Twenty-four pre-kindergarteners are participating in the Family Resource Center's 1,2,3 Read with Me summer program at Charter Oak Academy. Morning and afternoon sessions with 12 children each run for the month of July. All of the children who participate in the program will enter kindergarten in West Hartford's Charter Oak International Academy or Smith School in September.

The curriculum introduces children to the skills they will need for school success, including activities to build vocabulary and prepare for reading, hands-on math activities, and many opportunities to become comfortable with the school environment. Field trips to Auer 4-H Farm in Bloomfield and Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill enrich the program. The Hispanic Health Council Puppet Show; West Hartford children's librarian Jane Breen; and the insect exhibit from the West Hartford Children's Museum all pay visits to "1,2,3 Read with Me." The children also have a music and dance class each week.

Funded by the Raymond Fund, the program is one of many provided by the Bridge's Family Resource Center that serves about 925 children and parents in West Hartford each year.