Kindergarten Communications Snafu at the District

Remember when we had the discussion about some kindergartners starting school later than others and that the District had let parents know this news as well as information about the before-school-readiness program, Jump Start?  Well, it got worse.

From the District, its "clarification for kindergarten families:"

In late June, families of our incoming kindergartners received a Welcome packet in the mail about the start of school. Due to a vendor error, that packet was mailed several weeks later than scheduled, causing some families to worry that they had missed a deadline. 

Additionally, some text in the packet requires some clarification. The revisions and corrections include:

·      The kindergarten Jump Start program flyer lists a June date to return completed forms. This is NOT a final deadline. Required Jump Start forms may be returned to the John Stanford Center until Friday, Aug. 14. See our Early Learning page for a list of schools participating in Jump Start and registration forms: http://tiny.cc/EarlyLearn. 

·      The Jump Start phone number was missing from the kindergarten Jump Start flyer. Information about Jump Start in English, Spanish, Somali and Cantonese is at 206-252-0255, or call 206-252-0127.

·      In the kindergarten Welcome letter, a few schools were incorrectly listed as late kindergarten start schools or they were missing from the list. Those schools and their correct start dates are:

o Northgate and Sacajawea: all students (K-5) start on Sept. 9
o Arbor Heights, Gatewood and Kimball: Grades 1-5 start on Sept. 9; kindergartners start on Sept. 14 

 

The correct kindergarten Jump Start flyer and additional information, including registration forms, can be found on our Early Learning web page: http://tiny.cc/EarlyLearn.  Incoming kindergarten families will receive the corrected flyer in a mailing already scheduled for early August.

Where to start?  Clearly, this is not an "oversight" or "error" - these is a lot of problems that did NOT have to happen.

First, does anyone ever proofread these important documents that go out to thousands of parents?  Does anyone from the office that creates them take them to someone - completely out of loop - and ask them to read it for sense?

Second, the vendor who was supposed to mail it sooner rather than later.  Did no one at the District think to call and make sure that happened?  They just sent this materials and then, out of sight, out of mind?  Because if someone had even inquired to make sure it happened on-time, it might have only been a few days late.

Third, they left off the Jump Start phone number off the flyer?  See my second question.  

Fourth, no one checked to make sure the list of schools starting later was right?  Double-checked what is very important information for parents who may be new to the system?

Very sad and I would hope that the District did NOT pay the mailing vendor in full and that whoever was in charge of this fiasco might get some guidance in the future.  Oh wait, that would be the head of Early Learning, Cashel Toner.  Well, I forgot - she's way too busy with the City's Preschool program.