PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A classic wines auction that raises money for charities brought in $3 million this year and one of the organizations it helps is an early childhood education program called Ready, Set, Go!
Ready, Set, Go! is a free program run by Metropolitan Family Service that helps children and parents in the years leading up to Kindergarten.
Two to three times a week, kids and their parents gather at Wood Elementary School in Southeast Portland to sing, do art, read and even cook.
“There’s a big need,” program creator Maria Quijano said. “Especially in this community. Head start is really full and the wait list is really long.”
It helped mom Griselda Bran-Hernandez bond with her son and get him ready for the next step.
“My son would have a lot of anxiety leaving me,” she said. “So me being with him at the program here, it was great. Because he still got to be here with me but have day where he would separate and got to be on his own.”
Quijano said there’s been a correlation between parents being involved in their classes and continued involvement with their child’s education in the years to follow.
The fact that the program is free makes it accessible to families at a time when preschool costs are, on average, higher than the cost of in-state tuition for college in most states.
“The community, especially right here, we have a lot of folks who struggle day-to-day with food security, rent, all of that that is going on with everybody right now,” Quijano said.
There are currently four locations for Ready, Set, Go! and Metropolitan Family Service is hoping to expand that number to 10.