The Importance Of Kindergarten In Schools

Preschool is the period of time before a child enters elementary school. The importance of preschool and whether or not it is necessary before starting kindergarten has been debated. From firsthand experience I have been able to see students who have attended preschool, and who have not. The differences between these two types of students are astonishing. Preschool can give a child a number of benefits, such as social skills with peers, academic advantages, cognitive skills and more.

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

Health promotion is very important to early childhood education to improve the well-being of children and parents’ health and behaviours. “It is important for early childhood educators to recognized their essential role as health promotors” (Pimento & Kernested 2015, P. 4). There are 12 social determinants in daily life for childhood programs, however I have identified that social support networks are most important determinants of health. Likewise, educators and families are both mutually directly and indirectly supporting children to improve their healthy development and education (Pimento & Kernested, 2015, P.34). In early childhood, educators have very important role in daycare which is communication. That means, that we need to communicate with family (parent, grandparent), children and coworkers to share the daily basic tasks and any other ideas or information for improving environments and supports. It is especially important that we support mothers who have very limited knowledge about their first-born baby, such as lack of information about breastfeeding, sleeping routine, formula ratios, nutrition, healthy eating habits, or any parental skills. Not only that, we can also help parents to get benefits and support from the government such as financial support, subsidized daycare, and community information resources on healthy nutrition food.

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

Explain how the range of early years settings reflects the scope and purpose of the sector

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.”

Nearly everyone remembers their first day of Kindergarten, or rather whether or not they were the child that was clinging to their mother’s leg crying in her mad attempt to escape the embarrassment before her, or they were the child that was running away from their emotional mothers’ vise grip hold on them. Either way, everyone’s rendition of their first day of Kindergarten is uniquely identifiable to the commonality of their first taste of independence- the moment where a child will either sink or swim as they are thrown into the pool of reality. The introduction into a society that will no longer cater to every whim of the egotistical mind of a five-year old. Yet,

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.

With the achievement gap already so big between urban cities like Camden and other neighboring districts, it is crucial that parents have the resources they need to provide their children with a high quality early childhood education. Most of these students do not attend a preschool program and so they enter kindergarten lacking many basic social skills. It is much harder to teach these students the skills they need for 1st grade while following state standards when the teacher only has them for 3 hours a day. Shortening kindergarten will leave these students behind and struggling to catch up for many years. Realistically speaking, any worthy plan to close the current achievement gaps involves strong early childhood schooling.

It is a well-known fact that low-income children are falling behind their high-income counterparts due to restricted access to high-quality preschools and education. "Researchers estimate that half of the achievement gap in high school can be attributed to children’s experiences before age 5” (Olinsky, 2014). Having access to high-quality preschools increases the likelihood that a low-income student will graduate from high school, attend college, and earn higher wages as an adult. Although forty states have already adopted federally funded preschools, this should be mandatory in all 50 states and be available to all children “regardless of their background, start on a more level playing field, thereby combat inequality for the next generation of Americans” and “will give all children more of a fair shot to realize the American Dream by working hard and playing by the rules” (Olinsky, 2014; Pazzanese,

Children’s education has been a major topic for discussion in the past few years, specifically preschool education. A child’s education is one of the most important things throughout their whole life, which is why preschool is so important. Preschool lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning. It provides support for fundamental cognitive growth that is needed for future learning abilities. Preschool provides social interaction that helps with their speech and communication skill. The basic skills that preschool teaches children is crucial to their success in kindergarten. Because of all of the skills that are taught to these children, preschool should be mandatory nationwide.

The popularity of full-day kindergarten (FDK) has grown over recent decades. The number of students attending FDK in the United States (US) has escalated from 30% in the early 1980’s to 55% by 1998 (Walston & West, 2004), to 77% reported in 2011. This increase can be posited as a reflection of societal changes and newly emerging educational priorities stemming from papers and reforms such as 1983’s A Nation at Risk and 2001’s No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which have increased focus on standards and accountability through high stakes testing. The rigorous standards and associated accountability have created a demand for more time

Why is kindergarten different than any other grade level in an education field? Kindergarten is the start of a child’s education and the beginning of their growth. In kindergarten, they are learning to become independent as well as learning what education is about. Without starting here, the kids wouldn’t understand anything in the later grades as to their education level of the developmental areas. For example, learning to read and write is important in kindergarten to be successful in life as well as in school. Most children understand their alphabet letters or are aware of their environment printed words before entering kindergarten. According to McGee and Morrow, children acquire this understanding when they are young as two or three

Early childhood education is for children from the ages three to eight years old. In this field there are four learning goals that early programs have for a young child.

Kindergarten teachers are some of the most important teachers a child has because they are being taught life skills that they build on, the rest of their lives. 1. As teachers, we need to make sure that kindergarteners are excited to come back to school because school should be a fun and safe place for them to be. High-quality teachers gently guide conversation in the classroom, and are a great role model for their students. 2. It is important that the classrooms environment is welcoming to all students. In the classroom, there should be a dramatic play area, interest areas, a place for quiet time, and many different centers including art, math, writing, and reading. The teacher could even include pictures of their student’s families to