Pottstown Pride Gets You Free Baseball Tickets

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by a coalition of Pottstown non-profit organizations.

Local residents, plus anyone who wants to show pride in Pottstown, are invited to a night of baseball, local tributes and fireworks at the Reading Fightin Phils FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday night, June 15.

The event, dubbed Pottstown Proud Night, is sponsored by four local non-profits to promote the value of working together for the Pottstown Area community.

Three hundred FREE tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each ticket will come with $2 in food vouchers to be used at the game. Transportation is available for those who need it. However, bus seats are limited and may fill up quickly with requests.

Special events at the game will include Ceremonial First Pitch by a Pottstown Teacher of the Year, Community Champion honors for student Citizenship Award winners, and local participants in the holding of the American flag for the playing of the national anthem.

Other festivities at the game include a pre-game concert by Downingtown School of Rock and post-game fireworks in the stadium, along with appearances by Fightin mascots.

The event is being sponsored by the Foundation for Pottstown Education, Pottstown Works at The Salvation Army of Pottstown, Pottstown Early Action Kindergarten, and TriCounty Community Network.

Ticket printing and food vouchers were donated by Complete Graphics Inc., 38 E. High St.

“Our goal in planning this event was to demonstrate that local nonprofits working together not only can benefit the people we serve, but also can display the pride of this town,” said Nancy March, director of Pottstown Works. “We want to offer families a night of fun to start the summer, while proving the value of teamwork among non-profit organizations.”

“We often see non-profit organizations working for the same goals but not necessarily working together,” said Holly Parker, executive director of TCN. “This project gave us a chance to plan one event that we could share in and practice collaboration.”

“This is a good opportunity for our school families,” said Joe Rusiewicz, executive director of the Foundation for Pottstown Education. “It’s also giving us an opportunity to honor Teacher of the Year winners and our outstanding student citizens.”

“We saw this as a great opportunity for our PEAK families to connect with each other and hope they will come out,” added Valerie Jackson, PEAK coordinator. “We urge everyone coming to the game to wear blue and white or their Trojan gear to show the world what Pottstown pride looks like.”

To get tickets, come to the Pottstown School District administration building, 230 Beech St. (use front entrance) from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on May 30 to June 1, or June 4-6. Ticket and food vouchers will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no limit to the number of tickets per family.

Game time is 7:15 p.m. against the Akron Rubber Ducks. The FirstEnergy Stadium plaza opens at 5 p.m. There is ample, free parking at the stadium, 1900 Centre Ave., Reading.

A bus donated by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation will provide transportation for families in need who sign up early.

High Street Haunt Generates Art Supply Donation

I SPY ART SUPPLIES: From left, Audra Ross from Pottstown Community Arts, Michilea Patterson and Valerie Jackson from PEAK and Amanda Finlaw from the Pottstown School District celebrate the donation of art supplies collected during this year's Haunts on High.

Blogger's Note:  The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

It took just four hours for the volunteers at this year's Haunts on High on Oct. 14 to collect a table-full of art supplies for Pottstown Schools.

Volunteers from the Pottstown Community Arts organization collected art supplies from attendees to donate to PEAK’s PA Pre-K Counts classrooms.

“Sometimes art is viewed as a luxury but they are vital supplies for an early learning program,” said Audra Ross, Public Relations Director for Pottstown Community Arts. “Art activities are the building blocks of child development. When we found out the PEAK teachers were in need of those supplies (from Erika of ArtFusion), we knew we had to help.”

The supplies were donated on Friday, Oct. 27. PEAK Coordinator, Valerie Jackson and Community Engagement Coordinator, Michilea Patterson were greeted with several boxes of crayons, markers, colorful construction paper, glue, and much more when they arrived at the Pottstown Community Arts space in the Coventry Mall where they were painting a mural.

“The mural is being painted in a community room next to Hallmark, across from the food court and The Coventry Mall is gifting the space” said Marie Haigh, Founder and President of Pottstown Community Arts. “The mural is the first of six that our group will paint for the Pottstown Regional Public Library. It will go on the Topos Mondial Corporation building behind the library.”

“Pottstown Arts' generosity is a fine example of the importance in community collaborations and relationships,” said Jackson. “With PEAK being mostly grant funded, these donations will be a big help in providing needed resources for our children. I am very thankful for the kind donations and the hard work that went into the art supply drive which will help our children creatively express themselves through various mediums.”

