POCATELLO — United Way of Southeastern Idaho is partnering with Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 to increase early registration for kindergarten and provide children with an opportunity to improve their social behaviors before beginning school.

As part of their Cradle to Career initiative, the United Way is assisting the school district in their early registration for kindergarten. Parents can register their child online at www.sd25.us.

An in-person event will be held on April 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for parents without access to a computer to register their child and provide the district with the necessary paperwork. At the in-person event, children will also participate in a screener to gauge their academic skills such as writing their name and recognizing letters, as well as behavioral skills such as sitting still and paying attention.

“Those are really important skills,” said Lori Craney, director of elementary education, “as much as numbers and letters and holding a pencil.”

According to Craney, students whose behavioral skills could use more development will be invited to participate in a two-week program over the summer. Last year, the district and United Way used Wilcox Elementary School for a pilot program, and Craney said they received a lot of feedback.

“We’re kind of experimenting with what works right for our students and our community,” said Felice Otero, director of Education 2 Careers for United Way. Otero said that the United Way would also test students at different points throughout their education to compare how students involved in the summer program perform versus students who were not.

Gretchen Kinghorn, the district’s Title 1 Coordinator, said the program will help students gain vital skills needed to perform academically.

“Our focus is social emotional development,” Kinghorn said. “The academic piece comes… but you have to have those behaviors in place before kids can achieve academically.”