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Kindergarten Readiness: A Launching Pad for Future Success
Why do we care about kindergarten readiness?
Do you worry about your child's first day in kindergarten? Perhaps you are concerned that he or she might feel scared or lost, or that learning to get along with a group of new children might be overwhelming. After all, starting kindergarten, for many children, is their introduction to a school environment, and we all want it to be a good one.
Unfortunately, for many of our nation's children, and for the 18,000 children in kindergarten across King County, the transition to kindergarten does NOT always go smoothly. A recent study sponsored by the National Center for Educational Statistics, indicated that about 20% of kindergarten children lagged behind in the cognitive area of development and 31% lagged behind in the social and emotional area of development. School districts in King County do not keep records on the readiness of children entering kindergarten, but discussions with teachers and school officials confirm the national studies that show that many children are coming to school unprepared. What we also know from research is that children who have an unsuccessful experience in kindergarten are less likely to catch up and do better in later grades and more likely to drop out of school.
What is kindergarten readiness?
A child's kindergarten readiness has to do with certain pre-academic skills such as being able to recognize words, hold and show interest in a book, and count on one's fingers. But at least as important are certain social/emotional skills, such as being able to share and get along with other children in a group, to sit still for a period of time, and to focus on an adult that is speaking to them.
We tend to think about a child's readiness for school, but the school's readiness for the child is also a factor that influences the experience. For instance, is the school welcoming and understanding of the child's culture? Do they make the entry process understandable to parents for whom English is not their first language?
School readiness is related to characteristics of not just of children, but of families, schools and communities. Involved parents who read to their children from birth, schools that respect cultural and individual differences, and communities that support schools and families all play a part in school readiness.
What does child care have to do with school readiness?
Science tells us that the first few years of life are crucial for a child's brain development, and that the quality of development in those early years sets the stage for the child's future. The nurturing that the child receives from all significant caregivers and the learning he or she does in those early years shapes the child's ability to learn, to relate to others, and thus to be successful in school and in life. In short, school readiness begins at birth.
With almost half of children birth-five in King County attending regular child care, whether it is licensed child care, or care from a nanny, relative or neighbor, it becomes clear that the quality of these care environments play a huge role in early learning. There is a wealth of research that shows that a high quality child care environment has a positive impact on cognitive skills and on social emotional development that lasts throughout the school years, and even reinforces staying in school and going on to higher education. In fact, there is also some research that indicates that the positive impact of high quality care and the negative impact of poor quality care is stronger for low-income children than it is for children from more affluent backgrounds. Thus, there is a growing interest in increasing the skills of child care providers, including family, friend and neighbors who care for children, so that they are promoting school readiness.
What are we doing to increase quality of child care and school readiness in King County?
In our community we have a Getting School Ready Initiative, sponsored by a community collaborative under United Way's umbrella, called Soar, Helping Kids Reach for the Sky. Getting School Ready is a collaboration of many community organizations, school districts, parents, teachers and child care providers.
The Getting School Ready Initiative began with a community wide summit attended by over 300 people. Out of this initial effort came 40 "community conversations" which were dialogues between parents, kindergarten teachers, child care providers and other interested members of the community to discuss how to help children get ready for school and schools to get ready for children. A Getting School Ready guide has been produced in several languages, and this guide clearly lays out skills and supports that are necessary to help this process.
The Getting School Ready Initiative held a second summit in 2003, and is now in the process of forming school readiness teams in a few of King County's school districts. These teams will bring together invested parties to develop more specific strategies to increase the number of children making a successful transition to kindergarten.
One of the key community partners in this process is Child Care Resources, King County's child care resource and referral agency. Child Care Resources is a private, non profit agency that is leading community efforts so that all families can find safe, affordable, high quality child care. The agency helps over 6,000 families per year find care that meets their families' needs, and recruits, trains and supports child care providers in order to raise the quality of care.
Child Care Resources, along with other partners, is helping child care providers gain awareness of the best ways to prepare children for school. Providers have choices all day long as to how often to read to the children, how much to coach social skills, and how to infuse a child with a sense of pride and accomplishment that will forever aid him or her in future learning. Child Care Resources offers workshops and classes, three geographically accessible resource centers with curriculum materials and resources, and even a mobile resource van that visits providers at their programs, all geared towards increasing quality and helping to teach school readiness skills to providers.
For more information about Child Care Resources, visit the agency at its web site, www.childcare.org. For more information about the Getting School Ready Initiative, visit their web site at www.gettingschoolready.org.
Nina Auerbach is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Child Care Resources, a non-profit agency that helps parents find child care, recruits, trains and supports child care professionals, and educates the community on the importance of early learning and after school care issues. Ms. Auerbach has an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work and an MBA from the University of Washington. Her former career was as a child and family therapist.
Contact info:
Phone: 206-329-1011 x 208
E-mail: auerbach@childcare.org
© March 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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