Prepare girls for kindergarten with Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands virtual events series

Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) are launching a free “Make New Friends” virtual event series to ensure that all girls are prepared to start kindergarten with confidence. The COVID-19 pandemic and transition to virtual learning and activities has disrupted important educational milestones, particularly for children entering kindergarten this year. Social and emotional learning is important for success in kindergarten, and as the experts on girls’ leadership and development, Girl Scouts is uniquely poised to lead fun and impactful events that help girls make new friends while boosting their social skills, self-confidence, and experience in a classroom or virtual setting.

One of the largest girl-serving organizations offering social and emotional kindergarten readiness programming, Girl Scouts has designed a specialized, engaging four-part virtual event series that is free and open to all girls who are entering kindergarten. Girls will:

• practice interacting with other girls, exploring new ideas, and gaining the courage to ask questions about what they see;
• explore emotions and learn how being persistent can help them achieve their dreams;
• use their senses to process the world around them while practicing reasoning and problem-solving skills; and
• learn how to listen to a story, identify key characters, follow a plotline, and then share what they learned.

Anyone can sign up now for the virtual events that run July 27-30, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Each session is 30 minutes.

Many in-person kindergarten readiness and pre-K programs have been cancelled or modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including opportunities to meet teachers and classmates and to try out a classroom activity. Knowing that social and emotional learning and development are some of the strongest predictors of academic success and healthy relationships, Girl Scouts has designed fun activities for girls to meet these critical milestones. Events will include activities for girls to explore the solar system, create an inspiring drawing to represent their dreams and remind them to be persistent, and much more.

“Starting kindergarten is a big step, and caregivers want girls to feel as comfortable and confident as possible from day one,” said GSSC-MM CEO Lora Tucker. “Girl Scouts stands with you to support and inspire girls as they make new friends, meet new teachers, and test out new ideas.”

“Girl Scouts is filling the critical need of preparing girls to learn, lead, and thrive in their kindergarten classrooms,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. “Girl Scouts’ national reach gives girls in rural, urban, and suburban communities the opportunity to learn important pre-K readiness skills, especially social emotional learning. Our Make New Friends virtual event series helps girls create friendships, develop independence, and practice social awareness skills so they are poised for success.”

Enter your zip code to sign up for the Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands Make New Friends event series at www.girlscouts.org/ready.

For more than 100 years, Girl Scouting has helped girls develop positive values and become active, responsible leaders in their communities. With emphasis on personal growth and leadership development through service to others, Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands serves girls and adults in 22 counties of central and western South Carolina, including Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, and Union.