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DCPS Welcomes Pre-K Parents

August 16, 2010
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By Jessica Gould

D.C. Public Schools staffers are fanning out across the city to make sure students are ready for the first day of school.

The first day of school can be scary. And not just for students.

"Children are usually ready, pretty excited about it," says Miriam Calderon. "For parents, it’s an important milestone."

Calderon is director of early childhood education for D.C. Public Schools. With a clipboard in one hand and a picture book in another, she’s going door-to-door to meet the parents of D.C.'s new pre-k students.

Calderon checks to see if students' immunizations are up to date, and if their health forms have been filled out. But she has a bigger mission in mind.

"This is a really important beginning with this canvass, to let them know this is a partnership. That we expect a lot from them and they should expect a lot from us," she says.

The first day of school for D.C. Public Schools students is Aug. 23.

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