Jump Start Kindergarten 2025-2026 Library Request Form

Program Overview

By sharing early literacy practices, such as Every Child Ready to Read’s five early literacy practices (“Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play”), Jump Start Kindergarten is an outreach activity that connects library staff with parents/caregivers of young children about to enter kindergarten and emphasizes daily activities that will help children learn to read. Primarily designed for public library staff to conduct outreach activities in their local public elementary schools during kindergarten registration events, this program also helps parents/caregivers understand all the resources public libraries can provide to assist with school readiness and connects them with these resources through library card sign-up/promotion.

Jump Start Kindergarten's objectives are:

To encourage daily reading time, including out-of-school reading time.
To connect families/caregivers of young children with the early literacy resources their local public library has available to help them prepare their child for school success.
To help every family/caregiver obtain a public library card and visit the library.

PLEASE READ...

Jump Start Kindergarten Program Requirements & Tips:

Form Tip: Please "Tab" through the fields or tables to enter info. Do not use "Enter" key while filling out because the form will submit before you are ready. If this happens, wait for the auto-email to send, then open it, and use the "Edit this submission" link at the bottom of the email to edit and finish submitting your form.
Best Practices: Public libraries making requests, partner with one or more local elementary school librarians and make plans to attend their Kindergarten Registration or parent night events in person to meet parents/caregivers and kids, share library resources/card info, and give every child an age-appropriate book. School libraries making requests, partner with your local public library and request their staff attend your school's Kindergarten Registration event in person to meet parents/caregivers and kids, share library resources/card info, and give every child an age-appropriate book.
Alternate Practice: Not every school offers an in-person K registration event and not every public library is close enough or has enough staff to attend each K event. Therefore, other arrangements can be made to serve these schools/children including: partner with other orgs serving preschoolers like Head Start, work with the elementary school librarian to share and disseminate Jump Start K material, attend only some of the in-person events and hand off material to the school librarian for other events, or attend other community/outreach events which target 4–5-year-olds and their caregivers.
Regardless of your library's approach, all libraries who request Jump Start Kindergarten materials from ICfL shall:
- Share relevant library resources with the parents/caregivers of upcoming Kindergartners which demonstrate how public and/or school library resources can support Kinder readiness.
- Promote library card sign-ups or share library card information with the children and/or the parents/caregivers of upcoming Kindergartners.
- Distribute this year’s Jump Start Kindergarten book to every child or family unit who attends your Kindergarten-focused event. Point out the five early literay skills/tips custom printed on the inside front cover of each book or Jump Start folder.
- Distribute additional ICfL early literacy handouts as needed.
- Track the number of children/families you contact and the number of library card sign-ups you complete at the event.
- Submit a program summary report to ICfL within 30 days of your last Jump Start event.

YesNo

PUBLIC LIBRARIES ONLY: If you are a public library making a request, please choose the public library and branch for which you are submitting this application.

SCHOOL LIBRARIES ONLY: If you are a school library making a request on behalf of a single school, please enter the full name of your elementary school. If you are a school library making a request on behalf of multiple schools in the same district or for the entire school district, please enter the full name of the school district.

The public library did not have staff availability.The public library was located too far away from my school.The public library did not respond to my requests for partnership/attendance.The school/school district did not contact the local public library with enough lead time for their staff to make arrangements.The public library IS partnering with the school/library for our Kindergarten Registration event and has asked the school library to complete this request.

YesNoOther

Primary Contact Name:*

First NameLast Name

Primary Contact Phone*

Primary Contact E-mail*

Primary Contact's Position Title:*

Is there someone else in your library who you would like to receive a copy of your submission through Jotform? If so, please supply their E-mail address here and they will automatically get a copy:

example@example.com

Please mail my requested items. (If you choose the mailing option, you must complete the address in the next question.)I want to pick up my requested items. (ICfL will plan to have your items ready for pick-up by the date requested below AND an ICfL staff member will email the Primary Contact when the items are ready for pick-up.)

Shipping Address for Program Materials (this address must be able to receive boxes). If you selected the mailing option above, please provide an accurate shipping address. Each library is different in terms of shipping. You tell us the best address for your library to receive boxes.

