Is your child ready for kindergarten?

Should we send him or hold him back one more year?  He’s got a summer birthday, he seems young, or I just can’t decide if I should send him?  These are just a few of the questions weighing on the minds of preschool parents these days.  And, there are no simple answers. 

Guidelines exist to help you make the right choice for your family.  The Brecksville Cooperative Preschool monitors a child’s readiness in social interaction, cognition capabilities, physical capabilities, skill comprehension and a child’s eagerness to learn. Throughout the year, parents and teachers work together in assessing growth steps in these areas.

Now is the time to reach out to your child’s preschool teacher and get an assessment on core kindergarten readiness skills.  If you are home schooling your child, you can still observe your child is social settings and evaluate their work at home.

If you find your child is not ready for kindergarten, be sure to check out the Co-op’s 5 day pre-kindergarten program which is geared toward eager learners and young fives and will be the stepping stone your child needs to make the leap.  The best way to check out these and other programs is to visit the school.

School-readiness skills are best taught in small doses, with repetition over months – and without demanding pressure.  The list below was compiled by researches for World Book, Inc. who surveyed parents on ideal readiness skills.  Article initially distributed by Family Circle Magazine.

For a complete listing of skills readiness and other helpful guidelines, go to
http://www.brecksvilleco-op.com/preschoolguide.html

READING READINESS

• Remembers pictures from a printed page
• Repeats a 6-8 word sentence
• Pretends to read (as has been read to frequently)
• Identifies own first name in writing
• Prints own first name
• Answers questions about a short story
• Looks at pictures and tells a story
• Understands that one reads from left to right

Knows:

• Letters of the alphabet
• Some nursery rhymes
• The meaning of simple words

TIME

• Understands day and night
• Knows age and birthday

COLORS & SHAPES

• Primary colors
• Triangles, circles, squares /rectangles

Go to  http://www.brecksvilleco-op.com/preschoolguide.html for the full listing and other support materials.