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Hi5! celebrated another successful year of supporting on-time kindergarten registration and readiness in southwestern Pennsylvania during a May 7 gathering at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) in Homestead.

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The event’s keynote speakers included Dr. Joe Maluchnik, superintendent of Woodland Hills School District, and Summer Pendro, M.Ed., director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Wilkinsburg School District. 

During the event, attendees discussed the importance of a connected early childhood continuum for birth through age 9 and how strong partnerships lead to effective kindergarten transition.

Attendees included personnel from school districts across Allegheny County and the southwestern Pennsylvania region, early childhood education partners, community partners, and Trying Together Early Childhood Advocacy Fellows.

Participants shared personal stories, triumphs, and resources and discussed ideas for educational initiatives for the summer and beyond. Attendees were recognized for increasing on-time enrollment, commitments to policy and advocacy, building a culture of belonging, and supporting the network through shared learning and professional development.

Clairton, Duquesne, Cornell, Northgate, and Sto-Rox school districts were recognized for on-time registration rates of more than 10 percent. Sto-Rox reached 100 percent on-time enrollment for the 2023-24 school year. Other recognition awards were given to Hi5! partners for community engagement and policy and advocacy achievements – including Avonworth School District for its national recognition by the U.S. Department of Education for positive parent engagement programming. 

Trying Together will host an UnConference on kindergarten transition in February 2026.

About Hi5!

Hi5! is a partnership between the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and Trying Together that is aimed at supporting on-time kindergarten registration and readiness for students in Southwestern Pennsylvania

In the 2023-2024 school year, the average on-time kindergarten enrollment for Allegheny County was 94.4 percent.