As summer draws to a close, Nantucket’s future kindergartners are getting ready for school. Many of these children did not attend preschool, but they have spent the past five weeks in the Nantucket Community School’s Summer Boost Program.
The Summer Boost Program aims to help children and their families transition smoothly into kindergarten. It focuses on essential classroom skills like recognizing letters and numbers, developing motor skills, and enhancing verbal abilities.
Started over 15 years ago by island teachers, the program was designed to support children as they entered kindergarten. Now operated by the Nantucket Community School, it runs in conjunction with the Nantucket Public Schools’ summer schedule. The program operates four days a week for three hours each day.
Pauline Cronin, the early childhood program coordinator at the Nantucket Community School, noted that this summer, 28 students in the program represent 25 percent of the incoming kindergarten class. The team includes Cronin and experienced teachers Susan Richards and Kerrie Willis, assisted by Melanie Ramirez, Keyra Garcia, Diana Alamarante, and Zulma Osegueda.
Cronin explains that while the program covers basic academics and classroom routines, its main focus is on social and emotional learning. This includes teaching children to be good classmates, follow classroom rules, and perform basic tasks like walking in a line and sitting in a circle.
Many of the program’s students are English language learners, reflecting the island’s growing diversity. To support these children, many staff members, including recent high school graduates, are bilingual.
“It’s a diverse group,” Cronin said. “Some English language learners are quite fluent, others help each other, and some are at different levels.”
Each day in the program includes circle time with movement, stories, and songs. Children also participate in sensory-rich projects and engage in free play and outdoor activities, which help with social-emotional development.
Cronin emphasizes the importance of hands-on experiences. “Many of these children haven’t had much sensory play, so we encourage getting messy and dirty. They learn best this way.”
The program is funded by state and local grants, ensuring it remains affordable for all families. Local organizations, such as the Harvey Foundation, donate school supplies, while the Nantucket Education Trust, the Community Foundation for Nantucket, and the Siasconset Union Chapel provide additional funding.
Cronin observes significant progress in the children’s development, particularly in their social-emotional skills. “The biggest improvement has been in their social-emotional skills. Once they master these, the academic skills will follow,” she said.
Cronin is enthusiastic about the program’s benefits for both children and their families. The Ready Set School program, which engages parents throughout the school year, is a key part of this initiative.
“We aim to involve parents from the start so they can support their children’s education,” Cronin explained.
As the Summer Boost Program concludes, the children are ready for kindergarten, thanks to the efforts of the program’s staff, families, and community supporters.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the progress these kids make,” Cronin said. “Kindergarten and preschool teachers notice the benefits, and they are strong advocates for the program.”