Still, there are often more expectations placed upon kindergarten students, whose age generally makes them more developmentally mature. “Before, a lot of the emphasis in kindergarten was preparing kids for working with each other, for routines of the school day, leaving home - and I think since that’s really shifted a lot to pre-K, kindergarten now is much more, for better or worse, focused on preparation for first grade.” “It’s shifted a little bit,” says Professor Erin O’Connor, program leader of early childhood education at New York University in New York and co-host of the Parenting Understood podcast. However, in some schools, pre-K may look a lot like kindergarten does in others. How does kindergarten differ from pre-K?Ī pre-K (or pre-kindergarten) classroom prepares kids around age 4 (again, some may still be about to turn 4 others may be almost 5) for kindergarten. It is also important to research and understand specific school policies. Yes, parents often know their children best and whether they are developmentally ready for kindergarten - but talking to a child’s preschool or pre-K teachers, day care providers or even a pediatrician can help parents navigate this decision. Of course, experts say that there are pros and cons to this option, and it is very child dependent. While some schools and school districts do not give parents any wiggle room when it comes to postponing enrollment, others are more open to academic redshirting, especially for children who turn 5 close to the kindergarten cutoff date. In fact, only 19 states and the District of Columbia require kindergarten attendance (although local education agencies may have their own entrance and attendance requirements within each state). The short answer is that children enter kindergarten around the age of 5 - but because cutoff dates vary from state to state (and even from one school district or private school to the next), some children will begin the school year while they are still 4 and some will be turning 6 shortly after the school year begins.Īnd the kindergarten entrance age isn’t the only piece of the puzzle that varies.
#Kindergarten near me how to
“Kindergarten is a time for kids to learn how to interact, play and socialize with same-age peers.” - ASHLEY SHUR, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER At what age do kids start kindergarten? “Some students have not had a ‘school type’ setting so the beginning of the year is all about getting to know everyone, how the classroom works and routines.” “Kindergarten is a time for kids to learn how to interact, play and socialize with same-age peers,” explains Ashley Shur, a Middlesex County, New Jersey kindergarten teacher of 13 years.
While specific standards and curricula differ across the nation, the general idea that children are still learning to become members of a classroom and a school community is the same. In kindergarten, Soriano continues, students “build upon the foundations of reading, writing, numeracy - and, most importantly, they learn how to be part of a community of learners, explore new subjects and gain confidence in themselves as people.” “In many public schools, it is the first year of a child’s educational process if they don’t offer pre-K,” notes Christina Soriano, a Brooklyn, New York teacher, who has worked in the NYC public school system for 15 years in various roles, including that of a summer enrichment teacher for students entering first grade. There is certainly a reason for so much excitement around the start of kindergarten - even if children have attended pre-kindergarten programs beforehand. “The purpose of kindergarten is for children to learn how to learn! Children learn how to be in a group, to wait their turn, to listen to the thoughts and ideas of others - really, to learn that others have thoughts and experiences that differ from their own.” - RACHEL RUBIN, CO-FOUNDER AND EDUCATOR, LᐧMᐧNᐧOᐧPLAY! Exactly what is kindergarten? The most joyous and the most important, as she explains: “The purpose of kindergarten is for children to learn how to learn!” She adds, “Children learn how to be in a group, to wait their turn, to listen to the thoughts and ideas of others - really, to learn that others have thoughts and experiences that differ from their own.” “Kindergarten should be the most joyful school year,” says Rachel Rubin, co-founder and educator at LᐧMᐧNᐧOᐧPlay! and a former pre-K and kindergarten teacher in New York. So much of what kindergarten entails is actually rooted in the etymology of the word, which is formed from the German words meaning “children” and “garden.” Yes, kindergarten is often considered a milestone year in a child’s educational journey - but it is literally a time for children around the age of 5 to blossom and grow into more independent individuals.
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