KinderCaminata to bring 2,000 Kindergartners to Fullerton College
Fullerton College will welcome more than 2,000 kindergartners to its campus on Friday, April 17, 2015 for the 20th annual KinderCaminata. This year’s theme will focus on “roots” and will stress the importance of embracing one’s heritage through bilingualism and bi-literacy. Kindergarten classes from Anaheim City, Fullerton, La Habra City, and Magnolia school districts will participate in activities featuring lively demonstrations and hands-on learning experiences at various career stations provided by Fullerton College instructors and students.
“Studies show that when children have an emotional connection to an experience, that connection is transferred to long-term memory,” said Diana Kyle, Kindercaminata coordinator and psychology professor. “Kindercaminata helps expose children to what can become their future dreams.”
For the past 20 years, KinderCaminata has instilled the importance of education by adopting Cesar Chavez’s “Si Se Puede” (Yes you can; it is possible). The event is designed to provide kindergartners with their first college experience so they and their families have a greater sense of accessibility to higher education.
This year’s event will feature more than 40 career stations, such as “Stranger Danger,” presented by administration of justice faculty, “Discovering Numbers,” presented by math faculty, and “Gone Fishing” a presentation designed to introduce children to environmental concerns and oceanography.
“Our focus is to help children reflect on the many opportunities available to them,” Kyle added. Children will also have an opportunity to hear from respected educator and La Habra City Councilwoman Rose Espinoza, who will provide a special presentation titled “A Conversation with Rosie.” Espinoza began tutoring students out of her garage in La Habra in 1990. An alumnus of Fullerton College, her work has inspired youth in her community to pursue higher education, and she still serves as a volunteer director of Rosie’s Garage, a non-profit organization committed to tutoring, education and learning. She was recognized by former President Bill Clinton in 1994 with the Points of Light Presidential Service Award. To help children better understand Espinoza’s tutoring classroom, a FC classroom will be transformed into a garage-like setting so that children can get a real-life feel for Rosie’s Garage.
More than 250 volunteers are expected to participate in this year’s KinderCaminata. Career stations will be strategically placed on the campus quad and in various classrooms. The event will run from 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information visithttp://socsci.fullcoll.edu/kindercaminata/.
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