LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Getting ready for the first day of school can be full of all kinds of emotions, especially for those starting kindergarten. 

Now in its ninth year, 1,100 kids are participating in JCPS' Camp Ready4K, as they learn what to expect when they head to school for the first time.

"We need to make sure these students are ready," said Michelle Seadler, principal of George Unseld Early Childhood Center in Newburg.

The camp continues for two weeks in several locations across the city for young students to get a feel for what school will be like. Seadler said kids will learn skills like counting numbers and practicing the alphabet, all while playing games and making learning fun.

"There are so many activities," said Seadler. "We start with very basic foundational skills: holding a pencil, writing their name, learning to walk in a line ... but they also do some very fun activities. We make sure these activities are fun, geared toward learning, but students know learning can be fun."

Kindergarteners at George Unseld Early Childhood Center in Louisville

Pictured: this image taken from video shows a teacher arranging letters of the alphabet for incoming kindergartners at the George Unseld Early Childhood Center at 5216 Ilex Avenue in the Newburg neighborhood of Louisville, Ky., on July 19, 2023. (WDRB photo)

More than 200 students are enrolled in the camp at George Unseld Early Childhood Center. Their first day of kindergarten starts in less than one month.

Michelle Seadler

Pictured: Michelle Seadler, principal at George Unseld Early Childhood Center at 5216 Ilex Avenue in Newburg in Louisville, Ky., talks about JCPS's kindergarten readiness camp on July 19, 2023. 

Seadler said she hopes this camp will break down any achievement gaps as kids prepare for their future in the school system.

"Most of these students were born right before COVID and they have had the unfortunate beginning of life you know, being stuck in their house or having some trauma from all of these things so we make sure they have the basic foundational skills that they're going to need for building upon going to JCPS for the rest of their life, to 12th grade," she said. 

Seadler said good things for kindergartners to know before going into the classroom for the first time include: colors, shapes, being able to count to 30, and holding a pencil. 

Aside from the youngest students like those at camp, other JCPS students are gearing up for a new school year in the classroom. 

Bryce Ferriell, who will be a third grader at Bates Elementary, was planning to spend time with his family walking the Big Four Bridge Wednesday afternoon. 

While he said he wished summer break would last longer, he's also looking forward to the new school year. 

"My teacher, my friends," he said, listing off things he's excited about.

Drew Ferriell, Bryce's dad, said Bates has been a place for his son to thrive. 

"We think it's a wonderful school. We're going to be sad when his time at Bates ends. I wish there was a middle school exactly like it," Drew Ferriell said. 

Before schedules get full again, this family is hoping to soak in as much time together as possible. 

"We like to take days off like this and just, you know, any time during the week just to kind of spend some time together because we know once school gets back into gear, it's going to be hectic, it's going to be back and forth to practices and games and everything else," said Drew Ferriell. "(Bryce is) a cross country runner, and plays baseball and soccer so we're going to be really busy so it's important for us to spend time together where we're not in a hurry all the time."

The first day for JCPS students to return to the classroom is Aug. 9. 

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