![With Sam at his side, Paul Marsenison listens intently during an orientation session for new parents at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f92ed2c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/140x178+0+0/resize/880x1119!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fprograms%2Fatc%2Ffeatures%2F2004%2Fsep%2Fkindergarten%2Fsamdad140-6ebc7c43d124ecab72adec39b3ba885605911c37.jpg)
Anne Hawke, NPR /
Sam Marsenison is 5 and poised to start kindergarten. His parents are just as anxious as he is. The first day of school promises to bring great excitement, joy and anxiety to families across the country. In Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., classes began a couple of weeks ago. NPR's Claudio Sanchez and producer Anne Hawke followed Sam and his family in their countdown to kindergarten.
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