Pottstown Working to Diminish Trauma's Impact

Photos Courtesy of the Pottstown School District

Keynote speaker Casey O'Donnell, CEO of Impact Services in Kensington, addresses the Pottstown Trauma Informed Community Connection meeting at Sunnybook, Oct. 19.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

The Pottstown Trauma Informed Community Connection focused on family engagement, community building, and the Social and Emotional Learning curriculum from Second Step in the Pottstown School District during a Connection Matters community meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19. 

Phoebe Kancianic and Kizmect Meade explain PEAK's
Family Advisory Committees.

Attendees ranged from families in the community, people representing the many non-profit organizations in the Pottstown area to school district employees to trauma advocacy workers in the greater Philadelphia area. All gathered to focus on how to make the Pottstown community stronger through learning about and reducing adverse childhood experiences, trauma, and toxic stress. 

PEAK Coordinator Valerie Jackson and Pottstown School District Superintendent, Stephen Rodriguez started things off by talking about the importance of building connections with families. 

Laurie Kolka, director of curriculum, outlined how a new program called Social Emotional Learning is being implemented featuring a video, embedded below, on what Pottstown elementary students are learning. 

Two Pottstown parents, Phoebe Kancianic and Kizmect Meade, provided an overview of the Family Advisory Committee, a group that connects the schools, the community, and parents through information, idea and resource sharing. They help organize events like the Let’s Talk community conversations, provide feedback to their schools, increase outreach to and involvement from the community, and more.

PEAK Coordinator Valerie Jackson and

Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez

Casey O’Donnell, CEO of Impact Services in Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, gave the keynote talk.

O’Donnell discussed the work his organization has done in creating a stable neighborhood and building community in Kensington by “sharing power.”

He referred to the many small organizations that will “help to institute that change” in building a safer and stronger community. In the end, reducing trauma and improving communities comes down to building relationships and working with families.

You can learn more about Pottstown Trauma Informed Community Connection (PTICC), a group organized through PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) and the Pottstown School District, by visiting their website, http://www.pottstownmatters.org, or following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Valerie Jackson Named as New PEAK Coordinator

Valerie Jacxkson

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

Valerie Jackson has been promoted to PEAK Coordinator upon retirement of Mary Rieck. 

Prior to this position, Jackson was the part-time Community Parent Organizer, and was promoted to Community Engagement Coordinator.

“I know the bus. I’m ready to drive the bus,” Jackson said, regarding this latest promotion.

Jackson wants to build upon and strengthen the great work that PEAK has already done. A specific goal of hers is to forge a relationship between Pottstown and Pottsgrove School District because there is a high transiency between the two districts and “we use the same reading curriculum, Reading Wonders.” By working with a neighboring district, Jackson hopes to ease transitions for students and families.

Increasing family involvement that will strengthen families and Pottstown School District as a whole is important to Jackson. Prior to being promoted to PEAK Coordinator, she co-facilitated meetings and helped with leadership-skills training for the Family Advisory Committee, a collaboration to provide a space for open communication between the school district and families. Forming new partnerships with the community in the district is another key area for PEAK’s focus.

The annual event Pottstown Celebrates Young Children/YMCA Healthy Kids Day has grown under Jackson’s leadership. Vendor participation increased by 40 percent in 2017.

“This is my community, so it’s important to me,” Jackson said. “My early beginnings were here in Pottstown School District, and now I want to give back to help the children, because it’s all about the kids and families.”

PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) is a collaboration of Pottstown School District and community organizations that are working together to design and implement strategies that enable children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, and to engage Pottstown’s families. PEAK focuses its work in five inter-related areas: community outreach, family engagement, quality improvement, kindergarten transition, and health/wellness. PEAK’s overarching goal is to build an infrastructure that ensures all children in Pottstown enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Day of the Young Child Celebration Saturday at PHS

Pottstown will Celebrate Young Children this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Pottstown High School.

PEAK, Pottstown's school readiness initiative is partnering with Pottstown YMCA's Healthy Kids Day to provide family activities and resources from more than 70 community organizations.

There will be music from D.J. Steve, a moon bounce, an inflatable obstacle course, a petting farm, celebrated mascots, Pipper the Clown, Wacky Patty with balloon art, face painting, emergency vehicle displays and fitness activities on the field.

There will also be dancing and a music video will be made that will star the children who come.

And you can come early for a Pancake Breakfast with Trojan Man from 9 to 11 a.m.

