Kindergarten Readiness: Is Your Child Ready for School?

Kindergarten readiness is ideal for many children, including children who are new to English, any child who might benefit from a slightly smaller class setting, any child who needs a little extra nurturing, or a child who might be ready for a slightly more formal learning environment.

But age may not be the best determinant of readiness. Each child's development is unique and may child development experts will tell any parent that no single or simple factor determines whether a child is ready for kindergarten.

Many kindergarten readiness programs prepare children for all types of kindergarten settings. The kindergarten readiness program is designed to ensure that each child enters kindergarten with the necessary oral language, cognitive learning and early reading, math and thinking skills necessary for continued success in school. Many programs provide cognitive learning opportunities in a high-quality language and literature-rich environment so that children can attain the fundamental knowledge and learning skills necessary for optimal learning development in kindergarten and beyond.

Kindergarten Readiness Programs - Areas of Evaluation

It is anticipated that each child will progress at an individual, but measurable pace. As students enter the program with noraml variations in their maturity and preparedness in each area of evaluation, each student's growth towards his or her readiness for kindergarten will be assessed during various periods of the school year.

Areas of Evaluation

• Oral language including vocabulary, expressive language, listening comprehension.
• Phonological awareness including rhyming, blending and segmenting.
• Print awareness - print-speech relationship, concepts and functions of print, concept of word, conventions of print.
• Alphabetic and numeric recognition out of order, as well as the representation, connection, and manipulation of sounds and number concepts.
• Sense of self and self-awareness, including roles and responsibilities within group, following rules, and interaction with peers
• Curiosity and exploration of visual and solid arts materials and activities, including the ability to represent experiences or ideas through art.
• Both gross and fine motor skills through daily exercise and nurturing to develop coordination, strength, and balance, including the ideas of physical safety, good health habits, and nutrition.

Parent Tips

When evaluating a kindergarten readiness program, make sure the evaluations include an Early Literacy Assessment in addition to the general evaluation of the social/emotional maturity, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive learning, as well as academic and creative development.