Students starting kindergarten in the Balsz School District in eastern Phoenix will receive free admission to several educational and cultural attractions downtown as a result of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton’s Great Start Program.
The Phoenix Great Start pilot program will admit incoming students and their families to select museums in the Phoenix area, including the Arizona Science Center, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center and numerous other attractions.
Stanton said opening the doors of these institutions to 450 incoming kindergarten students and their families — up to five family members — will give children exposure to important knowledge and experiences. Stanton said he remembered trips to the Heard Museum when he was growing up in Phoenix.
“The right education experiences, the right family experiences, pay long-term dividends in that child’s life,” Stanton said.
The second element of Great Start is education. Families in the Balsz District will receive pamphlets containing recommended early child development skills and recommended experiences for children entering elementary school. Additionally, the recommended activities will be integrated into school curriculum when the children start classes.
Dr. Jeff Smith, superintendent of the Balsz Elementary School District, said Great Start would bring great opportunities to students living in his district, 90 percent of whom are from families below the poverty line. The district also houses the state’s largest homeless shelter. Smith said the district struggles with students showing up not ready to learn.
“To a child, the world is only as big as their experiences,” Smith said. “This will expand the experiences of children before they come to school.”
Chevy Humphrey, CEO of the Arizona Science Center, said she fondly recalled childhood memories at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. She remembered improving her reading skills by walking through exhibits, as well as sitting under a giant dinosaur and dreaming about what she wanted to learn and do.
“Each visit to institutions like ours, children improve on critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills,” Humphrey said.
The pilot program is set to run for one year, but Stanton said he hoped to expand the program. Trino Sandoval, senior policy advisor on education in Stanton’s office, heard about a similar program in Memphis and worked hard with city institutions to bring free admission for students’ families.
“It helps them build fans and future members for tomorrow,” Stanton said.
Participating institutions include the Phoenix Zoo, the Arizona Science Center, the Pueblo Grande Museum, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center, the Heard Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix and the Phoenix Public Libraries.
Contact the reporter at dbryan3@asu.edu
