Creative Ways To Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten!

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My son is reading so well now that he took the class. The biggest improvement I see is his ability to write. His fine motor skills have improved, and he can independently write the sounds to make a word.

Evaluation comment from a mom

Did you know?

49% of children who do not know the alphabet as they enter kindergarten are middle class or higher.

Kindergarten Readiness - What the Experts Say

On January 8, 2009, the National Institute for Literacy released the Developing Early Literacy Report, which identifies alphabet knowledge and phonetic awareness as early predictors of literacy. From the study:

The years before kindergarten are a particularly fertile and profitable time to prepare young children to read and learn by teaching them essential literacy skills. The challenge of helping all children become successful readers requires early teaching, using home and school instruction built upon proven research and effective practices.

The Pre K Scholars curriculum is based upon a variety of educational research. Here's what some of the early childhood education experts are saying:

Readiness Leads to Academic Success

A 2008 San Mateo county and Santa Clara county study tracked 719 students in five school districts from kindergarten through third and fifth grade to assess how kindergarten readiness is connected to later academic success. According to the data, the answer to the question "Does readiness matter?" is an emphatic yes!

  • Children who entered kindergarten proficient across all readiness skills performed significantly better than other students on standardized English and math tests in third, fourth and fifth grades.
  • Certain "blocks" of kindergarten readiness skills were associated with strong academic records four years later. Specifically, children proficient in Kindergarten Academics (recognition of letters and engagement with books) and skilled in Social Expression (ability to express needs and wants, curiosity and eagerness for learning) attain the highest test scores.
  • Kindergarten Academics proficiency is highly associated with performance in English and math at third grade.
  • The report suggests that extra efforts to boost critical readiness skills during the summer prior to kindergarten may position children for academic success.

Source: "Does Readiness Matter? How Kindergarten Readiness Translates Into Academic Success," Santa Clara County Partnership for School Readiness, April 2008.

The Argument for Pre K Education

State and federal funding of pre-kindergarten education now exceeds $4 billion at a cost of about $4,000/student reaching approximately 25% of the nation's 4 million eligible four year olds. In "The Argument for Pre-Kindergarten," the Trust for Early Education reveals pre-kindergarten aged children are ready and able to learn language, reading, mathematics and science concepts far more than previously thought. What's more, children who do not know the alphabet or numbers when they enter kindergarten are behind in reading and math at the end of kindergarten—and at the end of first grade.

Lack of kindergarten readiness is not an economic class issue. As they enter kindergarten, more than one-third of middle class children and more than one-quarter of upper-middle class children do not know the alphabet. Half or more of parents surveyed, across all income categories, had trouble finding programs with high quality teachers or with a high quality learning environment. The majority of early education experiences are lacking in quality.

Source: "The Argument for Pre-Kindergarten," The Trust for Early Education, Fall 2004

Quality Lacking in Pre K Programs

Today's kindergarten curriculum looks more like yesterday's first grade. Three and four year olds can begin to learn about reading and math. Research tells us that the foundation for reading success should be set long before a child reaches first grade.

A pre-kindergarten program is the place for children to get ready to learn. Good programs capitalize on and support a child's natural curiosity and the diverse ways in which children learn.

Research on the benefits of quality pre-kindergarten programs found that for every dollar invested, society saves between four and eight dollars in future investments for remedial classes, special education costs, welfare participation and participation in juvenile and adult crime. However, in four different large-scale studies of early care and education programs, researchers repeatedly discovered that the majority scored no better than "mediocre" on a common measure of program quality.

Source: "A Policy Primer: Quality Pre-Kindergarten," The Trust for Early Education, Fall 2004

Teachers' Perceptions on the Importance of Readiness

A Washington State University study asked 305 kindergarten teachers their opinions about the preparedness of their students in 24 different areas across all domains of learning. It is interesting to note that 69% of students representing 450 kindergarten classes had some type of traditional preschool or early childhood program experience.

  • Students were rated least prepared in alphabet, producing rhyming words, print concepts, form explanations, and counting to 20. Other weak areas included order/group objects, classify and compare, understand narrative, variety of strategies, and complex sentences.
  • Following directions: 96% of teachers rate as important yet about 57% of students adequately prepared.
  • Self and impulse control: 95% of teachers rate as important yet about 56% of students adequately prepared.
  • Problem solving: 88% of teachers rate as important yet about 52% of students adequately prepared.
  • Recognize own name in print: 84% of teachers rate as important yet about 55% are students adequately prepared.
  • Perceptions of overall preparedness: 44% of classes reported less than 40% of students adequately prepared.

Source: "Statewide Kindergarten Teacher Survey on School Readiness," Washington State University Social & Economic Sciences Research Center, January 2005

Kindergarten Teachers Rate Readiness of Students

A statewide study conducted in Kansas asked kindergarten teachers to assess aspects of kindergarten readiness: symbolic development, literacy development, mathematical knowledge, social skills development, learning to learn, and physical development. The data was collected on 1,997 kindergarten students from 95 counties and 170 school districts represented by 233 different schools.

  • 47.4% of students were rated as prepared at an above average level, while 19% were rated as not prepared
  • 65% of students exhibited physical readiness
  • 53% exhibited the mathematical knowledge and skills needed, which means 938 of the students assessed were not ready
  • 47% exhibited the "learning to learn" skills needed, which means 1,058 students were not ready
  • 47% exhibited the symbolic development skills needed, which means 1,058 students fell short
  • 43% exhibited the communication and literacy skills needed, which means 1,138 were not prepared
  • 42% exhibited the social skills needed, which means 1,158 children were not ready

Source: Kansas Kindergarten Readiness Project: Student Readiness for School, Kansas State Department of Education, Fall 2004.

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