To celebrate and support the milestone of starting school, Marbles Kids Museum hosts Kick-off to Kindergarten for local students Saturday, August 18. The event is free for rising kindergarteners and their families. Last year, almost 1,000 children and family members attended to playfully practice for their first day of school.

“Purposeful play like practicing a lunch line, participating in PE or music class, hopping on a school bus and exploring circle time helps rising kindergartners and their families feel excited and confident about beginning school,” says Hardin Engelhardt, Vice President of Play Experience at Marbles. Letterland characters will be about; as well as educators available to encourage caregivers, answer questions and provide take-home resources.

Kick-Off to Kindergarten takes place from 9am-5pm at Marbles in downtown Raleigh. The event is presented by Marbles in partnership with North Carolina’s National College Savings Program and Wake County Public School System. Additional partners include Communities in Schools, Girl Scouts of NC Coastal Pines, MyEyeDr, NCDENR, Poe Center for Health Education, Wake County PTA Council, Wake County Public Libraries and WAKE Up and Read.

“Going into kindergarten is a big deal for most families. It’s a major education milestone,” says Michael Ochsenhirt, NC 529 Savings Program Manager. “We are very excited to once again sponsor this fun-filled event at Marbles Kids Museum. We will have advisors on site ready to answer parents’ questions about how to best prepare for college.” This is the second Kick-Off this year; Marbles hosted an evening for rising year-round kindergartners in June.

For more information about the event: www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/kick-off-to-kindergarten