Timaiya Stocks is a mother of two school-aged children, an educator, and a lover of her community. She is also the first Early Childhood to Kindergarten Transition Consultant at Guilford County Schools (GCS), working at two Title 1 schools in the High Point area – Allen Jay Elementary and Fairview Elementary. More than half of the families attending both schools experience economic challenges, and both schools have been identified by the state of North Carolina as needing additional support to enhance student achievement.
The Early Childhood to Kindergarten Transition Consultant position is the first of its kind in the district, created to enhance the experiences of children and families transitioning to kindergarten, and to strengthen alignment between early childhood programs and kindergarten classrooms.
Kindergarten is a critical year for children. As Ready Ready worked with GCS to look for ways to help more children start kindergarten ready to learn, creating a position like Timaiya’s was identified as a valuable early intervention to test. Only 38% of children in Guilford County are enrolled in licensed early childcare. As a result, 50% of children start kindergarten without critical skills needed to thrive, contributing to a negative trend where only 47% are reaching reading proficiency by third grade, a key indicator of future academic achievement and graduation rates.
Timaiya began her post in November 2024 and brings experience teaching pre-K, kindergarten and first grade in the High Point area. She spends her days developing relationships with parents, attending community events where parents are, and working with students and teachers at both schools. She is learning what the barriers are for parents trying to understand what their kids need to be ready to start kindergarten and reaching out to families who may already be struggling with absenteeism.
Stocks also assists with literacy small groups in kindergarten and school readiness groups in Pre-K. She provides one-on-one support for students practicing sounds, writing and reading decodable texts. Stocks works with students to practice academic concepts and to develop social skills in small groups. Both skill development areas will help students transition well to kindergarten. “I’m passionate about these students,” commented Stocks. “I love this community and want to do all I can to help our students have better outcomes,” she continued.
Parents are experiencing the positive impact of her work. Latiesha Lipsey, Pre-K parent at Fairview Elementary commented, “I feel supported and informed with the efforts being made to support the kindergarten transition. I am not sure of where I want my daughter to go to school next year, however, I know that you’ve been helpful, and I love the school. I appreciate the help and resources. I love Fairview and the support makes me want her to stay.”
Ready Ready and GCS are exploring what it would take to add more Kindergarten Transition Consultants throughout the county in the future. GCS, in partnership with Shift_ed, Gen Ed, and Ready for School, Ready for Life has promoted strong kindergarten transition practices this year. These practices have had a major impact. After only one month of kindergarten registration, over 50% of projected rising kindergarten families have started the registration process – that’s 2,300 students already registered for kindergarten early in the spring!! To learn more, visit the kindergarten registration page for GCS.