Chapter 4

ARE SCHOOLS READY FOR THREE -, FOUR-, AND FIVE-

YEAR-OLD CHILDREN?
 STATE-LEVEL STRUCTURAL POLICIES FOR KINDERGARTEN
PROGRAMS

• State legislatures, government agencies, or state boards of

education establish structural policies for kindergarten
programs.

• These policies include overall goals, teacher/child ratio,

curriculum philosophy, and assessment methods.

• The aim of these policies is to ensure academic success for all

children in school.
 YEAR-OLD CHILDREN?
ARE SCHOOLS READY FOR THREE -, FOUR-, AND FIVE-
• Following the advent of Head Start, more schools
implemented three-, four-, and five-year-old
programs to offer enriching educational
experiences to children living in poverty.

• Historically, goals have guided the nature of early

learning programs.

• Goals include helping immigrant children and their

families become assimilated into the culture of
the United States.

• The overall goals of early learning programs are

designed to ready children for academic success
in later years
 Project Head Start was launched in 1965 to

YEAR-OLD CHILDREN?
ARE SCHOOLS READY FOR THREE-, FOUR-, AND FIVE-
break the cycle of poverty by providing
comprehensive preschool programs for low-
income families.

The program aimed to meet the emotional,

social, health, nutritional, and psychological
needs of preschool children.

Head Start
(The Head Start Program at the
Corona Branch of the Queens
Borough Public Library. March 4,
Program
1965)
SOCIAL GOALS and OVERALL GOALS
Social goals for children continue to influence
today’s programs (Bredekamp and Copple, 1997).
The federal and state governments have
established goals for programs it funds and other
early childhood programs.

The National Association for the Education of

Young Children has also developed overall goals
and guidelines for preschool programs.

The Early Childhood Program Standards and

Accreditation Performance Criteria (NAEYC,
2004) describes in the goals and standards that
early childhood education programs should follow
in order to provide high-quality learning
experiences for young children.
 THE 10 NAEYC PROGRAM
STANDARDS

RELATIONSHIPS COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

CURRICULUM FAMILIES

TEACHING LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT OF CHILD PROCESSS

HEALTH

STAFF COMPETENCIES,
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
PREPARATION, AND SUPPORT
CURRICULUM GOALS

Curriculum goals can stem from content standards developed by experts in

various subjects.

State departments of education and other organizations translate these

standards for preschool-aged children.

State standards often include benchmarks and standards for children as

young as three years old.
KNOWLEDGE and EARLY LEARNING
PROGRAMS

Early learning programs aim to clarify, expand, and extend children's knowledge and
understanding of the world.

At the end of an early learning program, five-year-olds should have a concept and
understanding of the world, knowledge of math and sciences, language and
communication skills, and an understanding of their bodies and health practices.
 SKILLS and EARLY LEARNING
PROGRAMS

Early childhood programs aim to develop and practice children's thinking, language, problem-
solving, emotional, social, and other skills.

At the end of an early learning program, five-year-olds should have sensory skills, fine motor
skills, thinking and reasoning skills, communication skills, emotional skills, social skills, and self-
care skills.
ATTITUDES and DISPOSITION

Academic success depends not only on knowledge and skills but also on
positive attitudes and dispositions about learning and school.

At the end of an early learning program, children should have a positive

attitude toward learning, curiosity, a positive self-concept, confidence in
others, initiative, persistence, self-efficacy, and positive expectations for
academic success.
 Importance of Small Group Sizes and
Adult - to - Child Ratios
• Small group sizes and appropriate adult-to-child ratios are crucial for the success of
early learning programs.

• Younger children need adult assistance with their physical needs and learn best through
hands-on interactions with adults and peers.

• Recommended group sizes are no more than 15 three-year-olds, 20 four-year-olds, and

24 five-year-olds, with adult/child ratios of 1:10 for three- and four-year-olds and 1:12 for
five-year-olds.
CURRICULUM PHILOSOPHY

• The curriculum's philosophical underpinnings are often articulated at the state level.

• Constructivist or interactional theories, such as those of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky,

and other cognitive psychologists, influence early learning curricula.

• The curriculum addresses the social, emotional, physical, and

intellectual well-being of children and promotes an integrated
approach.
 ASSESSMENT

Assessment strategies are Meaningful assessment

recommended at the state methods should benefit the
level and should be integral child, inform program
to the curriculum. improvement, and involve
LEARN MORE communication with
families.
 LOCAL
AND
DISTRICT
POLICIES
Local districts and schools establish additional
policies beyond state-level policies.

These include policies about:

• Entrance age and retention,

• The use of physical space within a school,
• Length of a school day,
• Schedules and routines,
• Working with resource and auxiliary staff,
and
• How to involve families
Schools have raised the age of entrance into five-year-old
kindergarten to ensure children are ready to learn.

Entrance age is established by states and local districts,

with cut-off dates between August 31 and October 16 in
most states.

Retention in preschool or kindergarten is not recommended

as it does not contribute to academic success and may
stigmatize children.
 Entrance Age and Retention

Despite entrance age policies, there will still be an

age span among children in kindergarten.

Individualized curriculum and programs are

necessary to cater to children's varying strengths,
learning styles, and maturational levels.
When kindergarten became a part of public
schools in 1973 in St. Louis, schools were built
to accommodate Froebelian programs.
Kindergarten rooms were large and some
contained a sandbox, a swing set, and a slide.
Because the purpose of kindergarten was to
provide for the physical and intellectual needs
of children living in poverty, bathrooms with
tiny toilet, sinks, and showers were located
next to classrooms.

