Meriden's Children First awarded a grant for a summer orientation program, known as Program START, to the Meriden Board of Education. The program was held from July through August. The curriculum was developed by the Board of Education.

The goal of the program is that all Meriden children come to school ready to learn and be successful. The program provided childcare services to incoming kindergarten children and at-risk grade one children. It established a summer orientation program that prepared them for school.

Initial funding was received from Meriden Children First. Funding was not to exceed $50,000. To implement the program, materials needed to be prepared, participants recruited, and staff hired.

Program START began in the summer of 1996 for children entering kindergarten in the fall. The program was open to all Meriden residents. The nine-day session was held at various schools, with children attending either morning or afternoon sessions. The major purpose was to provide hands-on experiences to get children ready to come to school in the fall and provide an easy transition to formal schooling. The planned activities for groups of 12-15 enhanced language, social, and fine and gross motor coordination skills.

In the second year, a local parochial school asked to participate, increasing the comfort level of parents and children who had not attended formal school.

During the second year, the Board of Education worked with CFI to offer Program START, but it also expanded the program to include Jump START for incoming second graders who needed extra help with reading.

A post-project evaluation showed that kindergarten students who attended START for any amount of time scored higher than their non-START peers, notably in pre-reading skills, which do not have an educational component. However, it was concluded that it was parent involvement that accounted for START success and not the START experience itself. Research findings also shifted the focus to where the need was - entering first graders with low reading readiness skills. Therefore, the project was not continued, but emphasis was placed on improving the reading skills of first graders.

Unfortunately, two parent workshops were cancelled because no one registered. It was determined that the program needed to define other ways to encourage the participation of "at-risk" children.

Because of the program's emphasis and outreach efforts, parents became more aware of the importance of providing enriching experiences before school to ensure readiness skills and early learning success. Parents developed more skills to support their children's education. The program's outcomes were not those that were expected. The program's strong evaluation process proved very beneficial, showing that it needed to change.