This year for the first time, we conducted follow ups with children who graduated from our centres in 2017 through a survey of their teachers and parents. This was part of the transition strategy for Kidogo's 5-6 year-old children and intended to find out how well the children settled in and adapted to their new primary schools
The team visited 15 primary schools where Kidogo Kids were enrolled. According to their teachers, a majority of the children were reported to be shy and quiet at the beginning of the first school term but had 'come out of their shell' both socially and academically by the end of the term. The sudden change in environment especially in terms of class size (which was 3 - 5 times larger than Kidogo’s pre-unit class) and child-teacher ratio was seen as the biggest factor, as children from Kidogo were used to more attention and more interactive relationships with their teachers. Gradually, as our Kidogo Kids settled in, they were reported to be among the best performers in their classes. Feedback from their class 1 teachers identified them as "independent, creative, fast learners and very teachable.”