You think you’ve done everything you can to prepare them for their first day of elementary school, but wonder, “How can I be sure”… At Family Fun Fest, parents and preschoolers get more than just a glimpse of what lies ahead, but hands-on experience with activities and tips that demonstrate what parents can do at home to prepare their child for school. Family Fun Fest offers parents early learning resources, information on health, nutrition, and children’s programs in Calvert County from over 20 local agencies, provides opportunities to pre-register their children for kindergarten and Pre-K, and most importantly walks parents and their children through fun activities that demonstrate the 7 domains of learning.

Every event features exciting performances by children’s entertainers, pictures with popular children’s characters, free pizza and cookies, giveaways like books, passes to local parks, and a chance to win one of several door prizes.

Family Fun Fest Results
In 2005, Success By 6 and members of the Calvert County Leadership in Action program developed Family Fun Fest as a unique way to improve school readiness scores for families of young children. The first event, held at Beach Elementary School and supported by the Chesapeake Beach Town Council, targeted families and caregivers of young children most at-risk and yielded almost 300 attendees.

Since then, with the support of local agency partners and businesses such as PNC Bank, Target and an anonymous friend of families, three events are now held in Calvert County at Beach, Calvert, and Patuxent Elementary Schools, with over 1300 parents and children in attendance. An indicator of the success of Family Fun Fest is a steady increase in school readiness scores in the communities where the events are being held- Beach Elementary has since an over 10% increase in children entering school fully ready to learn since the Family  Fun Fest program began.