registration for each class is required!
FAQs
Stay Connected!
- Jamie Kalk, CP Birth to School Program Coordinator, jkalk@cps.k12.in.us
- Nicole Yankauskas, CP Birth to School Liaison, nyankauskas@cps.k12.in.us
- Jessica Bailey, CP Birth to School Liaison, jbailey@cps.k12.in.us
- Shawnna Russell, CP Birth to School Liaison, srussell@cps.k12.in.us
Find us on Facebook! CPCSC Birth to School
All CPCSC families can connect with the CP Birth to School “class” on the Remind App with https://www.remind.com/join/cpbts; or text @cpbts to 81010 from your phone. If you already have the Remind App, you can join the CP BtS class with class code “cpbts”. Likewise, our Kindergarten Readiness program has a Remind class too! Join us at https://www.remind.com/join/cpbtskr; or text 81010 to @cpbtskr from your phone; or use class code "cpbtskr".
Community Resources
To find out if you qualify or to refer someone to the infant safe sleep program call Carol at 219.736.4955 x108 or email info@mhalakecounty.org.