• Kindergarten
LEARN MORE classrooms are nowhere

near as large nowadays, but teachers

have found ways to maximise the space
they are given to benefit the children.
Three-, four-, and five-year-olds need outdoor spaces to:
• Run through
• Things to climb in, out, and under
• Spaces where they can build large, complex structures

They also need a variety of surfaces for their work and play:
• A grassy area for sitting, thinking, and reading
• A hard top so they can ride wheeled toys
• A place to dig or work with sand, dirt, and mud

Preschool01aged children also need separate times to play as they could

get easily overwhelmed by elementary-aged children in the play yard.
Older students run faster, are bigger, and could accidentally injure
younger children.
In the US, 60% of kindergarten children are attending full day and 40% are
attending half-day (US Department of Commerce, 2003). With an increasing
interest in having preschool mandatory, there is discussion of lengthening the
school day from 3 to 6 or 7 hours.

The early kindergarten programs in St. Louis were full-day programs,

partially in response to society’s needs. Today, as in the past, full-day
programs are popular because they meet societal needs for the
full-day care of young children as well as for economic and
academic reasons. Districts wanted to and were able to afford the
costs that came with running full-day programs because
they believed in the children’s academic potential that
came with full-day kindergartens.
Schedules and routines provide order, safety, and security for
young children.

Teachers adjust routines and schedules to match the

developmental level, culture, and resources of the children
they teach.

The daily schedule is designed to meet short- and long-term

goals and considers the child's family and community
resources.
 WORKING WITH
SPECIALISTS
Collaboration with specialists is necessary for providing the
best educational experiences for children.

This includes working with ESL teachers, special needs

specialists, and curriculum area specialists.
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 SPECIALISTS
Working with specialists will be necessary.

These include:

Teachers of English as Those who work in Curriculum area specialists

a second language (ESL) special needs children,
ESL teachers give English language lessons to non-
native speakers.

They work closely with classroom teachers to

provide appropriate educational experiences for
non-English speaking children.

Pulling children from the group may make them feel

isolated, so collaboration with ESL teachers within
the classroom is important.
When there are children with special needs in the classroom,
collaboration with a team of professionals is necessary.

The team may include medical, speech, hearing, or other

specialists, as well as the child's family.

Teachers play a crucial role in informing the team about the

child's functioning and normal growth and development.
Specialists in curriculum areas, such as music, physical education, art, or
others, are invaluable.

Collaboration with these specialists helps in coordinating planning and extending learning
experiences for children.

Young teachers can also benefit from working with experienced assistants to utilize their
strengths while establishing their own autonomy.
Parent involvement is mandated at the state and local levels.

Effective communication, confidence, and trust are the foundation

for involving parents in programs and activities.

Different levels and forms of involvement can benefit children,

parents, and schools.
Effective communication with parents is essential for involving them in their
children's education.

Teachers can use various methods, such as letters, postcards, home visits,
emails, phone calls, and websites.

Following up with written information is important to maintain

communication.
 Home visits can be a valuable way to establish effective
communication with parents.

Teachers can bring materials about the school, listen to

parents' dreams and goals for their children, and get to know
the child's name and preferences.

Home visits demonstrate respect and interest in the child

and their family.
•Feel free to meet outside, on the porch, or under a tree.

•Take along an ice breaker--maybe a small book, a finger

puppet, or a small box of crayons that the child and other
siblings can play with and you can leave with the child.

•Take a photo of you and the child so that the child can be
reminded of the teacher as school approaches.

•Have materials about the school, its policies, and its

procedures to leave with the parents.
•Ask parents about their dreams and goals for their
children, taking notes so that they know you are really
interested in what they have to say.

•Ask the child what he or she wants to learn during the

coming year.

•Find out about any special needs of parents and children

and discuss how the family wants you to meet these
needs.

•Make sure that you know the child's name and how to
pronounce it and whether the child has a nickname he or
she likes to be called.
Building confidence and trust between families and schools is
crucial for parent involvement.

Teachers can demonstrate confidence, trust, and respect for

parents through their words and actions.

Reinforcing children's sense of self-worth and dignity contributes to

their academic success.
Parents and teachers are partners in children's education.

Cooperation and collaboration involve effective communication, parent-teacher

conferences, advisory boards, and home involvement.

Collaboration between principals and teachers is also important for academic

success.
Parent-teacher conferences provide a mechanism for informing parents about
children's progress and seeking their support and involvement.

Teachers should use language that is accessible to parents and involve children in
conferences when appropriate.

Follow-up with a written thank-you note helps maintain communication.

Before the Conference- Invite them to bring in their portfolio of what they do at home and bring
photos of pets or completing other tasks. Arrange the conference in a way that establishes
equality and promotes open communication.

During the Conference- Professionals need to watch the use of educational jargon when speaking
with parents. Instead of telling a parent his child needs more "peer association," simply say how
good it is for children to play with one another outside of school. It is important that the words you
use do communicate
. In many cultures eye contact is important to foster good communication, but it can also make
people feel uncomfortable if it's too intense or too direct. Some teachers involve children in
conferences where they share their work with their parents.

Follow-Up- Follow-up with a written thank-you note. In the note include the things you said you
would be responsible for and those the child's parents said they would take care of. Restating
some of the things shared during the conference confirms the importance you place
on meeting with parents.
 Home involvement is an important aspect of parent-teacher
collaboration.

Parents continuing the work of the school at home contributes

to children's academic success.

Teachers involve parents in learning activities across the

curriculum.
 Full collaboration and cooperation between parents and
teachers contribute to children's academic success.

Involving parents in learning activities across the curriculum

helps reinforce learning at home.

The partnership between parents and teachers is crucial for

children's overall development and educational outcomes.