Key Initiatives

Kindergarten Readiness Activities With Cincinnati Preschool Promise

About Our Early Childhood Development Initiatives – And Why It Matters

CPP Plus is a suite of strategic initiatives that intentionally focus on family engagement, educator empowerment, and kindergarten readiness. Innovative programs are based on direct feedback from parents, educator insights, and successful pilot projects focused on engagement and education. Responses to our quarterly community survey, public input, Provider Network requests, and our annual evaluation help shape new program initiatives.

CPP Plus for Children & Families

Preschool Chats

CPP created a virtual open forum to engage with parents and the Cincinnati community. These are not just discussions, but interactive sessions where leaders, experts, and partners share valuable resources with parents and caregivers to address immediate needs and answer questions that support healthy growth and development. Popular topics include understanding childhood trauma, money management for preschoolers, and finding the best Kindergarten for your child. Join the conversation and check out Preschool Chats by visiting CPP’s YouTube Channel: Cincy Preschool Promise.

CPP Promise Readers

Our Promise Readers program brings community leaders, parents, and authors together to share their favorite books, to inspire a love of reading and strengthen early literacy skills. Studies show that if you can instill the love of reading early on, it is key to lifelong learning.

CPP’s Promise Reader library and tips for family literacy are available on our YouTube channel and Facebook Community Page. Families can connect to the online library at any time for a fun and engaging way to spend time together while promoting a child’s development and well-being. If you would like the first edition of our Promise Reader book featuring each storyteller with a QR code to enjoy their interactive reading sessions, email us at info@cincy-promise.org.

Peanut Butter & Jam Musical Journeys

In partnership with Linton Chamber Music and Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions, Musical Journeys provides weekly, in-class music education instruction and enrichment supporting health development and learning. Hosted through PB&J Family Concerts, these music-rich environments create a vibrant and fun space for practicing communication and rhythm skills that help preschoolers’ overall brain development.

CPP preschoolers who participated in Musical Journeys consistently showcase improved results in their social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and mathematics assessments from fall to spring.

Musical Journeys kicks off each year with a community celebration at The Back-to-Preschool Jam. Musical Journeys are offered at preschools based on Provider interest and availability of funding. To learn more about Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions for children aged 2 to 6, as well as concerts in the local community.

Smart Start Backpacks

Smart Start Backpacks are filled with play-based learning supplies that preschoolers can use outside the classroom. Recognizing that every moment is a learning opportunity, families requested kindergarten readiness activities that reinforce classroom experiences. More than 1,200 backpacks are delivered each year to CPP preschoolers. Thanks to support from Union Bank, Guardian Savings, the African American Chamber, and the Village Preschool, every backpack includes a copy of The Night Before Preschool to reinforce the routine of regular attendance, in a fun and interactive way.

The Calm Corner Kit – Calmee the Caterpillar

Calm Caterpillar is a set of tools and curriculum that
teaches emotional regulation at home and at school.
Rooted in the science of mindfulness and the Positive
Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
methodology, this early childhood sensory tool has
successfully enhanced numerous children’s prosocial
skills while decreasing conduct problems.

The Calm Corner Kit provides user-friendly tools for
meeting state social-emotional learning standards and
is the most requested resource by the CPP Provider
Network. CPP Providers participate in training, earning
necessary professional development credits, to
implement the curriculum in classrooms and share it
with families. After training, Calm Corner Kits are
available for each preschool classroom.

Families are encouraged to use the “Big Tools for Big
Feelings” at home, like the Parent Field Guide, ondemand Parenting Classes, and conversation starter
suggestions. In 2025, Calmee the Caterpillar welcomed
a new friend – Bloomie the Breathing Toy. You can
check out additional tools and free resources here

American Legacy Theater in Classrooms (ALT)

ALT In Classrooms represents student-led experiential learning that integrates teachers, families, peers, and the community into a preschoolers’ whole-child development. As part of our kindergarten readiness activities, students are given unique play-based experiences that provide new perspectives and build relationships and skills about the world around them. ALT in Classrooms was funded as a pilot project. In just five weeks of ALT in Classrooms participation, CPP students showed 92% measurable movement on all assessment domains aligned with kindergarten readiness, including social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive standards. Click here to learn more about American Legacy Theater in Classrooms.

K-SPARK with CoStars Early Childhood Services

CPP partnered with CoStars for K-SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids),
an evidence-based, year-round home visitation program designed to close learning gaps widened by the pandemic.
Through Family Readiness Groups, K-SPARK supports the social, emotional, and cognitive development of preschool children.

The overarching goal of our kindergarten readiness activities is to help children enter kindergarten ready to learn by:

✅ Engaging children in accelerated, individualized early childhood development programs, that connect families to support services addressing developmental needs.

✅ Providing parents with networking opportunities and practical tools to build confidence and strengthen family readiness for kindergarten.

✅ Collaborating with CPP’s community providers to enroll more children and uplift their learning.

CPP providers who participated in K-SPARK reported that children improved school attendance routines, engaged more actively in class, and enhanced their ability to focus on tasks.

CPP Plus for Educators & Preschools

CPP Provider Council

CPP’s Provider Council includes home-based, single-site, multi-site, and faith-based early childhood development programs that influence CPP decisions and priorities. Each Council member lends expertise and shares insight on strengthening CPP’s mission. Recommendations from the Council are incorporated into CPP’s annual work plan, communications strategy, and strategic goals.

Coffee & Conversations

Over a cup of coffee, our network of Community Preschool Providers connect and share experiences. These lively sessions offer a Provider-only space to discuss trends in early childhood education, best practices, and connect on everything from classroom creativity, managing stress and workplace well-being. Generously supported by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, these conversations foster learning, leadership and lasting peer support.

CPP Business Support

With the generous funding from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, initially through the Black Giving Circle, CPP offers a series of business-focused workshops for our network of Community Providers. A 10-week workshop series, specialized boot camp sessions, and individual coaching helps providers navigate the complexities of being a small business owner.

Providers refine business plans and create marketing strategies while identifying resources to generate revenue growth. A team of local Certified Business Advisors provides ongoing support to make the business of early childhood education sustainable. Grant funds support memberships to the African American Chamber of Commerce, marketing tools, business management platforms, and ongoing business-focused learning sessions for members of the CPP Community Provider Network.

Get Involved

Our team is committed to keeping the promise. Together, we can create brighter futures for Cincinnati’s children. Reach out today with your ideas and suggestions: