Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?

By Lawrence Manetti, St. Joseph School Principal

Decades ago, the term "kindergarten readiness" meant little more than parents making sure their five-year-old sons and daughters were equipped with an ample supply of pencils, crayons, paper and folders.

In recent years, with advances in our understanding of early child development, "kindergarten readiness" has become a much more complex term encompassing whether or not a young child has reached certain levels of social and emotional development, cognition and general knowledge, language development, and physical well-being and motor development.

Understandably, the "Is my child ready for kindergarten?" question---along with the "Should I delay my child's entry into kindergarten to give him/her an extra year in preschool to develop?"----is one that mothers and fathers ask more frequently than ever.

While there certainly is no "one size fits all" kindergarten readiness checklist, I found an interesting one online recently:

http://school.familyeducation.com/kindergarten/school-readiness/38491.html

(One note about the checklist, relating to the "If your child has acquired most of the skills on this checklist and will be at least four years old at the start of the summer before he or she starts kindergarten" sentence: The school code in Illinois states that a child entering kindergarten needs to be five years old by September 1st.)

One thing all parents should remember is not to keep your concerns to yourself. Share your concerns openly and honestly with your child's teacher. Work together with your child's teacher to monitor your child's progress and determine the best course of action.

As a parent, you want the very best for your child, and you prove it every day by giving your best efforts. At St. Joseph School, we share your goals and will work with you as partners in your child's education.

Have a great day...