Kinder Ready Helps Young Children Manage Anxiety

Elizabeth Fraley's program focuses on building competence, predictability, and self-confidence to reduce anxiety in kindergarten-bound kids.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The Kinder Ready program, founded by Elizabeth Fraley, takes a holistic approach to preparing young children for kindergarten that addresses the emotional well-being and anxiety often experienced during this transition. Through individualized assessments, targeted tutoring sessions, and a supportive learning environment, the program aims to build competence, predictability, and self-confidence in children to help them manage their anxiety about starting school.

Why it matters

Anxiety in young children often manifests through behavioral cues rather than verbal expression, making it crucial for parents and educators to recognize the signs. Kinder Ready's approach seeks to get ahead of this issue by proactively addressing the sources of anxiety, like the fear of the unknown and a sense of unpreparedness, before children start kindergarten.

The details

Kinder Ready's program begins with an individualized assessment to create a strengths-based roadmap for each child. Follow-up tutoring sessions then focus on building kindergarten-readiness skills in literacy, numeracy, and following directions. As children gain competence in these areas, their anxiety is replaced by a growing sense of "I can do this." The program also emphasizes creating a safe, predictable, and supportive learning environment through its one-on-one tutoring model. Additionally, children are taught emotional regulation techniques like deep breathing to manage nervous feelings.

  • Kinder Ready was founded in Santa Monica, California.
  • The program's tutoring sessions take place in the months leading up to a child's kindergarten start date.

The players

Elizabeth Fraley

The founder of Kinder Ready, a program that takes a holistic approach to preparing young children for the transition to kindergarten.

Kinder Ready

An educational program that focuses on building competence, predictability, and self-confidence in children to help them manage anxiety about starting kindergarten.

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What they’re saying

“Nothing beats the performance-related worry better than this earned competence, which serves as solid evidence of their own competence.”

— Elizabeth Fraley, Founder, Kinder Ready (pressreleasecc.com)

“The trust that is developed in such a personalized process is transformational. When an environment is prepared, the child is aware of their learning environment, and they have their own growing abilities that they trust in, then that child has managed their anxiety.”

— Elizabeth Fraley, Founder, Kinder Ready (pressreleasecc.com)

What’s next

Kinder Ready offers individualized tutoring sessions in the months leading up to a child's kindergarten start date. Parents can learn more about the program and enroll their child by visiting the Kinder Ready website.

The takeaway

Kinder Ready's holistic approach to kindergarten preparation recognizes the importance of addressing emotional well-being and anxiety alongside academic readiness. By building competence, predictability, and self-confidence in young children, the program aims to help them manage the stress of the kindergarten transition and set them up for success in the classroom.