TKW Consulting

Is this Child Ready for School?

An article in the Charlotte Observer:

Is your child ready to start kindergarten?
Here are some of the skills kids need to succeed in school It's that time of year again! Children are starting school and some parents are wondering if their child is ready for kindergarten. Some children entering kindergarten may already have experience in a preschool program, while others may never have been exposed to a classroom setting until their first day of kindergarten.

Is your child ready for kindergarten?
First, a parent needs to understand what "readiness" for school really means. Depending on whom you ask, school readiness can be measured by age-eligibility requirements, readiness testing, or academic and social skills. Studies show that teachers cite children's ability to communicate and pay attention as important factors of readiness while parents often concentrate on academic skill, such as counting to 20 or knowing the alphabet.

To help you think about your child's readiness for kindergarten, here are some questions to ask yourself.

Q. Can my child take care of their personal needs?
When entering kindergarten your child will need to take care of many of their personal needs without your help. Can your child use the toilet? Wash their hands? Put on and take off their coat? Snap, button, zip and belt their pants? Use silverware? Put toys away when asked? These skills are all good signs of being ready for kindergarten.

Q. Does my child have the social skills to get along in class?
For many children, adjusting to the classroom and working in groups is one of the most challenging parts of kindergarten. Is your child able to follow the rules and understand two-step directions? Can your child cooperate with other children and play without biting or hitting? Perhaps most challenging, can your child sit still for up to 10 minutes? These skills are important to your own child's ability to learn and to the overall learning
environment of the class.

Q. What academic skills should my child have?
A child entering kindergarten does not have to know everything. After all, that is why they are going to school. However, each child does need to have the skills to learn. Can your child hold a book upright and turn pages from front to back? Is he able to sit and listen to a story? While she doesn't have to be a spelling bee champ, she should know her first and last name and her age. Another good measure of readiness is the child's ability to know and retell some familiar songs, rhymes and stories.

Q. What health or physical requirements are there?
A new environment can be physically challenging for young children. Does your child eat at regular times each day? Can he run, jump, skip and climb? From a health standpoint, has your child received a dental check-up and vision test? Have you checked with schools about immunization requirements?

Hopefully, these questions will give you a sense of whether your child is ready for kindergarten. If you have any questions call your local school.

Do the school age children in your care meet these minimum qualifications to start school? I believe that school readiness is a much more complex issue than is simply stated in this article, but it does give an idea of where to start. If you are interested in learning more about providing school readiness, (in Minnesota) I urge you to take some "Not By Chance" classes... now in three "flavors":

1. foundational: a 2 hour "preview" of the tools and concepts for school readiness
2. awareness: a more details look at tools and fundamentals in this 6 hour class
3. in-depth training: a series of five 8 hour classes to get the full range of school readiness training.

// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 5:23 PM