“Pre and post measurement* of skill development on thousands of children who have graduated from a School’s Cool program show that children typically increase in the skill areas of language, math, social, psychological and self-help by an average of one year of age development.”
Gena Robertson, President, School’s Cool
*using the prorietary evaluation instrument built into School’s Cool called the Developmetnal Checklist
Over the past 10 years, School’s Cool has received a huge amount of feedback about the School’s Cool program from:
- The evaluations of thousands of children
- School’s Cool instructors and trainers who have shared their experiences and best practices
- Parents who have spoken of the impact the program had on their child’s successful entry to school
- Kindergarten teachers have written us about being able to tell which children in their classroom had taken School’s Cool
- Dr. Susan Chuang, Associate Professor, Guelph University, whose 2008 research report was presented at three international conferences
- American Educational Research Association
- Society for Research on the Child Development
- Metropolis
- Joanne Farver, PhD, University of Southern California who reviewed the curriculum and training.
Research
School’s Cool Program: An effective Transition Program for Young Children in Various Sociocultural Contexts
Dr. Susan Chuang, Professor, with the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at University of Guelph studied the effectiveness of the School’s Cool program in 2008. The purpose was two-fold: 1) to evaluate the School’s Cool program; and 2) to examine the relevancy and effectiveness of School’s Cool among various cultural groups including Aboriginal children. The study was based on data from 3,001 children who had participated in School’s Cool programs. The study found that …
“Using developmentally appropriate curriculum that is both play-based and outcome-focused, School’s Cool has been found to promote children’s intrinsic motivation for learning and builds their skills and competencies to be successful as they transition to formal schooling. The program is culturally sensitive to immigrant and other ethnic minority children, ensuring that all children strengthen their developmental skills. While other programs such as Head Start and center-based programs/childcares are effective, this study provides some insight into how shorter programs may be able to just as effectively ensure that children will have a smooth and “seamless” transition to kindergarten.” *