Street or PO for Shipping

City

Postal / Zip Code

Enter the name of the school/s or event/s and the number of students you anticipate serving by attending Kindergarten Registration events or other outreach events targeting children ages 4-5 and their caretakers this year. (Note: Use the "Tab" button to move from cell to cell - do not use the "Enter" button):*

Rows	Elementary School Name/Event Name	Anticipated # of K Students
Outreach Event #1
Outreach Event #2
Outreach Event #3
Outreach Event #4
Outreach Event #5
Outreach Event #6
Outreach Event #7
Outreach Event #8
Outreach Event #9
Outreach Event #10
Outreach Event #11
Outreach Event #12
Outreach Event #13
Outreach Event #14
Outreach Event #15

Total number of enrolling Kindergarten students you anticipate serving at your outreach event/s for this program (combined student number from above table):*

# Kinders

Total number of elementary schools you plan to serve with Jump Start Kindergarten outreach events for this program (combined school number from above table):*

# Schools

Briefly describe your Kindergarten outreach event/s or distribution plan for the schools/students listed above. If your plans vary from school to school, please include a short description of each method of program delivery.*

promote and issue new library cards or supply library card info for the nearest public libraryshare library program and literacy information specific to upcoming Kinders and their caregiverspromote a summer, winter or other reading programprint and distribute parent/caregiver handouts on early literacyoffer a literacy, Kindergarten-readiness, or Maker activity of our own designprovide a "free book" coupon to be redeemed at a future public library visitOther

Date by which you want to receive or pick-up your requested Jump Start materials:*

Date

PLEASE READ THIS TABLE CAREFULLY! Enter the number of each of the following Jump Start resources you would like to request this year to use as give-aways to children/families at your event/s. The total number of books you request should be based on one book per upcoming Kindergartner you anticipate serving. Feel free to request a mixture of the bilingual and English-only Kindergarten books (there are choices) - but keep in mind the 1 book per student rule. (Note: see the Jump Start ICfL web page for more details on these resources and additional downloadable resources):*

Rows	Number of Materials Requested:
Kindergarten Book - Bilingual (Eng/Span): "Los animales no se dormain"/"The Animals Would Not Sleep"
Kindergarten Book - Bilingual (Eng/Span): "Oso en la cuidad"/"Bear About Town"
Kindergarten Book - Bilingual (Eng/Span): "Nuestro Autobus"/"The Bus for Us"
Kindergarten Book (English): "The Animals Would Not Sleep")
Kindergarten Book (English): "Bear About Town"
Kindergarten Book (English): "King of Kindergarten"
Preschool Book (Eng/Span Flip) (for younger sibling ages 0-3) - "DJ's Busy Day" - Max: 50% of the Kinders you plan to serve
Folders: Jump Start Kindergarten two-pocket, custom printed folder for handouts/library info
Handout: Ready to Read Bingo Activity Card - English
Handout: Ready to Read Bingo Activity Card - Spanish
Handout: Ready to Read Parent Handout - English
Handout: Ready to Read Parent Handout - Spanish

NOTE ABOUT LEFT-OVER BOOKS:

If, after your Jump Start Kindergarten events are over, you have left-over Jump Start K books, folders, and materials, you have a few options as to what to do with them:

If it's less than 30 books, it would be easiest if your library could either hold onto them for use next year, or distribute them to upcoming Kindergartners who come into your library over the next few months or are new to the area and maybe missed the Kindergarten registration.
If it's more than 30 books, your library should either:
- a) return them to ICfL either by mailing them to our Boise office or by bringing them in person the next time you see an ICfL staff member or attend and ICfL event; or...
- b) propose another use for them where your library conducts outreach and uses the left-over books to target upcoming Kindergartners and their parents/caregivers in the coming months before Kindergarten begins. This proposal will simply be a brief email to Kristina explaining the outreach effort and how you plan to use the left-over books to target upcoming Kindergartners and their caregivers.

If you have any questions about these options and what to do with your left-over books, please email Kristina Taylor: kristina.taylor@libraries.idaho.gov

Yes, I have read and understand what happens with left-over Jump Start K books and materials.I have read the above note and still have questions for ICfL about left-over Jump Start materials and will contact Kristina with my questions soon.

REQUEST APPROVALS: ALL Jump Start Kindergarten requests from Idaho libraries are approved unless contacted by ICfL staff for clarification or adjustment. Please assume your request is approved and will be either mailed or ready for pick-up by the date listed on your request form, unless you hear otherwise from an ICfL staff member. This year, we will need to mail materials to some libraries well BEFORE their requested date due to our anticipated, temporary building closure from March 20 - June 5.

SUMMARY REPORT: Each request for Jump Start materials from ICfL requires a summary report within 4 weeks of the end of your Jump Start event. The report form can be found near the bottom of the Jump Start webpage at: https://libraries.idaho.gov/outreach/jumpstart/. It is the responsibility of the person submitting this request to complete the summary report. Please add a deadline to your calendar to ensure this happens.

Thank you!

Submission & Follow-Up

After you select "Submit Form", you will automatically receive an email "Thank You" response verifying your submission, as well as an email with a pdf of your submitted registration for your records. Please save this email of your Jump Start request information for future reference.

On or near the day the resources are mailed out or ready for pick-up, the primary contact will receive a notification email alerting the contact that the materials are on their way or ready for pick-up at the ICfL office.

If you have any questions about this program or your request, please contact either Candace Reynolds at (208) 639-4185 or candance.reynolds@libraries.idaho.gov or Kristina Taylor at (208) 639-4136 or kristina.taylor @libraries.idaho.gov.