Pottstown Schools Invites Parents of Young Kids

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District. 

The Pottstown School District wants to hear from Pottstown families with children elementary age and younger, what they need to better connect with other families, the schools and the community.

Families are invited to get connected at a new series of Let’s Talk community conversations.

This season the Let’s Talk community conversations will be held at each of the four elementary schools to make it easier for more families to come out and participate.

The conversation topic will be: Building Connections for Our Children. 

In addition to great conversation with other parents, Let’s Talk includes dinner, child care, raffles Spanish interpreters and children’s entertainment.

We invite you to come out, meet with other Pottstown School District families and share your thoughts on any of these dates:

Wednesday November 2, 5:30 to 7:30 at Elizabeth B. Barth Elementary School, 467 W. Walnut St
Thursday November 3, 5:30 to 7:30 at Franklin Elementary School 970 N. Franklin St
Monday November 7, 5:30 to 7:30 at Rupert Elementary School, 1230 South St or
Thursday November 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 at Lincoln Elementary School, 461 N. York St.

While the adults talk and network, children will be entertained with arts and crafts and story time by the Pottstown Regional Public Library and, new this year, Jeff Swider Magic Show. 

Mr. Swider is a Pottstown resident coming out of his magic show retirement just for this one time series of events so; you don’t want to miss the opportunity for your children to see this show.

And besides, your kids REALLY want to go.

Don't take our word for it, just ask them:



For this movement to be successful, Pottstown School District family participation from all social, cultural and ethnic groups is crucial. 

Your participation is valuable. We invite you to come out, 

Let’s Talk, have your voices heard and be part of Our kids…Their Future.

The Our kids…Their Future or Let’s Talk conversations are supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania Penn Project for Civic Engagement. 

The grant has enabled the school district to work with the community-particularly families, as well as the local agencies and community leaders who serve them- to determine how the home school partnership can be strengthened, to find out what can be done to increase family participation and to improve support for ALL children’s growth and development from birth through elementary school.

Focus on Education at PottsTown Talks Forum

Fuzzy inadequate photos by Evan Brandt

From left, Federation of Pottstown Teacxhers Vice President Robert Decker, president Beth Yoder and Vice President Mike DiDonato discuss the challenges faced by the Pottstown School District and why they have the best students on the planet, at least according to Decker.

The next in Pottstown School Board member Emanuel Wilkerson's ambitious PottsTown Talk series was held Tuesday night with moderate turn-out and maximum enthusiasm.

The subject this month was education and a series of speakers talked about the advantages of each of their educational institutions and efforts.

Representatives from the Federation of Pottstown Teachers, the Pottstown School District administration, Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness and Montgomery County Community College were present.

Montgomery County Community College teachers presented at

Tuesday night's PottsTown Talk.

There was a decided public education flavor to the presentations given that The Hill School and The Wyndcroft School, both of which are also in the borough, were not represented.

Much of the college presentation was focused on its arts programs, music, dance and theater; how successful careers are built in those fields; and how the community college prepares students for success in four-year colleges.

Valerie Jackson, PEAK's new community engagement coordinator, talked about the many initiatives the nationally recognized early education partnership have undertaken.

Newest are the effort to deal with the impact trauma has on children and families, and their ability to learn, as well as a brand new program that aims at helping healthy brains grow in children before they are even born.

Stephen Rodriguez, acting superintendent

of the Pottstown School District.

The teacher federation focused on its outreach efforts to better connect with the Pottstown community. High school math teacher Robert Decker emphasized that many of the district's teachers are there because they want to be.

"I would not want to teach anywhere else," said Decker. "Our students are the most polite, most respectful I have seen, compared to some others I have seen from wealthier districts."

Fifth grade teacher Michael DiDonato emphasized the important the federation places on fair funding for education, and its attempts to advocate for change in Harrisburg to enact it faster.

Last up was Stephen Rodriguez, the acting superintendent of Pottstown Schools.

He talked about the many ways in which Pottstown is an excellent school district, how often that excellence is recognized; the thriftiness it exercises with taxpayer dollars and the many opportunities the district offers.

Wilkerson said the purpose of Tuesday night's meeting was to highlight the partnerships in the community and to demonstrate a foundation on which future education forums would be built.

There were no questions taken from the audience.

Here are the Tweets and video from the meeting

Finding a Path Toward a Better Future

It’s time to talk again.

