Scrolling through social media feeds these past few weeks, you are probably seeing many posts that look like this: “First day of Kindergarten!” “I can’t believe my baby is big enough for school!” or “He walked right into that big school building while I sat in my car and cried!” (Of course these are always accompanied by pictures of adorable children wearing backpacks that are bigger than they are). As parents, we are often left wondering how did our sweet little babies grow so quickly? How are they already going to kindergarten? And most importantly, are they ready for kindergarten?
Research shows the academic success of children in later years depends heavily upon their kindergarten readiness. But how do we get our children ready? In short, high quality preschool.
During the early years, children develop primary skills that form the foundations of reading, counting, and social interaction. These years are the most crucial to establishing a solid foundation for a love of learning and future school success!
The skill sets children need to be “ready for kindergarten” might surprise you. Because of the national focus on improving education and meeting standards, you might think that it’s most important for children to enter kindergarten knowing their ABCs, numbers, shapes, and colors so they can keep up with the curriculum. It’s not a bad idea for your children to have some letter and number recognition, but teachers don’t want you to drill your kids on academic skills. There are important readiness skills that form the foundation for your child’s learning. While these skills can certainly be nurtured in the home-setting, a high quality preschool setting will support your child in several developmental areas, including: how they approach learning; health and physical well-being; language and communication development; social and emotional development; and cognitive and general knowledge.
Walking my two five year old twins to school yesterday was hard — for me! They couldn’t have been more ready. I’m confident this is because of their 3 years in a high quality preschool classroom at a Children, Inc. early learning center. Clara exclaimed, “I don’t have time to hug you goodbye Mommy – I’m too excited!” and Henry couldn’t wait to see his new teacher (who he met earlier in the week). They came home exhausted and already sharing with us their excitement of the new school year!
Children, Inc. provides high quality early learning opportunities for children from infant through kindergarten in Northern Kentucky and Ohio. If you are looking for care, please check out the website and call a center to set up a tour.
Sources : 1. Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early child development. Washington, DC: National Academies Press | 2. Barnett, W. Steven. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications. East Lansing, Mich.: Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice | 3. Kentucky Department of Education: School Readiness Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/conpro/prim-pre/Pages/School-Readiness-Definition.aspx.
