WARSAW — Getting to know new kindergartners each fall can be challenging for any school corporation, especially when it comes to learning about their individual health needs.

With this in mind, Warsaw Community Schools, through its partnership with Lutheran Health Network Kosciusko Community Hospital, is offering low-cost physicals for all of its incoming kindergartners.

“It’s a great collaboration with KCH,” Edgewood Middle School Nurse Tracey Akers said. “It’s not something we’ve ever done, so we thought how good it would be to have parents bring their kids for kindergarten physicals.”

Students starting kindergarten next fall, along with their parents, are invited to Pediatric Healthcare, 902 Provident Drive, Warsaw, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 21. The cost of a physical will be $20 and all proceeds from the event will go to WCS’s Boomerang Backpacks program.

Dental education, hearing and vision screenings and even immunizations will all be available, covered under the $20 donation. Educational activities for incoming kindergartners will include a hand washing station hosted by the WSC nurses, dental education by Orthodontic Specialty Services and an ambulance for students to tour.

Parents can also learn more about dental vouchers and Bright Point representatives will be available to discuss Hoosier Healthwise signups. The Kosciusko County Health Department will remain open late Tuesday for parents wishing to get their children vaccinated that evening.

According to Akers, one of the ideas behind hosting the event this early is to give doctors and schools plenty of time to learn about each student and to spot potential problems well before the start of the school year. All components of the physical are covered under the $20 fee for the specified dates and times. Students who complete the full physical will be entered into a drawing for a boys’ bike or a girls’ bike.

Because this is the first time WCS has offered kindergarten physicals, there are still a few things in the works.

“We know there are going to be some hiccups during the event as we figure out the flow and how many people are going to come,” she said.

Akers noted that it was the partnership with KCH, announced earlier this year, that has allowed Warsaw Community Schools to offer this program. This year’s attendance will give WCS and KCH an idea of how many to expect for next year and to plan accordingly.