Kindergarten Readiness

When talking about Pre K Scholars, many moms ask me, “How old does my child have to be to do this program?”

The short answer is that the Pre K Scholars curriculum primarily serves children who will be entering kindergarten the following fall, so I encourage moms to look at our program as a kindergarten preparedness course, rather than one that is age-specific.

Leveling the Playing Field

Pre K Scholars was developed to help bridge the gaps found in the kindergarten classroom. Our curriculum provides supplemental enrichment to the child, which allows developmental preschools to remain developmental and academic preschools to remain academic. We reinforce the basic skills needed to face the more rigorous—and complex—kindergarten of today.

The Preschool Environment

Using our home state as an example, California currently has no state standards for preschool curriculum. As a result, some children attend developmental preschools, while others attend more academic preschools; certainly, their backgrounds will be different when they enter kindergarten.

Beyond types of preschools, a child’s birth date is a factor: the cut off date for California kindergarten is December 1. A popular trend seems to be holding kids back for a “bonus year”—either because of maturity or for sports performance (this trend is found more commonly among boys). Because of this, it’s not unusual for kindergarten teachers to lead classes of six year old boys and four year old girls, some with developmental preschool experiences and some with more academic experiences.

Consider the difficulty these teachers face with such educational and developmental diversity!

If you’re a kindergarten teacher, or the mother of a child that’s of kindergarten age, what challenges have you seen?