docs: add script to verify prework and update README

README.md

@@ -1 +1,38 @@
 # campus-life-starter
+
+# 🚀 Setup Instructions
+
+Welcome to the first lab!
+
+Before you start, let's verify that your development environment is set up correctly.
+
+## ✅ 1. Clone Your Repo Fork
+
+```bash
+git clone [email protected]:your-username/campus-life-starter.git
+cd campus-life-starter
+```
+
+## ✅ 2. Run Setup Script
+
+We've provided a script to help to make sure your environment has all the necessary tools.
+
+This script will verify:
+
+- Git is installed
+
+- VS Code is installed and accessible from the terminal
+
+- Node is installed
+
+```
+bash check-setup.sh
+```
+
+##### ⚠️ If any checks fail:
+
+No worries! We have instructions for each step in the Prework section of the Course portal. If you get stuck, please ask for help!
+
+##### 🎉 When all checks pass:
+
+Woo, you're ready to code! Try making a small change to this README file, and then pushing your first commit!

check-setup.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+echo "Checking Git version..."
+git --version && echo "✅ Git is installed." || { echo "❌ Git not installed."; exit 1; }
+
+echo "Checking for SSH keys..."
+if ls ~/.ssh/id_*.pub > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "✅ SSH key found."
+else
+  echo "❌ No SSH key found."; exit 1;
+fi
+
+echo "Testing SSH connection to GitHub..."
+SSH_OUTPUT=$(ssh -T [email protected] 2>&1)
+if echo "$SSH_OUTPUT" | grep -q "successfully authenticated"; then
+  echo "✅ SSH connection successful."
+else
+  echo "❌ SSH connection failed."; exit 1;
+fi
+
+echo "Checking VS Code command line access..."
+code --version && echo "✅ VS Code CLI is available." || { echo "❌ VS Code CLI not installed."; exit 1; }
+
+
+echo "Checking Node..."
+node -v && npm -v && echo "✅ Node installed."
+
+echo "🎉 Environment looks good!"