Wednesday, November 28, 2007
This is an interesting article in the Free Press. I would like to talk to a provider in the St Peter area to see how theis curriculm looks.
St. Peter eyes day cares to help prepare children
District looking for ways to help all children begin school on same level
Once upon a time, kindergarten readiness meant having a box of crayons and tied shoelaces.
Not any more.Kindergarten readiness is one of the latest ideological innovations in education. The logic is that children who enter kindergarten with age-appropriate skills are more likely to experience continued success in the classroom. And if kids are more successful in school, they are less likely to drop out and/or commit crimes.
The St. Peter School District, along with the city’s Community and Family Education department and the St. Peter Early Childhood Coalition, have already devised and implemented several kindergarten readiness programs.
But St. Peter’s newest initiative takes kindergarten curriculum somewhere it doesn’t often go — into the living rooms of home day care providers.
“We found the curriculum and we thought it made sense to make it available,” said St. Peter Supt. Jeff Olson. “One of our long-term goals is having every student ready for kindergarten.”
According to community education director Nancy Penn, there are more than 30 home day care providers in the St. Peter area. With limited resources and materials — at least compared to center-based day care facilities — home providers have not typically had the opportunity to implement kindergarten curriculum.
Not any more.
“Home day cares are on their own,” Penn said. “They just don’t have everything that
centers do. This curriculum respects that and really reflects what home day cares are able to do. ... We are really depending on them to help get our kids ready.”The curriculum, which is certified by the school district, emphasizes reading skills and, especially, comprehension skills. The reason, Penn said, is that the biggest challenge for young learners, regardless of background, is language.
Penn said children reach kindergarten at different reading, speaking and comprehension levels. Hopefully, she said, the curriculum will even the playing field and ensure all children have the necessary language skills when they show up for their first day of school.
“When they start school, all kids bring different language with them,” Penn said. “One child is from a farm, one child has parents that teach at Gustavus Adolphus. Those two kids will know different vocabulary and use language differently.”
Training for the curriculum begins Tuesday and continues once a month until March. The sessions begin at 6 p.m. and last less than two hours. The $30 registration fee is refunded upon completion of the training.
Anyone interested can contact St. Peter Community and Family Education at (507) 934-3048.