PEAK, also known as Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness, will once again be holding a series of open community meetings to talk about children’s success in schools.

The first will be held Monday, Oct. 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at CCLU/First Baptist Church at the corner of King & Charlotte streets. A second will also be on Monday, at 5:30 p.m. at Pottstown Middle School.

The third will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Barth Elementary School. The last will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 at YWCA Tri-County Area on King Street.

The meetings are meant to highlight particular challenges facing Pottstown children in a search for ways to overcome those challenges.

In terms of one particular challenge, Spanish language interpreters will be available.

In terms of another challenge — one local church has plans to help and is hoping to convince others to do the same.

Bethel Community Church Pastor Vernon Ross had pledged his church’s multi-seat van to help transport families to these meetings.

“I can see this having a huge impact of the future success of the Pottstown School District from an academic performance, behavior, and socialization perspective. I believe it could even reduce racial bias and other related cultural issues,” Ross wrote to The Mercury about his church’s involvement.

“My objective in this endeavor is to promote the effort among community residents/parents and the faith communities so I’m asking all religious leaders to share this information with their respective congregations and to encourage parents to get their kids involved,” Ross wrote, adding, “we also need the churches to provide transportation where needed by leveraging church vans.”

The meetings are the result of a $1.2 million three-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation aimed at getting parents more involved in their children’s education.

“This time the focus will be on the new school year and how your child is doing,” Jane Bennett, PEAK Community Engagement Coordinator wrote in an e-mail.

Food, raffle prizes and child care will provided, along with some extra fun for the children. The Pottstown Regional Public Library will be conduct a story time and, in addition, during the talks at the Pottstown Middle School and Barth Elementary a sing/dance party is planned.

For more info, contact Bennett, at 610-256-6370, jbennett@pottstownsd.org or visit www.pottstownschools.org.”

Getting a Jump on Kindergarten

The first day of school, particularly when it's your child's FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER, can take some getting used to.

But thanks to a new, free program being offered through the Pottstown School District, parents can get some help smoothing out the butterflies. 

PEAK's Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program runs from Aug. 10-21.

The state-funded program is designed to take away your child’s kindergarten jitters and get a jump start on transitioning into the new school year.

Reasons for considering the Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program include:

• Introduction to Kindergarten routines and structure
• Get into the body rhythms of school before the school year
• Fosters independence and responsibility

Whether your child has been to PreK or not, the summer readiness teachers will help make the new experience of entering school fun.

To participate in SKRP, your child must be entering a Pottstown School District Kindergarten and the family income cannot exceed 300% of federal poverty level (for a family of four, yearly income cannot exceed $72,750).

Contact the following PEAK sites to register your child:

• KinderCare Learning Center 610-326-0554
• Pottstown YMCA 610-323-7300
• YWCA Tri-County Area 610-323-1888
• Montgomery Early Learning Centers 610-326-3819
• Pottstown School District Pre-K Counts 610-970-6655

Or contact the PEAK Coordinator at 610-970-6655

Also, parents of children entering a Pottstown School District kindergarten this fall should know that registration is now done online at www.pottstownschools.org. 

PEAK Performance and Little Libraries

Council's Wednesday work session was surprisingly light, but with a few delightful interludes.

Photo Courtesy of Dick Whittaker

This is what the Little Libraries look like.

One was a proposal by the Pottstown Rotary Club to put "Little Libraries" in at
least two (possibly more) locations around town.

People can simply take a book and return it, or not. It is a project of the club's Literacy Committee.

Another was a presentation by Pottstown Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagana on the district's signature early learning program, called PEAK, which stands for Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten readiness.

Council also seems inclined to move ahead quickly with the vacant property ordinance advocated by Community Champions which will provide a way to get a handle on derelict vacant properties in town.

You can read all about it in the Tweets below:

Can We Talk?

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

As part of an ongoing initiative to seek community change through family engagement, the Pottstown School District is inviting the district's parents and caregivers of elementary age children and younger to a series of community conversations in the coming weeks.

In relaxed conversational settings, parents will have the opportunity to talk with other parents, enjoy a meal and win raffle prices as ideas about upcoming events, programs and activities for kids over the summer are discussed.

Child care and Spanish interpreters will be available.

