Kindergarten Readiness Essay

School readiness is defined by Petersen (2014) as, “children possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and later learning in life” (p. 175). When referring to infants and toddlers she defines it as, “supporting and protecting the developing brain in such a way that the brain creates a strong physical foundation for learning” (p. 175). Just as the definitions for school readiness for school age children and for infants and toddlers are not the same, the way we teach the skills for school readiness is different. Infants and toddlers learn differently than school aged children, so simply extending the core standards and teaching strategies used with school aged children down to

Providing children with an environment that nurtures their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development is the framework that will promote children’s optimal learning and development. Gaining knowledge about the child will help a teacher to develop and create programs that are suitable for the age and the stages of children’s development. Applying developmentally appropriate practices will support the excellence in early childhood education because it is based off of the knowledge of knowing each child as an individual and how they develop.

Early childhood assessment is constantly developing appropriate practices in many ways. Teachers have to identify the child’s developmental

In today's society, early childhood education programs have become an almost expected first step in every child's life. Studies have shown that when children attend they children who attend a preschool program are exposed to numbers, letter, and shapes on a daily basis. They also begin to learn many life skills, like how to socialize, share and separate from their parents. These first steps of learning are so important that now forty states in the U.S. now offer state funded pre-k programs (Kanter, 2016). With some many different preschools and early childhood programs, how do parents know if the programs are being held to a certain standard? The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is one comprehensive assessment tool available. Using this tool while quietly observing a preschool classroom, will help to define areas of strength as well as areas needing to be strengthened. The scale has thirty five different areas that are divided into six subscales, that will be observed. Each question is yes or no answer to a specific question and example.

The 2010 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Initial and Advanced Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs provides standards that set guidelines for what and how early childhood professionals prepare themselves to be efficient educators and caregivers. Professional development tools and strategies are critical assets for providing high quality early childhood education and care that meets the needs and interest of all learners. Today’s early childhood settings are filled with a diverse group of learners. Efficient educators must use a broad range of approaches, tools, and resources to ensure success for all learners. The NAEYC Initial and Advanced Standards demonstrates particular strategies for early childhood educators to prepare themselves to be successful and effective teachers. For this brief composition I chose to highlight the initial standard #4: using developmentally effective approaches.

Oftentimes, children who are not introduced to the guidelines and principles of their kindergarten classroom spend much of their first year trying to catch up to their peers. By implementing a universal preschool, early childhood educators are able to apply kindergarten policies to their classroom procedures in an effort to prepare students for the transition. For instance, when the educators from various grades are able to communicate with one another, health records, learning disabilities and classroom procedures are discussed and teachers are able to employ solutions before the school year starts. As many as half of all children entering kindergarten display difficulties in the transition. Moreover, teachers expect children to have certain skills sets upon entering the classroom that they may not possess. Finally, kindergarten teachers identified weaknesses in academic and social kills, including the inability to follow directions, working independently or perform adequately in a formal school setting (Stormont, 213). By introducing children to these basic skill sets in preschool, they are able to transition smoothly to kindergarten and succeed among their

The purpose of this article was to research why early childhood education workers want to make changes to a system that is very similar to the pre-k programs that are currently taking place. They wanted to see how effective other programs such as TEEM was for the students as well as the teachers. Readying children for kindergarten is the main goal of preschool educators and through Brown 's research he was able to find out how effective TEEM truly was. Through this research they discovered that it was working well inside a majority of the classrooms. The teachers were able to see noticeable improvements from the students as well as with themselves. From the administration 's point of view, the reform with TEEM was making noticeable differences, "In all, these elementary school stakeholders saw this model of pre-K reform working because it produced students who fit their conception of school readiness.” (Brown, Christopher, n.d.). Not only was it affecting the students, but the principle of one of the schools really saw a change as well. It was stated in the article, “The principal likes TEEM because she sees the results

developed by the Child Development Division, California Department of Education. This publication was edited by Faye Ong,

The second research article was selected from The Early Childhood Education Journal and is titled “A Quantitative Study of Head Start Children’s Strengths, Families’ Perspectives, and Teachers’ Ratings in the Transition to Kindergarten” (Robinson & Diamond, 2013). This study explored the connection between preschool children’s social-interpersonal skills and their transition to kindergarten in mid-western America. One hundred and thirty-three preschool children participated in this study over a two year period using three measures of testing. In the year leading up to commencing kindergarten the children’s social-interpersonal skills were evaluated by their teachers. In the following year, parents/guardians and teachers were then required to report on the children’s adjustment to kindergarten. The results of this study found that there was no connection between parents/guardians and teachers reports of

From the time we enter a preschool program or Kindergarten, our abilities, knowledge and development are consistently being assessed. Assessment has occured throughout all aspects of my education, from the spelling tests I took in elementray school, to the Connecticut Mastery tests, to the SAT’s in high school, and even to the placement tests I took for the community college I attended. These assessments may not have been the most pleasurable experiences that occurred during my education, but they were very important.

This article, written by Moriah Balingit has mentioned how the kindergarten's curriculum in this generation has changed over the past decade. It also compares and contrasts opinions of different mothers and teachers from a variety of different states. The author mentions an experienced researcher named Daphna Bassok, an associate professor of education at the University of Virginia. The author briefly explains that Bassok “...believes the shift in kindergarten is rooted in a ‘trickling down of accountability pressures’ with schools under more demands to ready children for standardized tests that are used to evaluate teachers and schools.” This statement thoroughly

Edwards, C. P. (2002). Three Approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1), 2-14. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/edwards.html

As educators and child-care givers make decisions that concern young learners, this article would encourage them to invest in the education of our youngest children in America. I think the information provided concerning the support that young families could get as a part of the early intervention process could substantially change the way parents prepare their children for school. This most often would benefit children who are in low-income and low socio-economic levels. I also liked the ideas the study had to continue to move toward higher academic advancement. One thing that was mentioned in the study was having extended help for these types of students well into elementary school (Reynolds, 2008). They would begin with early intervention, but would continue to have programs to provide extra help for those students. From this article and research I am convinced that working with young children and their families can have rewards when it comes to academic achievement and test scores in upper

The education of the young mind is an important step in preparing the child for future learning experiences. The evolution of early childhood education has changed how adults and parents view the importance of offering stimulating and exciting opportunities to the very young. Early childhood Education offers the young child learning experiences that benefit them throughout their educational career. They soon embark on a whole new world of learning. These children are not only experiencing standard brain growth, but verbal and physical skills as well. Early childhood education teachers use a variation of techniques for instructing. They use lesson plans, worksheets, and even teacher resources for these young minds.

In early childhood education, school readiness has been becoming an issue of concern. Early childhood educators have the responsibility to prepare the child to demonstrate certain skills, behaviour and abilities that are essential for getting them ‘ready for school’ and their ‘school-success’. Children are prepared to excel in certain key areas of learning so that they can meet certain kindergarten standards and expectations of curriculum.