Children in Georgia are getting a jump on the rigors of kindergarten as a result of pre-K programs teaching them lessons they can apply to school, a state official said Tuesday.

“When pre-K works, it’s a great program,” said Holly Robinson, commissioner of Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

Robinson was in Dalton to tour Precious Possessions Preschool and Day Care and also to speak at the Rotary Club’s noon meeting. While at Precious Possessions, Robinson took time to read “The Little Red Hen” to a group of eager kids.

Bright from the Start is the state’s child care and early education program. It was formed in the 1990s and oversees a wide range of programs focused primarily on children from birth to school age and their families. In addition to administering Georgia’s pre-K program, the department licenses and monitors all of the approximate 10,000 center-based and home-based child care facilities in the state.

“It (pre-K) really is an important year because our second- and first-grade years are what they’re doing in kindergarten now,” said Holly Ridley, owner of Precious Possessions on Cleveland Highway. “Everything is getting lower and lower. A lot of the little ones, if it’s appropriate for them, they’re reading by the time they get to kindergarten.”

Pre-K is open to 4- and 5-year-old children and includes reading, drawing, basic math, science, social studies, and fine and large motor skills. At Precious Possessions, there are four pre-K classes of 20 students. During the school year, there are about 150 total kids.

“It gives them the tools that they need to be successful in school,” Ridley said. “Pre-K is an important thing for a child because it helps them socialize before they go to school. It helps them get the foundational skills needed so they won’t have any barriers to their learning. It truly is the purest learning.”

Robinson said the goals of the pre-K program are to provide children with “quality preschool experiences necessary for future school success and to provide resources and support for parents to ensure that success.”

Ridley worked with Robinson on the recent pre-K statewide funding committee.

“It’s a big honor,” Ridley said of the commissioner’s visit. “She is a very astute and knowledgeable lady about pre-K. You can see that she is a go-getter.”