The dates and locations are as follows:

• Wednesday, May 27 from to 1 to 3 p.m.: CCLU First Baptist Church, 301 King St.
• Wednesday, May 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: St. John's United Church of Christ, 11 S. Price St.
• Thursday, May 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 564 Glasgow St.
• Tuesday, June 2 from 6 to 8 p.m.: YWCA, 3125 King St.

The initial series of conversations were held in the spring and fall of 2014.

Feddback received from parents and caregivers at those talks aided PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) and the Pottstown School District in obtaining a three-year $1,250,000 grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for early childhood education and family engagement.

For this initiative to be successful, participation from all social and ethnic groups is crucial.

Your feedback is needed. 

Please come out, have your voices hear and be part of a brighter future for our children.

In addition to the Kellogg Foundation, the project is also supported by the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Project for Civic Engagement.

The grant is aimed at finding ways to strength the partnership between home and school, to increase family participation and improve support for all children's growth and development from birth through elementary school.

For more information, contact Jane Bennett, PEAK Community Engagement Coordinator at 610-256-6370 or jbennett@pottstownsd.org

Pottstown Celebrating the Young Child

Blogger's Note: The following was provided as a press release.

The ninth annual Pottstown Celebrates Young Children event will be held on April 18 from 1 to 3 pm.. at the Pottstown High School, 750 North Washington Street.

This free event designed for families with young children is sponsored by PEAK, Pottstown’s school readiness initiative. 

Fun family activities and resources from more than 40 community organizations along with music from D.J. Steve, What Knott Petting Farm, Smokey the Bear, Dumpo, Pipper the Clown and Rainbow the Clown, Fit for Life Obstacle course, Athlete Assessments with Rian Wallace and Goals Over Obstacles, Goodwill Fire Company, a moon bounce plus a few more surprises are planned.

This year PEAK is again partnering with Pottstown Memorial Medical Center as the main sponsor for the Month of the Young Child events. 

According to PEAK Coordinator, Mary Rieck, “We are very thankful for the partnership with Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. Pottstown Celebrates Young Children is a great way to raise awareness for early education and services of the hospital, as well as an enjoyable afternoon for the whole family. We look forward to finding new ways to work with the hospital to help Pottstown’s children enter kindergarten ready to learn and achieve.” 

To date, PEAK has also received donations to support the event from J.P. Mascaro & Sons, Wegman’s, Wawa and Giant Food Stores. 

The Montgomery County Health Department will be distributing car booster seats to families whose child falls within the height and weight guidelines. Please bring your child and get your free seat!

The Miller-Keystone Blood Center Mobile Coach will also be on site for a blood drive in conjunction with the event from 12:30 to 3 pm. Please go to www.giveapint.org to register.

For more information about the April 18th event, contact Jane Bennett at jbennett@pottstownsd.org or 610-256-6370.

PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) is a partnership between Pottstown School District and community early learning programs and agencies seeking to prepare children and families for success in kindergarten. To learn more about PEAK, visit www.peakonline.org, e-mail Ms. Rieck at mrieck@pottstownsd.org or call 610-970-6655. You can also follow PEAK on Twitter @PEAKPartners and on Facebook.

Talking About Children's Success

Photo by Evan Brandt

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

The PEAK partnership and Pottstown School District, supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Project for Civic Engagement, is continuing its series of discussions with our parent partners about early education in Pottstown.

All residents are invited to the discussions where lessons from the conversations in May will be discussed, along with plans for moving forward and how additional feedback will be sought.

The next input session is Monday, Sept. 15th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church or 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pottstown Middle School.

Or, there is another on Thursday, Sept.18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Barth Elementary School. 

In relaxed conversational settings, parents will have the opportunity to talk with other parents, enjoy a meal and win raffle prizes. Child care and Spanish interpreters will be available.

Parent engagement is critical for helping all children to succeed

Go to http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pcel/programs/ppce/our_kids_their_future to view the reports from May conversations, along with an interview videotaped at the Barth Elementary School's conversationhttps://www.youtube.com/v/M9PmM-SAqyo%26autoplay=1.

Get Ready for Kindergarten

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Mary Rieck, coordinator for Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness, or PEAK. 

Is your child entering Pottstown School District kindergarten in September? If so, please take a look at this great summer learning opportunity.

Seven, state-funded Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program classes will be offered through Pre-K Counts in August, free to low-income families. 

The classes will be two weeks in length (Aug. 11- 22) and focus on skills to help your child be successful in kindergarten.

