Wicomico Schools Accepting Vendors Now To Participate In The 2012 School Readiness Fair July 26

Hundreds of families with children ages 0-5 will learn more about early childhood education and expectations Thursday, July 26 at the 5th Annual School Readiness Fair, put on by the Wicomico County Judy Center Partnership and Wicomico County Public Schools.

The School Readiness Fair will take place from 4-7 p.m. Friday, July 26 at Prince Street Elementary School. It is a showcase of the great things happening in early childhood education in Wicomico County. Organizations, businesses and programs with early childhood services are invited to apply now to participate in the School Readiness Fair as a vendor. Contact Lisa Nowak at 410-677-4518 or lnowak@wcboe.org.

This free event for young children and their families will showcase the many aspects of early childhood education and services available in the community, and will help parents and guardians ensure that their child is ready to get a good start on school. Hundreds of young children and their families are expected to take advantage of this midsummer opportunity to get a great start to their school careers.

"You can't wait anymore for children to enter prekindergarten or kindergarten to begin the schooling process. Preparation for school and life must begin early, and parents and other caregivers have to help children to have all the skills and information they need to ensure a successful beginning," said Sandra Drummond, supervisor of early childhood programs for Wicomico County Public Schools.

Children will have the opportunity to meet Buster the School Bus, who will guide them through the basics of school bus safety. They'll also get to board a school bus and talk with the driver. Inside the School Readiness Fair, they'll be able to meet principals and assistant principals from Wicomico elementary schools, and pick up free learning materials to take home.

Parents will be able to visit exhibit tables to receive information on area child care centers, family child care providers, the Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center, Head Start, the Judy Center (serving children in the Beaver Run and Pemberton school districts), Wicomico County Library and the Wicomico County Health Department, which will have information on programs and immunizations. There will be great door prizes and fun activities for children. Dinner will be provided.

Families who have not registered for prekindergarten or kindergarten will have the chance to do so at the School Readiness Fair. To register, families will need to bring in the child’s birth certificate, proof of immunization, Social Security number and proof of residency. (Proof of residency may be a lease agreement, mortgage statement or utility bill for the address noted.)