Full-Day vs. Half-Day Kindergarten Essay

The article by Erika Christakis, informs future teachers and parents how preschool today may not be benefiting their children as much as they thought. She talks about how preschool has changed drastically over the years as well as kindergarten. She states that “kindergarten may be the new first grade”. Her statement shows how children today are expected more then they were years ago in all grades, especially preschool and at such a young age. Many think this is helping our children or will benefit them in the future if they know more as a child but this may not be the case. The article talks about multiple studies done throughout America to children are learning and how school curriculum changing affects children. A studied showed that children

This would allow the instructor to better connect with his or her pupils. Also, according to the Columbia Journalism School’s Teacher Project, some of the schools who have switched “ have seen marginal increases in standardized test scores.” This is yet another piece of evidence to suggest that the four-day school week provides more adequate academic performance for our ever evolving world. Additionally, another eyewitness testimony by the Superintendent of the Lathrop school district Miami R-1 from Missouri stated “ Our ACT scores are the best they’ve been in 10 years, and our teachers love it.” Once again, the four-day school week has proven its’ ability to conduct education for young adults in an effective manner. This same Superintendent also announced that a community poll conducted approximately half way through the first year showed that 70% of the parents supported the four-day schedule. This poll helps to show that it appears that the majority of the community in small, rural districts such as Miami R-1 or even perhaps Colby where childcare is not an issue would benefit greatly from the four-day school schedule. As one can see, the four-day schedule is widely accepted with a strong base of support from the community if it is in a rural area such as Missouri or

Imagine two parents who have a child getting ready to go to kindergarten. They are very smart and seem completely prepared for this big milestone. There is only one problem, her child’s birthday does not meet the cutoff date. Now she is faced with the decision of where to educate her child. Does she put her child back in preschool? Should she homeschool her child until the next school year? This is an obstacle faced by many parents all over the country whose children do not meet the cutoff age for enrollment. The answer to the issue is transitional kindergarten. Already implemented in California schools, it is a state-funded, two-year program that allows children to get an extra year of schooling before kindergarten if their fifth

Thesis Statement: Children benefit more from a high quality full-day pre-k program because their daily attendance rate is better than average and have reduced chronic absences, their social-emotional development is better, and their achievement scores in language and math are higher than their peers who attend a half-day or no pre-k program.

Intensifying pre-kinder is a major concerns after the 2011 Texas Legislation eliminated all grants for full-day programs. It is said that success made in pre-K lasts a lifetime, and children with a high quality pre-K program begin school with more advanced skills in comprehension and problem solving. If programs to elongate school days do not pass the next option would be to increase the number of days students attend school. With smaller amount of schools along with estimated population growth Texas educators have put a lot of thought into this option.

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

To start off, many students aren’t ready yet for the basis of kindergarten as they never finished, or even attended preschool. Attending a preschool gives children an early advantage, and stimulates an early mind. When a child starts their educational journey at the age of three, they get a two year “Head Start,” for themselves, compared to kids who have not attended preschool. This early advantage is a physical and significant benefit for them as it helps strengthen the child from early on. According to greatschools.org, “To sustain children’s excitement and motivation for learning, high-quality preschool and child care programs introduce early literacy and math skills

As an educator in the early childhood education field, I have had the opportunity to become aware, experienced, and exposed to At-risk children in the NC Pre-Kindergarten classroom. My goal with this action research paper is to adhere to the benefits and everlasting impact on children whom attend and children who did not attend the NC Pre-Kindergarten program. How does NC Pre-K program ready children for Kindergarten? How does a child that did not attend an NC Pre-K classroom differ from those children that did? What are the goals and standards that are addressed in the NC Pre-K classroom? What, if any, curriculum is used in the classroom? Lastly, what assessments and screening tools are used to measure growth from the beginning of Pre-K to the end of the school year? These are the questions that will give my research guidance and direction to better educate the reader.

A longitudinal study done by Lansford et. al involved the observations of 574 children from the ages 5 to 21. The participants were recruited when they entered kindergarten in 1987 or 1988 at Tennessee and Indiana. The parents of the children were randomly approached and asked if they would take part in the longitudinal study. Detailed interviews concerning the child’s developmental history were conducted with their mothers before they had entered kindergarten. In these interviews, the mothers were

In the article “Not Kidding Around” by Kurt Chirbas, he specifies that a push to make kindergarten mandatory is vital to the development of kids. Chirbas states that kindergarten was once intended as a soft entry into the school system, filled with finger painting and songs, kindergarten has become increasingly focused on academics. Kindergarten is now more activity geared toward reading, writing and math concepts. Educators say that students without it can be lost once they reach the classroom. The Education Commission of the States, a research group that tracks education policy, says that “Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia require kindergarten.”

While likely unfit to verbalize the reality, at five years old youngsters discover that there is no space for tyke coordinated immediacy or inventive proposal in the American school classroom. The basic role of kindergarten is to show children the understudy part, comprising of accommodating, arranging, following bearings, not intruding, and so on. The instructor in Gracey's article, Kindergarten as Boot Camp, Edith Kerr, gave a reasonable case of how well meaning, not well prepared educators methodically wipe out the unconstrained interests and perceptions of understudies. Kerr more than once disregarded the kids in such endeavors and declined to go astray from the organized lesson design. Having kids take in the understudy part is certain

Early childhood education has many benefits and there is the potential for many significant outcomes if universal preschools were put into place. Some feel that children who start kindergarten without previously attended preschool sometimes lack certain skills such as social and communication skills and an inability to follow routines. There were also studies done that found attending preschool could help to close the achievement gap in the grade school years. A child’s first few years of life are most important, and they absorb the most during those years. By providing universal preschool, all children would be benefiting, especially those who are in at-risk families or part of the lower class. As a society, we have a responsibility to help the children in our communities and provide them with the education they need in order to help them succeed in life.

I have chosen Kindergarten for my assignment for Week 5. For this assignment I was asked to create and outline to show the details for my paper. I was asked to identify three theories and philosophies along with curriculum for my selected age group.

The years before kindergarten are among the most crucial time in a young child’s life to learn. School readiness, a multidimensional concept, has the ability to convey advantages in academic success in school. Children who enter school with early skills in math and reading tend to have more academic success, attain higher levels of education, and have a higher chance of securing employment (1). Their ability to recognize letters, read words in a book, write their own name, and count numbers are all factors that display early literacy and cognitive development, and in the past years, the number of young children with these qualities has increased over time. During the beginning years of a child's life, whether it’s from socioeconomics, ethnicity, daycare, or all of them combined, multiple factors influence a child’s readiness for school.

There are many types of learning opportunities that can encourage a child to learn and help to enhance their abilities. Child care centers are a great way to encourage a child to learn, and to be ready for the school atmosphere. “The Big Top Child Care Center” in Laurel, Maryland have an excellent program for children between two to nine years of age. They have an environment where teachers are well trained and are first aid and CPR certified. They enhance a child’s learning by providing them with nutrition, educational field trips, and special events. Elementary schools are the opening door for early childhood education. Children can begin their learning experience in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten which are the first grades of elementary education. “ Ring Factory Elementary” located at Harford county in Maryland is a school that has three kindergarten classes that teach five to six year olds the beginning of their educational life. Not only are there child care centers and schools a great