To be eligible for the classes, the child must be entering Pottstown School District kindergarten in September and be income eligible. (Family income cannot exceed 300% of the federal poverty level - for a family of four that is an annual income of approximately $71,550).

The classes will be held at Montgomery Early Learning Centers, Pottstown YMCA, KinderCare Learning Center, Warwick Child Care Center in North Coventry, YWCA Tri-County Area and Pottstown School District Pre-K Counts.

A complete listing of the sites and contact information can be found on the PEAK web site at www.peakonline.org or in the illustration above. 

Contact the sites to register. 

Or for more information call Rieck at 610-970-6655.

Free Summer Kindergarten Readiness Programs

Blogger's Note: The following announcement was provided by PEAK.

Seven free state-funded Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program classes will be offered at the PEAK community early learning partner sites in August.

The classes will be two weeks (August 11- 22) and focus on skills to help your child be successful in kindergarten.

To be eligible for the classes, the child must be entering Pottstown School District kindergarten in September and be income eligible. (Family income cannot exceed 300% of the federal poverty level – for a family of four that is an annual income of approximately $71,550).

The classes will be offered at Montgomery Early Learning Centers, Pottstown YMCA, KinderCare Learning Center, Warwick Child Care Center – North Coventry, YWCA Tri-County Area and Pottstown School District Pre-K Counts.

A complete listing of the sites and contact information can be found on the PEAKweb site at www.peakonline.org. 

Contact the sites for dates and times of the classes or the PEAK Coordinator at 610-970-6655.

Free Classes Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Blogger's Note: The following comes courtesy of Mary Rieck, coordinator for PEAK, Pottstown's early education readiness program.

The Pottstown School District Pre-K Counts partnership announces a new early learning opportunity for Pottstown students entering kindergarten. 

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning awarded the partnership funding for six summer kindergarten readiness classes.

The six free Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program classes will be offered at the PEAK community early learning partner sites beginning Aug. 12.

To be eligible for the classes, students must be entering Pottstown School District kindergarten in September and meet income requirements. Family income cannot exceed 300% of the federal poverty level – for a family of four that is an annual income of approximately $70,000.

Spaces are limited – call now to register. 

Mercury Photo by John Strickler

Children in a pre-K program at Warwick Child Care Center,
a PEAK partner.

The classes will be offered at Montgomery Early Learning Centers, Pottstown YMCA, KinderCare Learning Center, Warwick Child Care Center, YWCA Tri-County Area and Pottstown School District Pre-K Counts. 

A complete listing of the sites and contact information can be found on the PEAK web site at www.peakonline.org.

PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) is a partnership between Pottstown School District and community early learning programs and agencies seeking to prepare children and families for success in kindergarten. 

To learn more about PEAK or the Pre-K Counts classes, visit www.peakonline.org, e-mail Mary Rieck at mrieck@pottstownsd.org or call 610-970-6655.

The PEAK Connection Between Education and Business

John J. Brennan will discuss the important link between
quality early education and business success.

John J. Brennan will be the featured speaker at the PEAK Annual Meeting tomorrow, June 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Montgomery County Community College, on College Drive in Pottstown.

Mr. Brennan is Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment companies. Headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Vanguard comprises more than 170 separate domestic investment portfolios, with current U.S. fund assets of more than $1.5 trillion.

Mr. Brennan is a strong advocate of the importance of quality early education opportunities and serves on the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission.

He speaks nationally on the connection between quality early education experiences and student achievement. His remarks at the Annual Meeting will focus on Building the Connection between Businesses and Early Education.

PEAK (Pottstown Early Action for Kindergarten Readiness) is a collaboration of Pottstown School District and community organizations that are working together to design and implement strategies that enable children to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

PEAK focuses its work in five inter-related areas: community outreach, family engagement, quality improvement, kindergarten transition and health/wellness.

PEAK’s overarching goal is to build an infrastructure that ensures all children in Pottstown enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey is among many who have learned
about the value of the PEAK partnership.

According to Forbes: John J. Brennan, 56, has been a director of THG since December 2010. Brennan is chairman emeritus and senior advisor of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Brennan joined Vanguard in 1982, was elected president in 1989, and served as chief executive officer from 1996 to 2008 and chairman of the board from 1998 to 2009.

Brennan is also a director at LPL Investment Holdings Inc., a publicly-traded financial services company.

Mr. Brennan is chairman of the Financial Accounting Foundation; a governor of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; and a trustee of the University of Notre Dame and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.